CAUL AUG 14 - MOODY’S QUEZETTE AS CRYSTAL CRACKS

By Taron Clarke | Sunday, August 15, 2010

Caulfield, August 14, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - out 7.0m.
Quezette Stakes (Listed - 3YO Fillies - SWP) - 1100m.
Time: 1-06.51. (Carrying 54.0kg).
1 Panipique; 2 Crystal Lily; 3 Enzed Girl.

Caulfield trainer Peter Moody continues to enjoy success with his team of three year old fillies. After a resounding victory two weeks ago by Curtana, Moody produced Panipique to upset the favourite and Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily in her racetrack return.

In a script that wasn’t handed to Peter Moody, Crystal Lily was presumed to be too strong for her return to racing at Caulfield after her victory in the Golden Slipper and was sent out by punters as the dominant odds-on favourite … but Moody and stable jockey Luke Nolen had other ideas.

Jumping away from the extreme outside barrier, Crystal Lily began well under regular jockey Brett Prebble, but was content to gain some cover through the early stages of the race.

The early pace was solid as Warm Love, Broadway Harmony and Umgeton from her wide barrier shared the lead. This trio gave favourite Crystal Lily a perfect trailing opportunity as Prebble was able to slot in behind the pacemakers with consummate ease.

Two lengths astern of the favourite was Panipique on the inside of Shaaheq for Steven Arnold. Whipping the field in was the Glen Boss mount Enzed Girl, some eight lengths off the lead.

At this stage of the race, favourite punters where very happy with their investment on the hotpot Crystal Lily, who was enjoying a beautiful run in transit.

The favourite had enjoyed a trouble free run, and the chance of being placed in a pocket was non-existent as Prebble could pop the filly out four wide if need be. But it wasn’t luck in running that would be the filly’s demise.

The field commenced the swing for home and the three leaders held a length and a half margin over the favourite Crystal Lily, with a similar margin back to Panipique who was attempting to edge away from the running rail. Tracking Panipique through the field was Enzed Girl for Robert Smerdon and jockey Boss.

Hong Kong based Prebble elected to let Crystal Lily track the widest leader Umgeton, into the straight to ensure a trouble free passage and this in turn allowed Panipique to save ground along the inside and travel up into a position directly behind Broadway Harmony.

In the early part of the start, Prebble allowed the Golden Slipper winner to ease out four horses wide and gave the Stratum filly plenty of time to go through her gears.

Jockey Luke Nolen, who had saved valuable ground towards the inside as field swung for home, found himself running into restricted galloping room behind the tiring leaders Broadway Harmony and Umgeton. With plenty of space to the outside of Crystal Lily, Nolen eased Panipique across the leader’s heels and to the outside of the favourite.

Prebble gave the Golden Slipper winner her head and she bounded two lengths in front of Umgeton and Panipique on the outside, who was finally seeing some galloping room. Once Prebble had giving Crystal Lily full bore, the expectation was there for the filly to zip away and win handsomely … but, for the favourite punters, that thought was short lived.

Once Nolen had brought Panipique off heels, she sprinted as well if not better than Crystal Lily and was chasing gamely with only a length separating the two.

With Prebble wielding the whip in the right hand Crystal Lily was trying to respond, but Nolen and Panipique had her measure striking the front at the 75 metre mark and the Testa Rossa filly went on to beat the odds on favourite Crystal Lily by three quarters of a length with that pair spacing their rivals with four and a quarter lengths back to Enzed Girl the best of the rest in third placing.

The win of Panipique was impressive by virtue of overcoming a check in straight and running down glamour filly Crystal Lily who had enjoyed all the favours in the run.

But what do we make of Crystal Lily’s run?

Jockey Brett Prebble leaned towards the racing surface as a contributing factor stating, “she won the Slipper on a slow track, but I reckon she doesn’t let down as well on wet as she does on dry,” Prebble lamented.

One thing is confirmed though. Crystal Lily will almost certainly bypass the Golden Rose in favour of an exclusive Victorian spring campaign.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Moody: “We took a very positive read. We’ve got a lot of three-year-olds with form around Curtana and this filly was able to work with her on Tuesday morning and in fairness to this filly, always has been able to do so.

“That gave us a good feel, until you see a Slipper winner in the race. I think she has done a damn good job. She had no luck in Adelaide at all and she’s had to check and come round the second horse’s heels there and she was still able to nail her.

“Mum handled the soft. We had a good feeling there and we had the run under our belt and it’s obviously stood us in good stead.

“This filly’s worked well enough and we were going to keep her for the Valley, but after her work on Tuesday we said we will have a dip.

“We always thought she had the ability, but just lacked a bit of physical strength. But she has been able to get through and get the job done.

“Curtana was also nominated here. We are happy to give her (Curtana) the three weeks off her run here whereas this filly really thrived off the back of the Adelaide trip.

"We didn’t want to have three or four in the race next week, so we opted this filly off the work on Tuesday … that this was the one to tackle today.

“Mum was a ripper up the straight, so we will go to the Danehill and then back here for the Guineas Prelude in time.

Jockey Luke Nolen: “She is a progressive type. Her mum was very capable on her day in the right race and I think this filly is going to be the same.

“I think we took advantage of a filly who had a trip away to Adelaide with the run which tightened her right up and she was able to reel in the classy Crystal Lily.

“I had to wait for her to go and I just had to keep tacking up just so I stayed in touch, and when she went I had to come off her heels. I thought she was pretty diligent and stuck to her task. The effort was very good.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Panipique): 11.00 out to 15.00.
Favourite (Crystal Lily): 1.70 out to 1.75 in to 1.70. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Spartini was slow to begin (1L).Crystal Lily jumped away awkwardly.

Near the 900m, Crystal Lily shifted in to avoid the heels of Umgeton, which also shifted in before being straightened. This resulted in Crystal Lily inconveniencing Shaaheq, which was also getting its head up when being restrained off the heels of Broadway Harmony. A short distance after this Enzed Girl (NZ), which was over-racing, had to be checked to avoid the heels of Panipique.

Umgeton raced wide without cover.

Rounding the home turn and in the early part of the straight, Panipique was held up for clear running before shifting to the outside of Crystal Lily approaching the 200m.

D Nikolic (Broadway Harmony) reported on the scales that his mount raced a little fiercely and would take benefit from the run. He also recommended to connections that the blinkers be removed. A veterinary examination of Broadway Harmony revealed no abnormalities.

B Prebble, rider of Crystal Lily, explained that the filly raced keenly in the early stages and in his opinion, was not suited to today’s track conditions.

A veterinary examination of Warm Love revealed no abnormalities.

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