The Doncaster

[pies4ever]

fox sportshorse racingstory


Private steered into Doncaster

By Tony Arrold - Fox

TRAINER John O'Shea cannot fault Private Steer's preparation for today's $2.5million Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

Private Steer, a $4 favourite for Australia's richest mile, had her first run for O'Shea on this day last year.

The four-year-old mare began the association on a winning note, taking the Bell Handicap (1400m) on a slow track as a short-priced favourite and 57kg topweight.

The potential O'Shea saw in Private Steer then was realised two months later when she stormed away to win the $1m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, realising the goal O'Shea had earmarked for her when she switched to him earlier in the year from the Rosehill-based Lee Curtis.

The historic Doncaster Handicap has been Private Steer's mission all campaign.

Her preparation has included four excellent runs for two wins at Randwick, a second under a big weight in the Coolmore Classic and a fighting third to Lonhro and Grand Armee in the best weight-for-age sprint this season.

Private Steer will run on her home track, where she has had only one loss in six attempts.

She drops to an attractive handicap of 53kg and will be suited to a surface with plenty of cushion.

On top of all that, she has the services of a confident Glen Boss, the jockey of the hour on Derby day when he had feature wins on Starcraft and Dance Hero.

What stands between Private Steer and the winning post is that almost unbeatable Doncaster Handicap force of Gai Waterhouse, with her team of Grand Armee, Platinum Scissors, Shower of Roses and Shamekha, with So Assertive on the reserve bench.

"Private Steer versus Gai's army is a pretty fair way of looking at the race," O'Shea said yesterday.

"She (Private Steer) has done very well since the Ryder (Stakes) and I'm very happy with her. She is drawn out a bit, but the barriers from the Randwick 1600m start have never concerned me.

"I will leave the riding up the Glen, but I don't think she will be giving away too big a start.

"She wasn't that far from them in the Coolmore Classic under that big weight and got within a half-length of Shamekha, whom she meets 2.5kg better this time."

While Waterhouse has four runners in the Doncaster, rival trainer John Hawkes has five.

Hawkes' concern is the moisture in the track, rating all his runners as "dry trackers".

His team ranges from $11 chance Ambulance, with Darren Beadman up, to the $81 outsider Boreale (Rod Quinn).

Class Melbourne galloper Pentastic ($17), freshened up from his Australian Cup fourth a month ago, will run without blinkers today.

Like Private Steer, Pentastic won at today's meeting 12 months ago, taking out the JRA Plate (2000m) under 58kg. He will enjoy the 54.5kg and a track with give in it today.

Former champion Sydney jockey Kevin Moses also has the opportunity to turn back the clock, but way, way back to the 1976 Doncaster Handicap he won on Authentic Heir.

Moses today saddles up the nippy three-year-old Allgunadoit, with Rhys McLeod aboard. A smart last-start winner, Allgunadoit appeals at $34 as the best roughie.

Beaten Golden Slipper favourite Alinghi is the dominating $1.40 favourite for the $1m Heroic Championship (1300m) with the field restricted to 14 runners.

Crimson Reign, beaten for the first time when sixth in the Golden Slipper, is the $8 second favourite.



cheers bryan..!!

[Donny]

Vets to test Shamekha

By Eden Harrington - Fox


SECOND favourite Shamekha is under an injury cloud for today's $2.5million Doncaster Handicap.

Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy confirmed yesterday there was "filling in the off-fore fetlock" of the three-year-old but trainer Gai Waterhouse refuses to believe Shamekha will not take her place in the field.

When questioned, Waterhouse told stewards Shamekha "stood on something" on Friday and has been treated for her ailment.

To take her place in the Doncaster Handicap Shamekha must be cleared by stable vets this morning and Racing NSW veterinarians on course.

Over the weekend Murrihy also spoke to trainer John O'Shea regarding rumours all is not well with Doncaster favourite Private Steer.

"I heard the rumours there was a problem with Private Steer and I had a chat with John O'Shea," Murrihy said yesterday.

"John assured me Private Steer had come through [the George Ryder] quite well. I also heard there was a problem she had pulled a shoe off in trackwork but John denied that, he's confident she is fit and ready to run well."

Shamekha's setback is likely to leave Waterhouse relying on Grand Armee for a record equalling seventh Doncaster Handicap.

On Saturday morning the giant gelding worked with fellow Doncaster hopeful Platinum Scissors and left him almost five lengths in his wake.

"Grand Armee's flying at the moment and his second last week to Lonhro in the Ryder Stakes was outstanding," Waterhouse said during the week.

Grand Armee bettered Private Steer when they clashed nine days ago in the Group One George Ryder Stakes but O'Shea believes his mare can exact revenge.

The one time Waterhouse disciple watched and learned as the queen of Tulloch Lodge prepared and triumphed with Pharaoh (1995), Sprint By (1996) and Secret Savings (1997) and has applied similar techniques in Private Steer's bid.

"It is a special thing to train a Randwick metric mile winner and it's no fluke that one particular person is trying to win her seventh in the last 10 years," O'Shea said.

"Gai knows how to do it."

O'Shea learned he needed to have a tough, hard horse who could sustain a long sprint and race not far off the pace.

Today may be his first Doncaster bid but he has already put Waterhouse's doctrine into practice when claiming two Villiers Stakes over the same course and distance with Grey And Gold (2000) and On A High (2003).

Private Steer - who has won each of her three Randwick starts under O'Shea's guidance - meets Waterhouse's credentials and provides O'Shea with a guilt-edged opportunity to collect a career defining race.

"The Doncaster is a special race to me. Every trainer's dream is to win a Doncaster, a Slipper, a Cox Plate and a Melbourne Cup and I think I can win one," he said.

"I know I can train Randwick metric mile winners.

"I have trained two Villiers winners and the Doncaster is just a progression with a better horse."

The meticulous and intense trainer rarely needs inspiring but he doesn't hide from admitting to feeding off the raw disappointment of being beaten in the Golden Slipper nine days ago.

Defeat today will singe nerve ends and rupture any inner calm.

Private Steer's Doncaster preparation has been seven months in the making.

O'Shea has primed her like a shaken champagne bottle and has protected a 53kg impost which is now the envy of all his competitors.

"Mark Webbey might have done me a favour," O'Shea said.

"If [Private Steer] had won the Coolmore with 58kg he would have had to give her a penalty.

"When Sunline won the Doncaster [in 2002] with 58.5kg, she carried 60kg in the Coolmore.

"There was a kilo and a half disparity from the Coolmore to the Doncaster. I have a five kilo disparity.

"I gain great satisfaction from winning, no one remembers who runs second, and I'm bloody confident I can win with Private Steer."

John Hawkes will front with a team of five but believes he is "only making up the numbers" with the Randwick surface no better than dead.

"I prefer Ambulance on a dry track but Ike's Dream will run well if it's wet," the trainer said.

Randwick track manager Jeff Haynes has moved the rail out three metres for today's meeting where the surface is expected to remain dead.

"The corners were a bit scratchy, the straights were pretty good but we have fields of almost 16 in every race on Monday and we will move the rail out to give everyone a new circuit," Haynes said.

[pies4ever]

private steer won the doncaster handicap,it come from last place to get up and win,it was at $4.50 for a win..


cheers bryan..!!