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No Risky Business in Longines
Singapore Gold Cup |
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Michael Lee/Craig Brennan |
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The handicap, the trip and the rain finally got the better of
Better Than Ever in the $1.35 million Longines Singapore Gold Cup on Sunday
as it was one of the lightweight outsiders namely Risky Business who rose to
the occasion, handing leading trainer Steven Burridge a deserving Group 1
success. While all the pre-race hype had been about trainer Laurie
Laxon’s undefeated champion, who was bidding for a unique Triple Crown feat
as well as extending his record of unbeaten runs to 13, the betting market
did give an indication that the gruelling conditions of the handicap Group 1
race over 2200m may well find Better Than Ever out. Normally punted down to $6 or $7, Better Than Ever was still
sent out favourite but at the much less prohibitive odds of $11 to claim the
third Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown Series after he had already taken the
first two Legs in the Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup. The persistent drizzle
that had been soaking the Kranji StrathAyr track all afternoon had certainly
done its part in keeping his odds in the unusual double-digit zone. A good number of his rivals were also much closer in the market.
Desmond Koh’s mare New Rose Wood was second elect at $35, while others with
legitimate chances of toppling him were quoted at $41 (Big Maverick), $51
(Zac Missile) and Risky Business ($61).
It is not always right, but the Gold Cup market did not lie this
time, and the risky nature of the horse racing business could not have been
better depicted by the results of the 81st running of the
time-honoured race, for the first time sponsored by watchmaker Longines. In the end it was Risky Business, ridden by Glen Boss, who
scored a two-and-a-quarter length victory over Tell A Tale (John Sundradas)
with Big Maverick (Vlad Duric) a head away third. Risky Business ran the 2200m on the yielding track in 2min
15.61secs, only 0.8 second outside last year’s winner A $90,000 purchase at
the 2006 Magic Millions Gold Coast
Yearling Sale, Risky Business has been an honest bread-and-butter horse,
whose only previous Group 1 raid had been the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor last
June when third to Top Spin, but trainer Steven Burridge had gone about his
business of preparing the Danehill Dancer six-year-old to the minute for a
bold coup in the biggest race of the year after the Singapore Airlines
International Cup. Burridge said the prestigious win, amazingly his first Group
success since the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Trigger Express in
April 2008, capped off a stellar season that sees him on top of the Trainer’s
Premiership Table holding a 24-win lead over dual-Gold Cup winner and
six-time Premiership winner Laxon. “This is just the icing on the cake for what has been a great
season,” said Burridge. “While I get a lot of personal satisfaction from this win, the
win is also just as important for (wife) Julie, (stable supervisor) Peter
(Gilman) and the entire staff. “The whole staff deserves credit for the win. They do a power of
work and without them I wouldn’t be where I am now. “I also have to thank son Wade. He does a lot of work finding
suitable horses to bring up here and without his help we wouldn’t be where we
are at now.” It was the younger Burridge who first contacted Boss for the
ride on Risky Business after the gelding’s victory in a Class B Stakes over
2000m on October 17. Prior to that run Burridge was concerned the gelding may not
have had enough ratings points to force his way into the field. “After his win two starts back I thought he had enough points to
get into the race,” said Burridge. “I got Wade to get hold of Bossy and get him for the ride as I
knew he would have no problem taking the light ride (50kg). “We have a long association going back a number of years and
whenever I can get Bossy for a ride I have no hesitation in using him.” While not exactly praying for the rain to fall, Burridge was
happy to see it come as he had an idea the previous seven-time winner (all on
good going) would handle the conditions. “Most of the Danehill Dancers seem to handle it okay and his
half-brother Lim’s Fighter gets through the ground good,” he said. “He’s never been on a wet track before and I certainly wasn’t
disappointed when the rain came.” An added bonus for Burridge was having his sister Jan and
