GUILTY GATOR
Racing’s black eye as Magic Millions Guineas winner disqualified
TRAINER David Vandyke says the fact Alligator Blood is in good shape ahead of his four-year-old season helps reconcile the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas disqualification handed to the horse.
Stewards have disqualified Alligator Blood from his Magic Millions victory on the Gold Coast in January, meaning he also loses the $1.165 million prizemoney, while Vandyke was fined $20,000 on a charge of presenting the horse with the prohibited substance altrenogest in its system.
Owner Allan Endresz has previously flagged his intention to appeal any adverse finding against Alligator Blood to a court of law.
But for Vandyke, he wants to look at what lies ahead next season for his star racehorse, who still remains the winner of nine of his 12 starts, including the Group 1 Australian Guineas
at Flemington in February this year.
“It’s nice to be on the other side of the hill,” Vandyke said at the end of the hearing.
“It was a wonderful experience winning the Magic Millions and although the result has changed, it certainly doesn’t erase that experience.
“Even without the Magic Millions, the owners, (jockey) Ryan Maloney and myself have all had a career-best season.
“We’re just all looking forward to next season now and we move on.”
The Sunshine Coast-based Vandyke said the drawn-out process had been a test of his resolve and allowed him to reset and focus on what is most important.
“It was there lingering in the background. I knew I was headed to an inquiry at some point. I didn’t know until (Thursday) what the result of that inquiry was going to be,” he said.
“It’s nice that it’s all out there now and I can just move on. Alligator Blood was allconsuming up until late February, March this year.
“Since that point in time and off the back of the positive, I’ve had to reset myself, just let go of the Alligator Blood story for a while reset myself, which I think has been valuable for me as a person.
“It has allowed me to concentrate on my other horses, my relationships, my fitness, my mental health. All those things have been important areas of focus since the news of the positive came out.
“It’s been my best season and that’s what I keep focusing on. If there’s pain in the short term, sometimes the bigger picture is the best place to concentrate on.”
Vandyke said Alligator Blood would have a jumpout and trial in August ahead of his September 12 return to racing at Doomben.
THE Gold Coast Suns pushed the Western Bulldogs strongly but they couldn’t pull off a win at Metricon Stadium.
It wasn't pretty for the Bulldogs but this season wins don't have to be.
The Dogs were pressured by Gold Coast on Thursday night in tough conditions, especially in the dying stages when the young Suns peppered the goals.
The Dogs held on to win by five points. It was a battle for the visitors, but the 7.9 (51) to 6.10 (46) triumph gave them a crucial four points.
Hayden Crozier and Caleb Daniel starred in defence for the Dogs, while Marcus Bontempelli, Easton Wood and Jack Macrae were all massive when it mattered in a tense last quarter.
The Suns’ Touk Miller thrived in the wet for the home side and relished the tough contest. Who won the battle between the Dogs' running backs and the goalkicking Suns?
Hayden Crozier, Bailey Williams, Caleb Daniel and Jason Johannisen racked them up in the back half.
However, their opponents at different stages, Alex Sexton and Izak Rankine, booted all three of Gold Coast's majors at half-time.
It begs the question, did the Suns’ scoreboard hits hurt the effectiveness of the Bulldogs’ effectiveness?
In a low-scoring affair, Sexton added a third after the long break, before Johannisen got one back thanks to a Rankine 50m penalty.
It might be a case of both teams being happy with the output of their players, but with the four points, the Bulldogs came out on top.
After the visitors butchered the footy by foot in the opening term, Gold Coast seized the momentum of the clash in the second quarter.
They had plenty of ball, looked sharp around the contest, and generally out-ran the Dogs. They just couldn’t capitalise.
The Suns dominated the inside 50 count 16-6 but managed only one goal.
A late Patrick Lipinski snap didn’t just hurt Stuart Dew’s men, it erased their narrow lead and handed it to the Dogs.
As a young side with plenty of exciting talent and a ton of maturing to do, it will be another valuable lesson learned.