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Meeting In Review 5 August 2022
Date: 08-Aug-2022
The 2022/23 racing season kicked off at the Ipswich Turf Club on Friday with the annual Ipswich Crime Stoppers Race Day. Those on track enjoyed a great day of racing that was run on a good surface.
Not a great deal changed from last season with the usual suspects finding themselves in the winners circle.
Collett Picks Up Where She Left Off
Brisbane based New Zealand jockey Sam Collett was crowned last season’s premier jockey at Ipswich, The bubbly hoop wasted no time in starting the defence of her title by riding a winning double at Friday’s meeting.
Collett registered her first win of the new season when she piloted The Billionaire to victory in the second race of the day, The Barn Family Restaurant Class 3 Plate over 800m.
The Lee Freedman-trained gelding couldn’t keep up when tackling this course and distance on July 14 but it was a different story on Friday. Jumping from the outside gate, Collett pushed him early and had no qualms sitting five-deep on the speed. The flashy chestnut was never on the track but that didn’t matter as he pulled out plenty to win by a narrow margin.
Collett makes the trip to the Gold Coast each Friday to work Freedman’s horses and was pleased to get a win with The Billionaire for the team that has supported her.
“He’s a horse that has shown us any amount of ability on the track,” Collett said.
“He’s probably been a touch of a head scratcher. He had to be tough today (Friday) as he didn’t jump away great.
“He was wide, pressing forward with the weight but the key to him is that once he got his head in front I was able to just keep after him and his fitness held out.
“He’s got more than enough ability so I was happy for all the team involved. It’s good to see them get a win on the board.”
The popular jockey recorded her second win for the day in the ninth and final race, the www.ieec.com.au Class 5 Handicap.
Collett partnered Pivotal Motion, a horse she has had good success with particularly at Ipswich. The Doug Duryea-trained seven-year-old dropped back from 1350m to 1200m and proved to be a winning move.
As soon as the gates opened, Collett drove forward to lead. Collett controlled things beautifully in front before kicking off the corner and holding the chasers at bay to win by 0.8 of a length.
It was a peach of a ride from Collett which demonstrated clearly why she is regarded as the ‘Queen of Ipswich’.
Aqua Alta Steals The Show
The Rex Lipp and Nicholas Hahn-trained Aqua Alta may be a five-year-old but she has a very bright future if Friday’s win is anything to go by.
The lightly raced daughter of Altius was having just her fifth start when she lined up in the Kingsley Lawson Lawyers Class 2 Plate over 1666m. She had won two of her previous four starts and started a $1.90 favourite.
Robbie Fradd rode Aqua Alta to her last start win at Gatton and was again in the saddle on Friday. He bounced the mare nicely out of the gates to settle third in the run,. Fradd revved his mount up just prior to straightening and she responded beautifully. The pair pounced on the leaders mid-straight before dashing clearing to win easily by 3.8 lengths.
Co-trainer Lipp said that this is just the first preparation he has had Aqua Alta and she came to him with a poor reputation from previous trainers. However after investigation Lipp found that it was just chiropractic and the problems ceased.
Following Aqua Alta easily handling Friday’s 1666m, Lipp believes that the quirky mare is capable of handling longer trips.
“To be honest I never looked up her pedigree,” Lipp said.
“I thought we’ll try her over the mile, we went from the 1400m to 1600m. The owners
advised me that she’s out of a Bonecrusher mare so looking at that side of it, she might run 2000m.”
Fradd was full of praise for Aqua Alta who took some stopping to pull up after the race.
“I tried to bring her back but she just wanted to keep running…she’ll get 2000m easily,” Fradd said.
“She’s a lovely filly. If she doesn’t win a Listed race in town, I’ll run down the main street of Brisbane in budgie smugglers tightened up like a g-string.
“She probably wasn’t suited but her class got her through. She still has a lot to learn.
“Once she gets there, she switches off but when you pick her up she has such a turn of foot.
“She’s all legs. Gee when the penny drops she’s going to be a decent filly.
“She’ll win a few in town for sure.”
While Aqua Alta looks city class, Lipp said that they won’t be rushing her and she’ll go to the paddock for a well earned break.
Fradd also won aboard Go Millo later in the day to register a winning double.
The Mark Currie-trained galloper was involved in a ding dong battle in the concluding stages of the 2150m Ipswich Events & Entertainment Centre Benchmark 62 Handicap with Luvyouanytime. In a heads up, heads down finish, Go Millo was deemed the winner via photo finish.
Wasting Worth It For Jag GC
Jag Guthmann- Chester was in search of a glass of water after riding Montana May to victory in the Sharelle’s 50 & Fabulous Maiden Handicap on Friday.
The talented hoop needed to waste to get his weight down to 55.5kg for the ride. It was worth it with the pair winning in fine style.
Guthmann-Chester settled the three-year-old in a great position just behind the speed. He stoked the filly up on the turn and still had three-lengths to make up when straightening for home. Montana May let down well to cruise in for a two-length win,
Annabel Neasham’s Gold Coast based Assistant Trainer Todd Pollard revealed that the filly may have run her last race.
“She’s been knocking on the door for a while,” Pollard said.
