IPSW NOV 17 - KISS KISS TEASES THEM BEFORE POUNCING LATE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Ipswich, November 17, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 9m 1600-1200; out - 10m 1200-finish.
Class 1 Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-10.88.
1 Kiss Kiss; 2 Legal Diva; 3 Drawn To Dubai.

Trainer Jim Atkins doesn’t know what win number it was for his stable ... “I never count them, never have”... but the trainer moved on with another success when Kiss Kiss flew up late in a blanket finish to get the decision by a short-head over Legal Diva. The first four runners were only separated by a length on the line.

Faster Son who had saluted comfortably when winning on debut was all the rage in the betting market. He started at $1.50 while Kiss Kiss, who also won his last start (at Ipswich over 1350m), started at $9.

The favourite ruined his chances by running right off the track on the turn, when leading, taking Monashee Gold with him. These two runners continued to bore into each other until halfway up the straight where Faster Son suddenly found his sense of direction and chased hard to the line.

In the circumstances he did well to make up much of the lost ground and get to within a length of the winner, and closing, at the line, but the fact is his indiscretions had handed the race winning option to the runner that had the legs and courage to make the most of the opportunity. That runner was Kiss Kiss who finished right over the top of Legal Diva and Drawn To Dubai after it had appeared those two runners seemed set to fight out the finish.

Credit a wily old trainer for having his horse rack hard and ready for battle and put the name of Faster Son in the notebook, ready to reference when he comes out again. Once he gets his racing manners in order, he should start hitting his straps.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Jim Atkins: “That’s two-in-a-row now which is always nice. I said to him (Jason Holder), if she misses the start, ride her quiet ... and he rode her perfectly. She hit the line well.

“The race panned out more or less as we expected. She did come back in distance, but she was comfortable enough with that.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Kiss Kiss): 8.00 out to 9.00.
Favourite (Faster Son): 1.50 out to 1.60 out to 1.65.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Keltic Honour (R. Hurley) had to be checked shortly after the start when tightened for room between Kiss Kiss (J. Holder), which shifted out, and Legal Diva (G. Baker), which shifted in.

Faster Son (S. Katsidis) hung out throughout the race and rounding the home turn shifted extremely wide on the track resulting in Monashee Gold (S. Guymer) being severely hampered and taken wider. Trainer's representative Ms K. Loy was advised that Faster Son must compete in an official barrier trial prior to racing again.

Silver Dream (C. Eaton) was held up and unable to improve in the early part of the straight. Monashee Gold and Faster Son both lost their near-fore plates in running.