Jimmysstar, and those who made him, topped contributions to a better than GOOD Saturday, adding to what has been by a magnificent Spring.
Traditionally the turf action drops a cog after the Melbourne Cup carnival, not the situation this year with Jimmysstar in Caulfield’s Orr Stakes, being the headliner, with worthwhile competition interstate.
However, as good as Green Spaces looked, the Street Boss colt still fell short of Sheza Alibi, successful in the $400,000 Sandown Guineas.
Sheza Alibi, a $10,000 internet purchase, commenced her career in the North Queensland, and is now under the control of the Moody – Coleman partnership at Pakenham.
“We don’t know what the ceiling is,” Moody commented after the triumph. “It’s a high ceiling,” her jockey Luke Nolan maintained with something of the Black Caviar enthusiasm. Sheza Alibi beat little but produced the wow factor.
Like the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising, the Orr placegetters are New Zealand breds. Once renowned for stayers they are now confirming their worth over shorter distances.
Currently a six-year-old, Jimmysstar has had a demanding campaign yet, if anything, was better on Saturday than previously, testimony to the skill of Ciaron Maher, now with 60 Group ones to his training portfolio.
Maher couples hands on experience with modern technology, computers and the like, with possibly the best facilities ever.
Randwick is upcoming, joining the lavish Bong Bong as well as other bases in Victoria and New South Wales. No doubt Jimmysstar benefitted from Bong Bong.
Not an easy ride, Jimmysstar has been aided in his journey by Ethan Brown, who kicked off in Alice Springs. Brown takes his expertise to Hong Kong on December 14 to handle Light Infantry Man in the Hong Kong Vase. Brown, 25, is talented and will get better.
Also he contributed to the family day atmosphere at Caulfield being filmed with a group of youngsters after the success, continuing the changing face of racegoers, evident at Newcastle.
Still on centre stage Joe Pride took the honours with The Hunter quinella: Coal Crusher, and Accredited. From a personal point-of-view Coal Crusher was BAD because I don’t support “aged”, once the description in form guides for horses older than six.
The advice of the great Tom Smith comes back to haunt me. “Old horses are like old men, too many complaints (aches and pains),” he stressed. I cannot buck the habit.
When Pride was winning with the David Baxter bred Destiny’s Kiss as a 10-year-old, seven seasons back, he showed he can maintain energy in veterans. I sought his advice of whether it could be used on humans.
Pain free horses by natural means, not the needle, was a secret of John Size, mentor of Pride and these days a Hong Kong genius. I gave up writing them in the same sentence because Pride has built a personal reputation.
Struggling to find UGLY?
Yorkshire, the 3.40 favourite in The Hunter, ended last, beaten 11.2 lengths. Yorkshire was later diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia, a more recent ailment. Once a similar performance would have prompted suspicions about the “Fence Jumpers”, a nobbling gang who could stop a train. And they hailed from Newcastle.
Anyway Yorkshire did around eight lengths better on Saturday than Buckaroo in the Melbourne Cup.
Horse Sense: “If you have to walk away from a horse and come back again, you don’t like it. It’s a very simplistic approach. I don’t look much at pedigree and I’m not as big on condemning faults as some. I’ve had many good horses with conformation faults. Good horses run through anything.” – Joe Pride
