| R9 HASTINGS | 17 September 2011 |
| Windsor Park Plate G1 OPEN ($158,000), 1600m 1:34.05 | |
| Race Synopsis: The track was rated good but definitely had plenty of cushion, as the times were nothing spectacular all day for the calibre of horses running in some of the events.
A leader/on-pace/handy bias played almost all day, with four outright leaders winning and four other winners of the ten race card sitting either outside the pace, tucked up handy the inner or looming up to lodge a bid at the 400m.
The winning time of Jimmy Choux of 1:34.05 is significant, as it is the fastest time ever posted in this race since becoming a G1 and in fact this century.
The previous quickest was Seachange in 2006 of 1:34.37 (two lengths inferior).
The last male four-year-old to win the race was Starcraft in 2004, when the race was a G2, and he went on to finish third in the Cox Plate that spring beaten just over a length behind the three-year-old Savabeel.
Jimmy Choux was hands and heels to catch the leader Mufhasa in the home straight then the stick came out for the money blows over final 50m for a well ridden and timed victory.
Muhasa was game in defeat even with a track bias in play towards leaders and those sitting close, as a rival did not let him have even a slight breather from the 1200m to the home turn and the overall time reflects that.
Booming is close to showing some form again and the stayer is going far superior to his stablemate Wall Street, which won this race last year but lacks some closing oomph this season so far.
| |
| FP | Horse Age & Sex | Trainer Jockey | WT SP | |||||||
1st | 8. JIMMY CHOUX (NZ) 4yo Horse | JOHN BARY JONATHAN RIDDELL | 58.5 $1.90 | |||||||
| THORN PARK (AUS) - CIERZO (NZ) | ||||||||||
| Chouxmaani Investments Ltd Syndicate (Mgr: R D Wood) | 2nd | 1. MUFHASA (NZ) 7yo Gelding | STEPHEN MCKEE SAM SPRATT | 59.0 $3.80 | ||||||
| PENTIRE (GB) - SHEILA CHEVAL (NZ) | ||||||||||
| D L, S C & N N Archer & Mrs D J Wright | 3rd | 4. HOLD IT HARVEY (AUS) 7yo Gelding | TERRI RAE DANIEL STACKHOUSE | 59.0 $23.10 | ||||||
| KING CUGAT (USA) - DALY CHARM (AUS) | ||||||||||
| M R Shepherd | ||||||||||
| Jun 06, National Yearling Sale 2006, Widden Valley, $16000, TERRI RAE, NEW ZEALAND | ||||||||||
| 4th | 2. WALL STREET (NZ) 7yo Gelding | JEFF LYNDS OPPIE BOSSON | 59.0 $6.80 | |||||||
| 5th | 3. BOOMING (NZ) 7yo Gelding | JEFF LYNDS VIN COLGAN | 59.0 $48.50 | |||||||
| 6th | 11. FLEUR DE LUNE (NZ) 4yo Mare | LEE SOMERVELL MARK SWEENEY | 56.5 $15.00 | |||||||
| 7th | 5. FRITZY BOY (NZ) 7yo Gelding | A MACGREGOR DAVID WALKER | 59.0 $43.80 | |||||||
| 8th | 7. ATOM CAT (NZ) 6yo Gelding | GRAHAM RICHARDSON HAYDEN TINSLEY | 59.0 $74.70 | |||||||
| 9th | 10. ST GERMAINE (NZ) 5yo Mare | J G SARGENT JASON COLLETT | 57.0 $31.90 | |||||||
| 10th | 6. SIX O'CLOCK NEWS (NZ) 7yo Gelding | TRENT BUSUTTIN & NATALIE YOUNG JASON WADDELL | 59.0 $63.30 | |||||||
| 11th | 9. BALDOVINO (AUS) 4yo Gelding | GRAEME & DEBBIE ROGERSON LEITH INNES | 58.5 $19.10 | |||||||
The 2011 running of the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate
