Robber Leaves Punters Broke
Sun Herald
Sunday August 3, 2008
Ill winds left punters with a gut ache, particularly with Bank Robber - the $1.80 favourite - in the Club Managers' Australia Handicap at Rosehill Gardens yesterday.
Bank Robber was expected to lead but settled down off the pace and pulling, anything but a pleasing situation for those who took the short odds.After all, Bank Robber's potential had been established up front by Blake Shinn - last season's leading jockey. Not only is Shinn a talented horseman - they haven't come much better at 20 - but he's impressive under official interrogation. He knows where he is in a race and why he is there, and can articulate a situation like a veteran.So why was he in the ruck on Bank Robber when he should have been cruising in the leading division? "You were further back than we anticipated," Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy fired. Shinn replied he was "aware of a strong head wind" and wanted to race in the first three as instructed but allowed Dealers to cross him. Test Edition, the eventual winner, shaved him going past, adding to the awkward predicament and putting him back even further."Then he started to overrace a bit," Shinn explained. Going into more detail, the stipes reported in the early and middle stages Bank Robber "had to be continually restrained off the heels of Test Edition".Bank Robber ended up sixth, beaten only two lengths. The jockey maintained when the four-year-old got out in the straight he "expected his class to kick in" but the gelding could have been anchored by his weight, 59 kilograms. "Nevertheless he felt that Bank Robber had every opportunity to win when he was able to obtain clear running near the 300m," the stipes reported.Still, horses rarely, if ever, win after being as uncomfortable in the running as was Bank Robber. Also Tanya Rouse, mouthpiece for trainer Gai Waterhouse at stewards' inquiries, reported that Bank Robber had "a big blow" after the race. Surprising, as he looked trim enough prior.But gut-ache Saturday didn't end with Bank Robber.Punters keen on the Chris Waller stable lost a stack on Big Al Hazim ($1.60) in the Blacktown Workers Handicap and Scission ($5 to $3.70), which disappointed in the Wenty Leagues Club Handicap. Then came stablemate Humma, $4.20 to $3.70. Humma finished fourth in the Guildford Leagues Handicap, beaten 1.9 lengths. Rosehill racecaller Mark Shean commented in the straight: "He would have to be Tulloch to win from there".Yet Humma subsequently struck trouble in another tale of woe because jockey Nash Rawiller was tied down with riding instructions. He, too, mentioned the wind factor in seeking the rail at the tail. Questioned regarding his performance, he maintained he was told not to make his run until into the straight and to endeavour to improve between horses rather than go wide.Murrihy interjected that it was "difficult with one-dimensional instructions". Humma also laid in and was impeded over the latter stages. Again the blow factor was evident with Shinn on Keen Commander ($2.20) in the Missile Stakes. "He blew out over the concluding stages," Shinn said of Keen Commander's lack of lung power at the end.
© 2008 Sun Herald
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