Action packed steeplechase
JUST Ishi was the winner but there were plenty of losers in a shambolic steeplechase at Trentham yesterday.
The incident packed race, that saw two runners wiped out at the start and riderless horses running in front of the field, was so bizarre it brought back memories of the infamous 2014 running of the Baggy Hillis Memorial Steeplechase.
Trying to make sense of the spectacle, race commentator Tony Lee, who said he had ‘‘never seen anything like it’’, even raised the idea of a full moon being to blame.
‘‘Have you ever seen anything like it? Have we got a full moon or what have we got?’’ Lee said during his commentary.
Thankfully all riders and horses caught up in the carnage escaped without injury but that was only due to good luck rather than good management.
Sadly the disjointed race is likely to have been a massive turnoff for punters who are not supporters of jumps racing and it was a bitter blow for the connections of Lonely Boy, Kings Deep and Highly Likely. The chaos began at the start. As the runners assembled for the flag start, Highly Likely was in a foul mood and a starters attendant was having trouble controlling him.
Despite Highly Likely being slightly ahead of the field, starter Garry Phillips dropped his flag and yelled: ‘‘Go’’.
Highly Likely lunged sideways and collected Lonely Boy. Jockeys Shaun Fannin (Highly Likely) and Charlie Price (Lonely Boy) were knocked from their mounts.
The rules were changed just before the start of the current season to make flag starts compulsory for all steeplechase races.
No attempt was made to call a false start.
Highly Likely, who was not caught by track staff, was on the loose and he narrowly missed the field when he jumped the running rail to rejoin the pack but the worst was still to come.
The riderless Highly Likely almost ran Kings Deep and Shaun Phelan off course leading into the first of the double on the steeplechase track that runs down the middle of the Trentham course proper.
But with one crisis avoided, another was just over the next brush. Highly Likely then came galloping through the middle of the double to collect the race leader and send Shaun Phelan falling to the deck.
Stewards declared Lonely Boy a late scratching after the event. A relief for punters who backed him but it was of no consolation to those who backed $3.40 shot RACE IMAGES Highly Likely or Kings Deep ($6.70).
Thankfully the riderless horses were kept out of harm’s way in the final stages of the race and the four remaining runners went on to finish without incident.
Not that anyone will remember the race for the result but race favourite Just Ishi and Gary Walsh went on to win the race by three lengths over The Oysterman with a further one and a quarter lengths back to The Fox who finished third.
Just Ishi, trained at Awapuni by Gail Temperton, will head to the Prestige Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase on July 1.
Meanwhile, in the open hurdles, Justa Charlie was a long head winner over the fast finishing Kipkeino with champion jumper Sea King a further four lengths behind in third.
Trained by Harvey Wilson, Justa Charlie has now collected four wins over hurdles and the eight-year-old son of Shinko King should have more on the horizon. BATTLING trainer Paul Butterworth’s decision to knock back big offers for Capital Gain paid off when the gelding won the JJ Atkins at Doomben yesterday.
Capital Gain sailed down the outside in beating Aloisia by a neck in the Group I race.
Sydney colt Taking Aim was third after having to come deep in the straight.
Butterworth has only a small team in work at Eagle Farm and went out on a limb to buy Capital Gain at the Gold Coast Ready To Run sales last year.
‘‘I picked him out on breeding because I like the Ad Valorem breed and then l Iiked the look of him. I told my wife that he was the horse I really wanted,’’ Butterworth said.
He put together a large syndicate, including many firsttime owners, to race Capital Gain.
When Capital Gain showed a lot of potential with a win and several placings there were several big offers for him, including one from Hong Kong.
Butterworth, who has been training for six years after working with top trainers including Bart Cummings, was torn whether to accept the offer.
‘‘But the owners love him and in the end we decided it was best to continue racing him ourselves,’’ Butterworth said.
He took the gamble of putting blinkers on Capital Gain for the first time in the Atkins
‘‘I decided to wait for his biggest race and it has paid off,’’ Butterworth said.
Butterworth paid tribute to winning jockey Jim Byrne who got his second Group I for the carnival after winning the Doomben 10,000 last month on Redzel.
‘‘That was exactly how we needed to ride him. Get him to the outside and let him run home,’’ Butterworth said.
Byre was also full of praise for Capital Gain who he stuck with after the gelding got bogged down in the BRC Sires at Eagle Farm two weeks ago.
‘‘I was worried on the first turn because he made a bee-line for the outside fence. It was his first time in blinkers and I had to get him back in line.’’
Meanwhile, Jockey Hugh Bowman has given Ruthven his stamp of approval to chase Cups glory in the spring after his dominant win in the Queensland Derby. Bowman turned the Derby into a supreme staying test when he allowed Ruthven to stride to the lead on the home turn and powered away to an easy victory.
‘ Have you ever seen anything like it? Have we got a full moon or what have we got?’ TONY LEE