Racing NSW stewards to study and review Hugh Bowman’s ride on Farnan
Racing NSW stewards will conduct studies, review evidence and consider betting records as it investigates jockey Hugh Bowman for his ride on Farnan, while Rothfire is ready for The Everest.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Racing NSW stewards will study sectional times, review evidence and consider betting records before determining when to resume the inquiry into Hugh Bowman’s ride on Farnan in the Run To The Rose.
Rothfire’s brilliant Sydney debut at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday has been overshadowed somewhat by the scrutiny of Bowman’s ride.
Farnan showed blinding speed to cross and lead early, recording successive sub-11s 200m sectionals from the 1000m to the 600m – 10.34s and 10.88s – clearly an unsustainable tempo. The colt’s splits were successively slower in the run home including a 12.19s for the final 200m as he tired to run fifth.
Stewards grilled Bowman about his tactics and particularly why he didn’t appear to restrain Farnan once the colt had cleared his rivals and found the rail.
Bowman revealed he had no specific instructions to lead on Farnan and it was more an instinctive move to urge the colt forward early.
But a fresh Farnan, who was having his first start since winning the Golden Slipper, then seemed to take charge and wanted to race keenly, opening up a five-lengths lead mid-race.
Bowman wasn’t riding Farnan along as the colt recorded those very fast sectionals from the 1000m, explaining to stewards he was trying to work with the colt and keep him in his rhythm.
Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
“Obviously he can’t sustain that pace, no horse can,’’ Bowman told stewards.
“It’s not as though I went out there to run those times. Once I gave him the message, I was a passenger. My best experience is the best way to get a horse to relax is to work with the horse.’’
Farnan set up the race record time of Rothfire, who stopped the clock at 1m 08.52s scoring a commanding one-and-a-half lengths win.
The only comparable sectional splits to Farnan’s all day were from Haut Brion Her in the Sheraco Stakes.
Haut Brion Her drew wide and showed brilliant early speed and between the 1000m and 800m, she ran 10.25s, the fastest 200m sectional of the meeting, before easing off slightly with an 11.06s sectional to the 600m.
This equated to Haut Brion Her running 21.31s from the 1000m to the 600m while Farnan ran 21.22s for the same sectional.
Haut Brion Her’s effort to continue to race on the pace and win the Sheraco was outstanding. She ran the Rosehill 1200m in 1m 09.05s while Farnan crossed the line in 1m 09.16s in is defeat.
Stewards also found reason to question the riding tactics of Tommy Berry on Masked Crusader and James McDonald with Funstar.
Masked Crusader was never closer than four-wide without cover most of the race and his effort to finish a close third to Fituese was full of merit.
Similarly, Funstar was very good after exposed three-deep throughout the Theo Marks Stakes yet still looked the winner only to be run down near the line by Wild Planet.
Stewards did not take any further action against Berry and McDonald.
ROTHFIRE READY FOR THE EVEREST
Trainer Rob Heathcote has no qualms bringing Rothfire back to 1200m for the $15 million The TAB Everest after he runs in the $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) this spring.
“I’ve got no doubt he can do it because he is such a relaxed, laidback, cool dude,’’ Heathcote said.
“We won’t do a lot with him in the three weeks between the Golden Rose (September 26) and the Everest (October 17), we will take it nice and easy with him.
“But he is explosive out of the gates, he is just one of those bomb-proof horses that travels and when you press the go button he goes bang.”
Heathcote said Rothfire had a “little blow” after his dynamic Run To The Rose win and has improvement to come going into the Golden Rose.
“If I had one doubt going into the Run To The Rose it was my horse was a touch ‘soft’,’’ the trainer said.
“Jim (Bryne) felt Rothfire peaked 50m out and he will be better for the run. I do feel he is a better 1400m horse and he will go to the Golden Rose next then we will bring him back for The Everest.’’
There was also talk about The Everest for Fituese and Haut Brion Her after their Rosehill wins while Alligator Blood’s fast-finishing first-up third at Doomben under 61kg showed he is right on track for the $7.5 million Golden Eagle (October 31) although connections still covet an Everest slot.