“I think the owners are considering putting her in the broodmare paddock so it’s good to finish with a win.
“We'll have to convince them to race as she won quite impressively.
“Jag gave her the perfect ride. He actually had to waste to get down to the 55.5kg.
“We said to him that if he couldn’t get down to that weight we’d obviously have to find somebody else so he’s done well to get down to it.”
Guthmann-Chester was pleased that Montana May was finally able to register her first win.
“She’s been going really well at home and it was good to see her bounce back and get that maiden win,” Guthmann-Chester said,
“She’s run really well two starts back at Murwillumbah but she then struck a really heavy surface at Beaudesert and I don’t think she handled it.
“Back here on a good track it was good to see her put them away like that.
“We had a good gate and she stepped away from the barrier clean which allowed me to get a lovely run in behind the leaders and I was able to follow Jimmy Orman up. That gave me a lovely cart into the race.
“She put them away pretty easily.”
Gollan Wets Line At Ipswich And Catches Winner
Feeling recharged following an end of season Darwin fishing trip, Queensland’s leading trainer Tony Gollan was back doing what he does best at Ipswich on Friday….training winners.
Gollan entered Mahia in the Riverlink Fashions On The Field Fillies & Mares Benchmark Handicap. The former Victorian was having her first start for the Gollan.
With a battle for the lead taking place over the 1200m sprint, jockey Ryan Maloney settled off it to give his mount a nice run in transit. As they entered the straight, Maloney got Mahia to the outside before charging to a 1.3 length win.
Gollan was confident Mahia could win in her first outing for the stable based on what she had shown him.
“She spelled then came to us,” Gollan explained.
“Double R Thoroughbreds bought her. They didn’t pay a lot for her and look, she’s no oil painting.
“However she’s a little, tough kiwi mare that really enjoys what she does. She’ll improve a lot off today (Friday) coat wise.
“She was very fit, very forward coming into this. She’s an unassuming horse around the yard but the more we worked her the better she went.
“We came here very confident that we’d found the right race.
“There’s no reason that at this off-season time of year that she wouldn't step to a Wednesday sort of race.”
Abbott Gets The Best Out Of Brazen Breccia
Trainer Lauren Abbott revealed that she was embarrassed parading Brazen Breccia ahead of Friday’s Assure Global Plus Maiden Handicap. However, his looks would have been the furthest thing from her mind when he romped in moments later.
“He’s massive and I hate bringing him to the races when his coat is like that,” Abbott said.
“Because my horses go to the paddock in between their runs, it’s really hard to have nice coats on them.
“He’s one especially as he eats rugs so you can’t even put a rug on him.
“So I’m always hanging my head when he comes to the mounting yard as I know that he doesn’t look great.”
After a sluggish getaway, Ryan Maloney drove forward to find a spot just behind the leaders. Turning for home, leader Phospher Bronze shifted off the fence to gift Maloney a clear passage along the fence. He quickly put three lengths on the field and sprinted strongly to extend the winning margin to four lengths,
Abbott admitted that she was a touch nervous in the run when the five-year-old gelding didn’t lead.
“He’s a big one batter so I was worried because the plan was to go to the front and try to kick away,” Abbott said.
“We wanted to make them catch him but then when he was third i was like geeze he’ll just go at that one pace.
“But he sprinted well and surprised me.
“I’m just glad to get a win because I've run second twelve times since my last winner and I’m glad he finally won.”
Like Abbott, Maloney also had his concerns in the run.
“I was a bit concerned because he’s a bit one-paced,” Maloney said.
“When they slowed it up I thought it was going to be a sit and sprint. Steph’s (Thornton) lugged off the rail and I didn’t hesitate and went straight through the gap.
“He responded really well and won deservingly,
“He sprinted so well, especially around this track. I had him pegged as a one batter but the break has obviously done him good.
“His first-up run was gallant and today (Friday) was even better so it was good to see.”
The winning trainer thanked the majority owners for the trust they’d put in her and the horse.
“Congrats to Grant and the Ontrack team as they’ve spent a lot of time and money on this horse,” Abbott said.
“I had him ready for the Magic Millions Maiden race in January and the Tuesday gallop before it he tore a muscle in his hamstring so he had to have more time off again.
“So he’s had a long time off. He’s had injuries and that so we haven’t been able to step him up to 2000m but hopefully this preparation we can.”
The win was Maloney’s second for the day making him one of three jockeys to perform the feat.
Horses To Follow
Race 3 - Aqua Alta: It will come as no surprise that this mare is a horse to follow. The lightly raced five-year-old was a dominant winner but it was the way she went about it. She still has a lot to learn but she gives every indication that she’ll be winning in much stronger races. You just need to read the previously mentioned comments from jockey Robbie Fradd to realise this.
Race 5 - Mahia: This recent addition to the Tony Gollan stable looks to have more wins in her future. She won in fine style first-up and will take plenty of benefit from the hit out. Gollan has a great ability to improve horses that join his team from other stables and this mare looks no different. Look for her at a midweek meeting in the next two to three weeks.
We will host our next meeting on Friday 12 August where we will welcome Swich On Inc. for their annual race day.
Story: Craig Sheppard
Image: Trackside Photography
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