Monday Rewind: State-by-state expert analysis on who to circle and who to bin
DAMIEN Oliver’s mshap with the whip may have cost Terravista victory in the BC Lightning Stakes but that cannot detract from Chautauqua’s stunning late surge.
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DAMIEN Oliver’s mshap with the whip may have cost Terravista victory in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes but that cannot detract from Chautauqua’s stunning late surge to triumph in the final stride.
Whatever your take on the outcome, it was simply breathtaking the whirlwind finish by the Team Hawkes superstar. He looked certain to be beaten at the 200m before making up several lengths to score in thrilling circumstances.
Welcome to the latest edition of Monday Rewind as we look back at all the action from the weekend.
Michael Manley (Herald Sun)
Flemington
BLITZED
Chautauqua — The freakish sprinter did the impossible getting up to win in the final stride. His last stride bound to win will live long in racegoers memories.
Pemberley — Really dominant win from an emerging staying star. Gets better with every start.
Pat Carey — Unassuming Mornington trainer who is seemingly training a city winner every Saturday. This time it was his in-form Dan Zephyr who did the job.
BLUNDERED
James McDonald/Exosphere — Exosphere was far from disgraced. In fact it could be construed he ran a bottler but was stuck in the worst part of the track.
Damien Oliver — Our best jockey drops the whip, amazingly grabs it as its dropping, but that was enough to cost Terravista.
Plunge on Clockwork Orange — The jungle drums had David Hayes declaring her his best two-year-old and the money followed. Not a bad run and was in slower section of the track.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
Tivaci/Tulsa — Mike Moroney always had a huge opinion of his pair and they showed why on Saturday. Tivaci gained race on protest but the run of stablemate Tulsa was a real eye catcher.
Divan — Had a really tough run and was entitled to finish well but just kept fighting on for third behind Dan Zephyr. Should be hard to beat in anything he contests.
Jackson — Surged home for third, winning the inside section behind Weatherly. He’ll take beating in the VRC Sires’ Produce.
WHO’S HOT
Dwayne Dunn — Continued his fine season with a winning double.
WHO’S NOT
Ready For Victory — The tragedy of the Golden Slipper which he could have won becomes greater with every start. Doesn’t seem to be going forward at all.
Shayne O’Cass (Sportsman/The Daily Telegraph)
Rosehill
BLITZED
Astern was already a Golden Slipper fancy but he had to make the field first. he did that via an easy win in the Silver Slipper and can chart his own course to the big one now.
BLUNDERED
The old grey mare Catkins ain’t what she used to be. Well certainly not what we saw from her on Saturday.
WHO’S HOT
Tommy Berry rode four winners on the card, and then went to Scone the next day and pulled out a pearler on Country Championship favourite Clearly Innocent.
WHO’S NOT
Himalaya Dream. What’s that you say? He won, how can this be so? Try doing the form and find him on top. Someone did — he was $15 into $8.50. Keep buying the Sportsman please — but chuck the form guide out the window if this keeps happening.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
Press Statement, Astern, Maurus, Man Of Choice.
Ben Scadden (The Advertiser)
Morphettville
BLITZED
Talented apprentice Josh Cartwright continues to make a good impression, claiming a winning double at Morphettville on Saturday with a pair of confident rides. He’s a young rider on the rise.
Richard Jolly and Phillip Stokes continue to churn out the winners. The win of Dylanson was Stokes’ ninth consecutive winning Saturday at Morphettville, while Bay Road’s success meant Jolly had trained at least one winner at the past six Saturday meetings.
BLUNDERED
There was plenty of support for Call Me Curtis in the first race — but he raced lengths below his best to be beaten almost 4-1/2 lengths by the flying Signor Gaetano in the opening race at Morphettville on Saturday.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
Bay Road showed he’s much more than just a one-trick pony. The Richard Jolly-trained gelding had won all three of his races after leading — but on Saturday he missed the start and settled last before unleashing a brilliant late burst to win impressively.
Grand sprinter Riziz produced a terrific first-up effort. It looked like he was going to be easily beaten by the smart Dylanson but fought back gamely to be beaten by a lip.
Nathan Exelby (The Courier Mail)
Doomben
BLITZED
Might have looked easy, but it was Hugh Bowman’s skill in the early stages that made it look that way. Turned a potentially tricky draw into an asset and was able to give the favourite Press Statement a nice soft first-up win at Rosehill.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
Sankara Spirit has a poor strike rate, but looks poised to change that in Queensland. Did well to finish as close as he did at Doomben after having no luck early in the straight.
Ripper return by Desert General at Doomben. Should go straight through his grades this time in.
Japonisme clearly loves the Flemington straight and must be the one to beat in the Newmarket (the $7 will look good come race day) after giving a fright to the two proven older horses. Improves every time he steps out.
SACK
Onemorezeta hasn’t won for 16 months but keeps being sent out one of the market fancies based on previous glories.
The track was offered as an excuse last time, but Hasselhoof looked very one-paced when asked to go here. Hasn’t lived up to the early promise he showed in NZ.
Dantga only fell in when he first came to town highly spruiked and has disappointed in each run since when fancied by the market.
MARKETS
Blue Diamond, Saturday
$3.10 Extreme Choice
$3.50 Flying Artie
$6.50 Samara Dancer
$7.50 Concealer
$12 Star Turn
$14 Miss Nymeria
$21 Selenia, Zamzam, Revolving Door, China Dream
$26+ Others
Doncaster Mile, April 2
$6 Winx
$9 Press Statement
$10 First Seal, Turn Me Loose, Azkadellia
$12 Bow Creek, Kermadec, Xtravagant
$16 Happy Clapper
$19 Magic Artist, Vanbrugh
$21 Boban, Hauraki, Stay With Me
$25+ Others
THIS WEEK
Tuesday: Newcastle, Bendigo
Wednesday: Gold Coast, Rosehill, Sandown, Strathalbyn, Ascot, Launceston
Thursday: Ipswich, Hawkesbury, Pakenham, Warren, Warrnambool, Mt Barker
Friday: Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Grafton, Moruya, Moonee Valley, Kilmore, Naracoorte, Narrogin
Saturday: Doomben, Warwick Farm, Caulfield, Morphettville, Ascot, Gold Coast, Dalby, Armidale, Wagga, Yarra Valley, Alice Springs
Sunday: Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Nowra, Taree, Sale, Balaklava, Pinjarra
THE TALKING POINT
The Flemington straight track bias. Australia’s best racecourse sure has problems serving up an even surface. After the savagely biased Cup week meetings last year, the VRC kicked off its 2016 Group 1 racing the same way.
THE QUOTE
“Even WBS (World’s Best Sprinter) needs a jockey who can hang onto his stick.” — The official Twitter account from Joe Pride Racing after Damien Oliver lost his whip at a time Terravista looked certain to win the Lightning Stakes.
Originally published as Monday Rewind: State-by-state expert analysis on who to circle and who to bin
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