Blake Shinn got to plan C, D and E in the straight before finding the winning inside run on Burbero in the tightest of photos at Randwick on Saturday. "I looked to the inside and then to the outside for a run and nothing was opening up," Shinn said. "I then saw a gap up the inside of Snitsky, which was about four lengths in front of me and I took it. I knew when it came he had something to offer and he took off." Burbero drove through along the fence coming with favourite Society Man, which was a couple off the fence, and got the telling stride in on the line. Jason Collett on Society Man was frustrated by his timing in the finish. "I thought I won and then I knew I didn't," he said. "I was just half a stride out on the line and that was difference." Shinn cpunted his lucky stars. "It was perfect and I knew I had it on the line," he said. The win was the second leg of three for Shinn on the day. He won the second on Weinholt and the last with Rifleman.
Gelding does the job
Peter Moody made it a neat dozen winners in Sydney for the season as Blake Shinn began life after the Walter stable on the best possible note. Shinn drove Weinholt, a talented two-year-old which also ran in the Caulfield Guineas at three, to his first win in almost 16 months at Randwick on Saturday. "He wasn't too bad a colt or a bully or anything, but he probably wasn't living up the promise he showed, so Peter decided to geld him," Moody's Sydney forewoman Claire Cunningham said. "He's a real professional now. He [Moody] just mentioned to me he wanted to work him through the grades and we'll see how he pulls up. Either way if there's one up here there's no reason to go back down [to Melbourne]. He performs in both directions." Shinn punched out a winner for Wendy Walter on the stable's final day last Saturday and made the most of one of three bookings for Moody. He ambled up on the outside of the leaders and held off a fast-finishing Dowdstown Charlie by a short neck, with Mamwaazel rallying to finish third.
Darley loses champion sire Commands
Darley's leading stallion Commands passed away early on Saturday morning from a suspected heart attack. He was 17. Commands, which was placed twice at group-1 level, is one of only two stallions to have sired 10 or more stakes winners in each of the past four seasons. The sire of nine group 1 winners, he set an Australian record of 155 individual winners in the 2010-11 season. “Fortunately his legacy will live on through his progeny and we are lucky enough to have two of his group 1-winning sons in Epaulette and Skilled standing on our roster this year, while four-time group 1 winner Appearance has joined another of his multiple group 1-winning daughters in Purple in the Darley broodmare band," said Darley Australia's managing director Henry Plumptre.
Chop chop, hoops told
Jockeys were a bit slow to come out for race four at Randwick on Saturday, and it drew the ire of a young steward responsible for them leaving the room on time. "Come on you guys you're suppose to be out already," the steward yelled. "Get out or you are going to be fined. It'll cost each of you $200, hurry up."
Apprentice whipped into shape
New Zealand apprentice Rory Hutchings got a liven up from stewards after his first Australian ride. "Have you read the whip rules over here?" Marc Van Gestel asked. "No sir," came the reply. "You didn't think to make yourself aware of our rules," Van Gestel said, and then went to explain the rules to the apprentice. Hutchings viewed the video of hitting The Alfonso eight times in a forehand motion before the 100-metre mark, breaking the rule by three strikes. The New Zealand rules differ in that a rider can can hit a horse six times in consecutive strides before the 200m and then have to put the whip away for six strides, and then from 200m there is no a limit. Van Gestel reprimanded Hutchings for breaking the rules and told him to be aware of them for the rest of his stay.
