| R6 TRENTHAM | 16 March 2019 |
| Wellington Guineas G2 3 OPEN ($96,000), 1400m 1:24.41 | |
| Race Synopsis: This G2 3yo over 1400m at set weights saw a South Island filly win in Emily Margaret and the owners donated their winnings towards the two Christchurch mosques attacked the day before that saw the utterly senseless loss of fifty lives.
The filly is trained at Riccarton racetrack and that is just 7km and 13km away respectively from the two mosques that sadly now will see Christchurch live forever in infamy.
The track today at Trentham looked awful and was chipping badly from the outset plus the grass was obviously left too long and added to the overall poor presentation and performance.
The times all day (bar the chute times as they are always bionic and not a realistic guide whatsoever) were slack (a Benchmark72 almost ran 1:40 for a mile) and a G3 winner with upside galore ran almost 1:38 for a mile.
The winners and where they turned for home in race order were led (three-off the fence and a neck ahead), led (one-off the fence and a length ahead), led (one-off the fence and four lengths ahead), fourth (five-off the fence and a length and a half from the leader), eighth (deepest (nine-off the fence) and two lengths from the leader), seventh (second widest (nine-off the fence) and two lengths from the leader), fourth (seven off the fence and two and a half lengths from the leader), fourth (five-off the fence and half a length from the leader) and second (six-off the fence and half a length from the leader).
Emily Margaret was tardy and settled second last on her own and then was in a rear quintet across the top and four-wide before improving deeper and the filly swept up seventh turning for home and second widest.
She sustained the surge to be second at the 200m and 100m and then got in the bob that matters on the line to score by half a head in 1:24.41.
It was her fourth win in a dozen starts and three of those have come at Blacktype with two Listed successes to go with the G2 victory today.
Emily Margaret has won on all types of footing bar heavy ground but she can handle that as shown by two placings in as many attempts on such track conditions.
It was the best time of the day at 1400m by almost three lengths and they went hard up front early so had to come back to the closers and swampers at some stage and did so.
Vigor Winner just missed remaining undefeated and the Australian bred gelding raced fourth the inner early then was sixth turning for home before working off at the 300m and driving through.
He led narrowly at the 50m but the winner wider out in better lanes nabbed him.
Dawn Patrol the favourite settled back and wide (albeit with cover) and swept up near the home turn to be eighth and the third widest turning in.
He surged to the lead at the 200m and looked set to win before being headed at the final 50m though he fought hard and went down just half a head and a short neck.
Not having raced since Boxing Day 2018 worked against him in such tricky testing and sapping footing.
Cavallo Veloce was a courageous fourth beaten less than a length after he arrived at the track none the worse for wear after suffering trauma to the right nostril and right hip en route.
He settled down seventh and turned for home ninth but came through sixth at the 200m and fought very well after reaching fourth at the 100m.
His stablemate Langkawi was eighth or ninth on settling and covering extra ground at times and turned for home tenth but kept coming to be seventh at the 200m and fifth at the 100m.
He was beaten just over a length.
King Louis was wide early then led before being headed at the 200m and wilted to sixth at the 100m but he is best ridden quiet if he is able to be settled in the running.
Miss Labasa was wide and then went up to attack deep before getting over second the outer and was just a neck away across the top to the home turn,
She was fourth at the 200m and boxing on then seventh at the 100m beaten just over three lengths.
Floral Belt at $100 ran a decent race for eighth after being back then improving sixth wide (with cover) across the top.
This filly has clearly improved markedly this year.
Cyber Attack was third last on settling then wide in a rear quintet across the top but kept coming the run home.
She's A Thief raced sixth the inner and was eighth across the top and eleventh turning for home but she did not run on and despised the footing.
It is still not known if the 1400m is too far as until she runs on a decent underfoot surface that cannot be marked as a known limitation.
Just Fabulous and Cleaver were not too bad and back to their own grade or a weaker 3yo line up have more to offer this season.
Happy Tav was outclassed and Press Release never got into it after being tardy and last away.
Qiji Express ran an absolute shocker to finish last beaten almost twenty-five lengths after being fifth wide then third wide in the open all the way working overtime.