brother-in-law Ken Young in attendance. “Ken looks after my business back home and I told Jan and Ken
they had better get up here for the Gold Cup,” said Burridge. “I hadn’t seen them for about 18 months and this just adds to
the result.” It was Boss’s second ride in Boss said winning the Gold Cup gave him a great deal of
satisfaction having known Wade and the Burridge family for a great part of
his life. “I had no hesitation in taking the ride once Wade asked me,”
said Boss. “I’ve known Wade since he was a two year-old and we have a close
family association with the Burridge family. “To win the Gold Cup is just fantastic, especially for Steven
and the team who have been having a terrific run throughout this season.” Boss, who won three consecutive Melbourne Cups aboard the
champion mare Makybe Diva in 2003, 2004 and 2005, described the Gold Cup win
as a career highlight. “It is also exciting to win a feature race
when you travel to ride in big races,” said Boss. “I’ve won three Melbourne Cups and this race is the biggest
domestic race behind the International race (SIA Cup) in May, so naturally it
holds a high place and it is worth some good money.” Boss also said that the victory was a welcome change of luck in
a feature race. “I had been riding well during the spring carnival in “It is a bit like a golfer who is hitting the ball well but who
just can’t score.” Boss for one did not tee off to a cracking start in the race as
he immediately took the noted backmarker to the rear on settling. Risky Business was ahead of just Pina Colarda (Saifudin Ismail)
for most of the way until he started to rail through from the 800m to be
within striking distance at the top of the straight. Better Than Ever, (Saimee Jumaat) who was never able to slot in
after jumping from barrier No 10, travelled three deep in midfield but was
already sending signals of distress from the 1200m. The people’s champ dropped back further downstream as the pace
suddenly picked up when Ravages (Dean Yendall) whipped around on the outside
to come eye-balling race-leader Escamonda (Robbie Fradd) 900m from home. With Better Than Ever all but out of the equation, a host of
chances suddenly sprang into prominence. Laxon could still fall back on his
next big chance, Big Maverick, who burst to the front at the 200m, with Tell
A Tale tacking along right behind. But sneaking up on the rails suddenly emerged a horse whose
jockey’s colours were not quite distinguishable from all the splattered mud.
The riding style of his jockey was however hard to mistake – Boss pulling out
all the stops on Risky Business, almost reminiscent of the day he drove
Makybe Diva to victory in a bog track at Flemington in 2004. At the 150m, Risky Business popped his head in front and despite
bumping slightly with the in-veering Big Maverick, the Gold Cup win was well
and truly in his grasp as a jubilant Boss stood high in the irons to salute
the Kranji crowd a few metres before the winning post, an almost carbon-copy
still of his Cox Plate win aboard So You Think last year, which will however
sour his note by $1000. Better Than Ever finished in 12th position, 16.8
lengths from the winner, but Laxon was not all that disappointed with his
performance and found out the French Deputy four-year-old was not certain by
the track conditions. “It was a combination of the weight and the weather today that
brought him undone,” said Laxon. “We were unsure how he would handle it, but after that, now we
know. “I did have my concerns before the race, but he seems alright
and that is the important thing. “He can go and have a bit of a rest now. There is nothing for
him for the rest of year so he can have a rest and come back in the new
year.” Saimee echoed the Kiwi mentor’s sentiments, saying that Better
Than Ever was still a super horse who was just not suited by the prevailing
conditions. “He just didn’t handle the wet. I don’t really think it was the
handicap,” said Saimee. “If it was the weight, he would have been up there and weakened
in the home straight. “But he was not travelling well. I just couldn’t hold my
position and from the 1200m I knew he was not going to make it. “Take nothing away from him. He’s still a champion and
will come back better than ever.” It may have been scant consolation, but the Laxon-Saimee
association was able to wrap up the Gold Cup day on a brighter note after
they bounced back straight after to take out the last two races. Martial Art ($24) and Martel ($35) stormed home to win the
$75,000 Goodwill Stakes (1800m) and the $55,000 Benevolent Stakes (1400m)
respectively. |
