The verdict: Far from Happy as filly soon found Skye’s limit

SKYE Bogenhuber has vigorously defended a charge of not giving Happy Event every chance in the Dalrello Stakes before being suspended for two months.

Trubia winning at Toowoomba. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

SKYE Bogenhuber vigorously defended a charge levelled at her by stewards of not giving Happy Event every chance in the Dalrello Stakes before being suspended for two months on Saturday.

Stewards found Bogenhuber failed to make sufficient effort to restrain the filly at the 900m and then allowed the filly to keep striding at the 800m mark as she and Love Spy opened up a big margin on the rest of the field.

Bogenhuber told stewards every time she tried to take hold of Happy Event “she wanted to run off”.

“Do you just expect me to restrain and slot into second place like I’m driving a car?” she said.

“The horse is working against me. I did everything possible at the time. It was already fired up.

“Would you rather me run off the track and pull it up?”

Earlier trainer John Zielke had noted Happy Event lost her tongue tie and said that contributed to her racing ungenerously.

Stewards said it was a serious offence and they expected better of a jockey with Bogenhuber’s very successful record around Toowoomba.

Bogenhuber, who has only recently returned from injury, indicated she will appeal the suspension.

BIG UNIT

SKY’s Michael Maxworthy described hulking stallion Trubia as “a big unit” after he loped home to win the final event. Trainer Michael Lakey confirmed he’s a monster.

“Sometimes when I take him to the beach I look up and think how am I possibly going to get up there,” Lakey said.

The trainer is going to give him one more run in the comfort zone of a Class 6 Plate before setting his sights higher to a possible stakes tilt. Jockey Michael Cahill said Trubia won with something in hand.

“He’s a progressive horse. He needs to keep improving to get to those better races, but that’s what he’s doing at the moment and that was pretty soft in the end,” Cahill said.

STRADDIE MOVES

Music Magnate won a deceptive photo finish at Randwick to set himself on a path to the Stradbroke and he firmed to $12 with UBET on Saturday night.

The other big mover was All Aged winner English, who is now $5.50 second favourite. Runner-up Black Heart Bart is $6.50, while some of the gloss came off Malaguerra and he eased to $10 after his winning sequence ended in the WFA race.

Slippery customer Brooklyn Storm took more than one second off the track record. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

BY THE CLOCK

Brooklyn Storm shaved a lazy 1.07 seconds off the old course record when he romped home by more than five lengths.

Bookies were licking their wounds, but they should have been thankful for the late scratching of $4.60 pop Gracida, meaning they could lop a decent chunk in deductions (17 cents in the dollar) off the payout on the winner.

Bjorn Baker looks sure to be a force in Queensland now he is choosing to send more horses up here.

Luke Dittman endeavours to overcome his illness before jumping aboard eventual winner Sarisara.

WINNING FEELING?

LUKE Dittman shrugged off a pre-race illness scare to give Sarisara a perfect ride in landing a first-up plonk at Toowoomba.

Off an awkward draw, Dittman had Sarisara in a lovely trailing spot and she looked in total control throughout. But the jockey looked anything but in control pre-race, crouching down in the mounting yard and sparking concerns whether he would be okay to take the ride.

Dittman said he had been battling a chest infection all week and he was simply trying to clear his throat before stewards approached and asked if he could fulfil the engagement.

“They wanted to stand me down, but there was no way I was getting off her,” he said. “Maybe I should have chosen a different place (rather than the mounting yard).”

Trainer Rex Lipp admitted he had his reservations after seeing Dittman in such discomfort.

“I must say, I was worried when I saw him before the race. He looked terrible,” Lipp said. “But he assured me he would be fine and he’s ridden her perfectly.”

It was a winning double for the rider after guiding Ruling Force home in the opener.

Originally published as The verdict: Far from Happy as filly soon found Skye’s limit