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Saturday Post Mortem with Chris Scholtz

by By Chris Scholtz ,
6 years ago

3 minute read

Chris Scholtz reviews racing around Australia on February 10.

THE STARS

GODOLPHIN – Plenty of smiles in Dubai after six winners across three States that included a Group One from the team’s favourite Hartnell and an exciting return from an awesome colt in Kementari. Days don’t come much better for the boys in blue!

KEMENTARI: Has the ability to match his glamor looks, a recipe that will make him a crowd favourite.

HARTNELL: Godolphin have asked a lot of him over the last two seasons so it’s great to see his testing campaigns have not dimmed his great ability.

BRAD WIDDUP/MARK NEWNHAM: The rising stars of the Sydney training ranks will long remember Saturday’s Warwick Farm meeting as it marked a first black type win for Brad Widdup and a big payday for Mark Newnham in the Inglis Classic.

OWEN RIDGE: Undoubtedly the former successful rider gets the vote as most popular winner of the day, at least in Adelaide. The 47-year-old jockey rode his first city winner in almost 18 months and his first on a metropolitan Saturday meeting since 2006.

TALKING POINTS

GOING BUSH: I went bush on the weekend for the Braidwood Cup meeting in south east NSW. It’s a meeting I have supported for more than 25 years and have seen it grow into a great day for the local community driven by a dedicated group of volunteers. Yet I still haven’t seen any Racing NSW heavyweights put in an appearance, and that goes for a quite a few other bush meetings that really are the grass roots of the industry and deserve a show of race day support from the Druitt Street echelon.

It should be mandatory for at least one representative of the Racing NSW Board to be in attendance at every Cup meeting held in NSW, not just the glamour days conducted by the big clubs where they get wined and dined and rarely rub shoulders with the people that drive the industry.

The sentiment in the bush is it’s time for the privileged Board members to get down and get dusty with the real people of racing on days that will give them a better understanding of the problems these dedicated racing participants are facing in the country!

By the way there were a dozen bookmakers at Braidwood – compare that to the one bookmaker, maybe two, that bother to work at most weekday country TAB meetings these days - that’s what corporate bookmakers have done to country racing!

BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS

DAMIAN LANE: I’m a fan but he deserves a brickbat for a shocker on Tosen Stardom. Admitting after the race that his tactics from the wide gate were wrong was only rubbing salt in the wound for the punters who supported the favourite.

GARY PORTELLI: Probably won’t admit the pressure he faced to produce She Will Reign in top form after the hiccups in her preparation. A job well done!

GRAHAM BEGG: Bouquets for the former top Sydney trainer as it was only a matter of time until he came up with a top horse to shake up Melbourne. Has finally got one in Written By.

CHRISTIAN REITH: Don’t underestimate the role he is playing in Brad Widdup’s rapid rise up the training ladder. Bouquets for the hard work he is putting in for the stable that is bringing its rewards.

MICHAEL MEHAGAN: No easy task to win the same Group race with same horse in successive years, even if Prussian Vixen was a blow out for punters!

CAULFIELD NIGHTMARE: The last six winners at Caulfield were all resuming from spells. Fine training by their respective stables but made the punt for most a nightmare!

RIDE OF THE DAY

JOSH PARR - Showed excellent patience and navigation to split the field and time his finishing run on The Enzo in the Inglis Classic. The early pace saw too many riders gas their mounts before the turn.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I still ride a bit of trackwork but I’m happy to be a part-timer and just pick up a race ride here and there. I don’t keep records of that stuff but it’s always good to pass that post first.” - 47-year-old jockey Owen Ridge after cracking it for a rare city win at Morphettville.

THEY SAID IT

• “There is a lot to like about every aspect of the run. He’s the one all the colts have got to beat.” – Glyn Schofield issues an early Randwick Guineas warning to Kementari’s rivals.

• “What really showed was his class and acceleration, the way he was able to put away some pretty nice horses. He has an aura about him” Godolphin’s Darren Beadman gives his view of Kementari.

• “He has a great attitude and a great brain. He is a winner.” – Brad Widdup on his first black type winner Sandbar.

• “She wasn’t fat enough to get beat but she was certainly fat enough to improve off it.” - Gary Portelli’s rating of She Will Reign’s fitness level.

• “Sometimes she can jump and really hammer. You just have to do enough to have her switched on without her running through the bridle. She was always a sensible horse but she is certainly more mature but very casual, which is not a bad thing for a young filly.” – Ben Melham’s praise for She Will Reign.

• “The thing about last prep was that it was pretty messy because we spent maybe a month or more than we needed to try and get his barrier certificate. He was a colt that used to fight and fight and fight and not do the right thing. I'll say is he's over his delinquent ways and he's a much better horse physically and a much stronger horse.” Mick Price discusses his past issues with Australian Guineas-bound Holy Snow.

• “She is a pretty impressive sort of filly now, she looks like a big three-year-old colt.” - Booker’s co-trainer Matt Ellerton.

• “She is so consistent and it's frustrating that she hasn't won one. She is Group One quality and deserves that next to her name.” – Prompt Response’s co-trainer Adrian Bott.

• “We were pretty confident coming into today even though her form was horrendous. She just didn't come up last preparation - she was sound and we just put it down to the time of year, she might just be a summer mare.” – Prussian Vixen’s trainer Michael Mehegan.

• “It was a great effort. She’s got it.... she is a dynamite mare.” – Super Cash’s trainer Andrew Noblet.

• “I'm lucky I got a ready-made horse, I've underrated this guy a little bit.” Show A Star’s trainer Bjorn Baker.

• *“He won even more easily than I expected - we might have a bit of a horse on our hands.” Kevin Kemp’s view of his promising sprinter Mr Marvellouz.

THE SACK FILE

SHOALS: Disappointing. Report suggests she has issues.

BONNY O'REILLY: Will need to find something off this poor effort.

DAL CIELO: Barrier risk.

SINGLE BULLET: Frustrating non-winner.

BLACKBOOK

ACQUME: Nice prospect for something longer.

ASSIMILATE: Good resuming effort behind a top colt. Promising.

SLIGHTLY SWEET: Good mare set for another honest prep.

SEBERATE: Keep an eye on this Lindsay Park youngster.

MERCHANT NAVY: Nice primer for what lies ahead.

BRAVE SMASH: Just one of many luckless runs in the Orr Stakes.


tags

SHOALS BONNY O’REILLY DAL CIELO SINGLE BULLET ACQUME ASSIMILATE SLIGHTLY SWEET SEBERATE MERCHANT NAVY BRAVE SMASH