At Royal Randwick next Saturday, the Everest contenders Classique Legend, Bivouac, Catalyst and Eduardo among others are set to clash in the Group 2 $500,000 The Shorts (1100m).
GOOD DAY FOR TEAM HAWKES
Team Hawkes had a successful Saturday with the Group 2 wins of Epsom Handicap hopeful Wild Planet in the Theo Mark Stakes at Rosehill and Doubtland in the Danehill Stakes at Flemington.
Even their beaten runners ran well with Ole Kirk the only horse to break 33s for the final 600m at Rosehill when he ran home in 32.84s to run second in the Run To The Rose, just in front of stablemate North Pacific.
The Hawkes stable’s Kinsgheir (second to Discharged) and Masked Crusader could have won with better luck in running while at Flemington Master Of Wine hit the line strongly to finish a good fourth in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
FIERCE IMPACT’S BIG MILESTONE
Trainer Matthew Smith deserves kudos after Fierce Impact became the first son of legendary Japanese superhorse Deep Impact to win three times at Group 1 level when he held off the unlucky Russian Camelot in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
Fierce Impact boasts an appealing international pedigree and could so easily have been retired to stud after winning twice at Group 1 level in the Toorak Handicap and Cantala Stakes last season but Smith felt the horse had more to give on the racetrack and was proved right with another major last Saturday.
Smith said Fierce Impact is likely to run next in the Caulfield Stakes and then go onto the Cox Plate.
Fierce Impact’s win in the Makybe Diva Stakes franks the Winx Stakes form when he ran third to Verry Elleegant and Star Of The Seas.
Verry Elleegant galloped well between races at Rosehill last Saturday and trainer Chris Waller confirmed she will race next in the Group 1 George Main Stakes at Royal Randwick next Saturday where her opponents will include stablemates Star Of The Seas, Imaging and Kolding.
O’BRIEN’S MARE JUST MAGICAL
Aidan O’Brien’s top mare Magical wore down the world’s highest rated horse Ghaiyyath in an epic Irish Champion Stakes.
Magical won the race for the second straight year and inflicted the first defeat of Godolphin’s Ghaiyyath this year.
“It was unbelievable that, she‘s a great mare,’’ O’Brien said of Magical. “We just felt she needed to sit close to him (Ghaiyyath) to keep her interested as she gets a little bit lazy when she sits back.’’
ROSEHILL SNAPSHOT: WITH RON DUFFICY
RUN OF THE DAY
They call him the “Thrilla From Chinchilla” and the flying Queenslander Rothfire certainly thrilled a lot of people in the Run To The Rose on Saturday. He dragged the field up to the tear away leader Farnan and went away running sizzling time. Who knows how good he is.
FORGET THEY RAN
It’s pretty obvious Masked Crusader was another forgiving run. After going forward trying to slot in nothing went right with a tough run four wide no cover. Hopefully he can recover from this and push ahead finding some winning form in the near future.
THE BLACK BOOK
On a day with some huge performances, outside the square I want to follow She’s Ideel, Global Quest and definitely Entente in the right races.
RIDE OF THE DAY
Rachel King has a great affinity with the gutsy mare Fituese and it showed up again on Saturday. Fituese is a known on pace type but Rachel had the confidence in her to ride her back when they went out hard and got the desired result.
NSW RACING: THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday: Moruya, Tamworth
Tuesday: Corowa, Taree
Wednesday: Warwick Farm
Thursday: Kembla Grange, Narromine
Friday: Newcastle
Saturday: Royal Randwick, Newcastle, Moree, Wagga Wagga
Sunday: Armidale, Nowra
MORE NEWS:
Trainer Keith Dryden is confident handy mare Wandonna can shed her maiden status
Moruya, Tamworth races: Best bets, inside mail with Shayne O’Cass
Verry Elleegant on track for another Group 1 in George Main Stakes
Originally published as Racing NSW stewards to study and review Hugh Bowman’s ride on Farnan