He started second favourite and was less than a dollar away from being the public elect.
A post race veterinary test proved all clear and the footing today was attributed to the flop but the most likely main culprit was the overland outing along with the track conditions.
This should prove to be a good future source of winners as the Trentham track did many runners no favours whatsoever and the first part of the race was run much harder than the latter so it was a reverse split event.
Fillies are rare winners of this event that has been moved from a Spring date to now an Autumn fixture and even rarer is a South Island trained victor.
It was the biggest win for the owners Rodger and Emily Finlay and their heartfelt generosity will ensure many more people remember them and their tenacious filly.
| |
| FP | Horse Age & Sex | Trainer Jockey | WT SP | |||||||
1st | 12. EMILY MARGARET (NZ) 3yo Filly | K H HUGHES ROBERT HANNAM | 54.5 $13.60 | |||||||
| PINS (AUS) - SEVEN SCHILLINGS (NZ) | ||||||||||
| Mr & Mrs Rodger Finlay | 2nd | 8. VIGOR WINNER (AUS) 3yo Gelding | LAUREN BRENNAN SAM SPRATT | 56.5 $14.00 | ||||||
| DECLARATION OF WAR (USA) - SAVONT (AUS) | ||||||||||
| Back On The Rails Syndicate, S J Beatson, R A Emery, B W Foote, J R Heale, M I Johnston, Monacurragh Lodge Limited, N H Stanley, A D Stuart, D Wilson & Woburn Farm | 3rd | 1. DAWN PATROL (NZ) 3yo Gelding | FRANK RITCHIE M MCNAB | 56.5 $12.00 | ||||||
| DAWN APPROACH (IRE) - DAZZLING (NZ) | ||||||||||
| Mrs D C Jensen | ||||||||||
| 4th | 5. CAVALLO VELOCE (NZ) 3yo Gelding | PETER MCKAY CAMERON LAMMAS | 56.5 $15.60 | |||||||
| 5th | 7. LANGKAWI (NZ) 3yo Gelding | PETER MCKAY SHAUN M MC KAY | 56.5 $34.30 | |||||||
| 6th | 2. KING LOUIS (NZ) 3yo Gelding | JOHN BARY CHRIS JOHNSON | 56.5 $21.00 | |||||||
| 7th | 13. MISS LABASA (NZ) 3yo Filly | JOHN BARY JOHNATHON PARKES | 55.0 $8.80 | |||||||
| 8th | 16. FLORAL BELT (NZ) 3yo Filly | KEVIN GRAY HOLLY ANDREW | 54.5 $100.10 | |||||||
| 9th | 4. CYBER ATTACK (NZ) 3yo Gelding | TONY PIKE LEITH INNES | 56.5 $10.90 | |||||||
| 10th | 11. SHE'S A THIEF (NZ) 3yo Filly | MICHAEL MORONEY & PAM GERARD JAKE BAYLISS | 54.5 $12.70 | |||||||
| 11th | 14. JUST FABULOUS (NZ) 3yo Filly | R BERGERSON R J MYERS | 54.5 $31.90 | |||||||
| 12th | 10. CLEAVER (NZ) 3yo Gelding | J R WHEELER ZINJETE MOKI | 56.5 $97.60 | |||||||
| 13th | 15. HAPPY TAV (NZ) 3yo Filly | KEVIN GRAY LISA ALLPRESS | 54.5 $47.40 | |||||||
| 14th | 9. WOUNDED SOLDIER (NZ) 3yo Gelding | JOHNO BENNER & HOLLIE WYNYARD SAMANTHA COLLETT | 56.5 $66.20 | |||||||
| 15th | 3. HAPPY QIJI (NZ) 3yo Gelding | MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN MATTHEW CAMERON | 56.5 $4.70 | |||||||
Group 2 Norwood Family Wellington Guineas
1st: 12 Emily Margaret (Robert Hannam)
2nd: 8 Vigor Winner (Sam Spratt)
3rd: 1 Dawn Patrol (Michael McNab)
Tags: family group guineas Norwood wellington
