November 7, 2014
by Ross Stanley
If you are due back to your job after an extended absence and want to be tuned up and ready to fire immediately, the tip is that you should grow two more legs and go into “pre-training” with Christiene Nettelfield at The Gums.
The Memerambi owner-trainer began weaving her magic in July last year when Fusette, the first horse she trained, saluted at Wondai first-up after a nine-month break.
It was the same scenario last August at Gympie when Lucstana, her second starter, scored after having nine months off.
After that victory I wrote in this column that “the odds are that Chris will strike again soon. But do keep an eye out next July-August for her silks on a stable debutant that is coming back after a long break. Nettelfield certainly knows how to line the planets up”.
Another triumph on Tuesday with another newcomer meant that Chris brought that timing forward and also broke new ground.
She had already been familiar with all her earlier winners because they had spelled at The Gums, but this time around she tried the open market.
“I picked out three possibilities in Polygraph, Hysterical Miss and Talk Back,” Chris said.
“The first pair ended up as winners for their new owners, so the pressure was on me when my choice Talk Back kicked off here.
“Because she was so little, she had tugged at my heart strings. I had to buy her.”
Jason Missen has been her track rider and educator. He has encouraged the horse to relax and lengthen stride, and Talk Back is now a professional racehorse.
At Kumbia in the St Mary’s Catholic College-McDonald’s Kingaroy-Kumbia Hotel Maiden Plate (1000m) on Tuesday, Talk Back ($3) went straight to the lead for Missen.
After smoothly controlling the race, the duo bolted in by nearly three lengths.
It is those sorts of victories that are especially satisfying for trainers and jockeys. But the necessary improvement and development does not come at the wave of a wand.
Pre-sale, the five-year-old daughter of the Redoute’s Choice stallion Stratum and the Kaapstad mare Smartchat had ten runs in the south for two placings.
Interestingly, she ran a creditable sixth with Carl Spry aboard at Canberra on January 25 last year while Tommy Berry partnered her when she was 11 lengths adrift at Gosford as a 40/1 chance in August 2013.
Her worst effort was her final NSW in January this year when she finished seventh at Tuncurry after being well supported.
The Canning Downs mare with a nickname of “Smarty Pants” has clearly relished her residency at The Gums.
Nettelfield, whose standard procedure is to have Oakey’s Greg Pitman check the feet, has also worked on muscle development.
The bay is very much settled these days and a standard bit as opposed to a lugging one was in use for her Cup day outing.
With Talk Back carrying the genes of some other wonderful sires in Luskin Star, Sir Tristram and Vain, it is opportune to make another long range forecast!
Chris will breed a likely type from this lady and, if there is someone around then with the saddle ability, attitude and workmanship of Jason Missen, the foal will go on to be a success story, too.
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Meanwhile, although Cups King Bart Cummings had to be content with a fine sixth by his candidate Precedence at Flemington, the country Cups Princes (ie Jason Judge and Japan’s Naoki Ogura) continued on their merry way when Aashiq collected the Huston Motors Kumbia Cup.
Judge’s charge has now swept up the Surat, Wondai and Kumbia trophies while his rider has added to the Cups he has picked up at Nanango, Morven, Cunnamulla and Charleville.
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Some Melbourne Cup Week Points
- Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club have some other dilemmas to deal with.
Attendance figures for the Cup week thus far have maintained a downward trend. For example, the 2008 Derby Day crowd was 117,776 compared with 90,244 this year while the Cup has gone from 107,280 in 2008 to 100,794 in 2014. The respective 2013 numbers were 95,223 and 104,169.It would be unwise to speculate as to the reasons but research is needed. Some would claim that the sport is now less popular in the mainstream. Others would say the cost ($74 general admission) makes an impact and patrons may not be able to afford multiple carnival visits.
Some would suggest that the line-up is much less magnetic because there are very few Australian thoroughbred stars in action. In short, the internationalisation of the iconic event may be a positive in the upper echelons but many general enthusiasts hanker for the more traditional era.
- The Melbourne Cup pools for the TABs in the three eastern States also dipped to varying degrees.
The initial reaction would be to sense that the corporate betting companies with their massive advertising programs and special deals may be attracting more of the business. Pity they don’t yet pay as much back to the industry as the standard bearers do.
- The Hawkes stable has thrown the gauntlet down to the Melbourne stewards panel by requesting that the barrier stalls on both sides of the English sprinter Slade Power be left vacant on Saturday.
Given that the visitor has a reputation for pre-race volatility in the gates, the Sydney training team that prepares Chautauqua point out that special consideration was given to Black Caviar in the case of a similarly misbehaving Here De Angels and that the scratching rules were relaxed so that David Hayes could withdraw Unchain My Heart last Saturday AFTER the deadline.Many a breath will be held prior to the despatch in the rich Darley Classic.
- The Cup victory by Protectionist will not be the topic of all conversations in his German homeland.
Racing there is very much a boutique affair. I went out to run my eye over Bremen racecourse on a non-active day last year. Protectionist’s credits include the northern track’s principal event, namely the German Derby Trial.The listed contest for sophomores is worth a mere $25,000 all up. Income for the operators is supplemented by the nine-hole golf course inside the turf course and a large 4-star hotel that overlooks the past the post area.
- It is pleasing to note that pre and post race blood and urine samples from the ill-fated Admire Rakti are undergoing testing.
It is vital that science shapes opinion.
