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2017 J R & N Berkett Telegraph Group 1 January 21 - Trentham

3 minute read

Signify wins 2017 J R & N Berkett Telegraph Group 1 NZ$250,000 at Trentham (NZ), 1200m.

Signify winning the J R & N Berkett Telegraph
Signify winning the J R & N Berkett Telegraph Picture: Trish Dunell

South Island raider, Signify, settled midfield after jumping fairly from barrier ten, five or sixth widths from the rail. Approaching the crossing, rider Racha Cuneen was content to remain wide yet handy enough and once the packed field straightened for the run home they were equal widest but giving the leaders four or five lengths. With 400m to run they were widest and making ground on the lead. At the 200m they still had three lengths to make up but travelling better than anything else, ranged up to a rallying Start Wondering then lunged in the last stride to nab the win on the line by a nose.

Start Wondering sat just in front of the winner to the crossing and into the home straight was up outside the pace in a perfect position to challenge. He surged to take over the running at the 300m (middle of the track) and looked the winner both inside the 200m and 100m. His strong run continued to the line but was nabbed in a bobbing head finish in the last stride.

Favourite Perfect Fit from midfield (rails), was presented with a huge gap at the 400m and ran well to the 100m and then grabbed the bit again yet a little late, doing her best work at the line a half length from the first two.

Reilly Lincoln tried to stay with Start Wondering from the 300m but faded slightly to dead-heat for fourth with Lady Zafira, who flashed home late, wide out.


ANZ Bloodstock News

Trentham

Saturday, 21st January 2017

8
15:46
(local)

J R & N Berkett Telegraph (G1)

Type: OPEN
NZD $250,000
1200m TURF DEAD
8
15:46
(local)
NZD $250,000
1200m DEAD

J R & N Berkett Telegraph (G1)

Type: OPEN

This G1 1200m Open under set weights and penalties saw an upset winner at $36 beat home the trifecta from the G1 Railway (1200m) just under three weeks ago. Signify sat midfield and wide but with cover and when unleashed down the outer kept coming to reach sixth with 200m to go then started to pick them off one by one. The 5yo gelding after getting to second at the 50m then got up by a nostril flare to score in 1.07.71, which sounds as bionic as it is with this chute track and Riccarton posting times that simply cannot be trusted as reality. Always dismiss chute times for Trentham and Riccarton at 800m-1200m as they simply are not believable in the real world and you can probably add on a second and a half to two seconds to be more realistic every single time. South Island trained winners of the Telegraph are rare and since 1980 just three others have saluted in Flying View (1980), Fritz (2000) and Final Touch (2013). The race record for perspective is 1:06.51 by Bawalaksana in 1999 to show why the times must always be taken with a boulder of salt. Signify was winning his eighth race from thirty starts today and had not scored in a race prior since July 2016. Today was his eighth attempt in a Group or Listed race and he had missed until last November when second at G3 and last start second at Listed level. He relished having to carry just 55kg and at his first G1 outing did the business. Start Wondering sat wide handy then may have been surged into the lead too soon under the topweight of 58kg as he was a sitting duck the long run home. His win in the G1 Railway (1200m) prior came in a not genuine G1 field at all and the line-up today was not up to standard either and lacked real depth. The 2.5kg rise was not really what beat him on the line as it was clearly the wide run he was given and then being let rip to lead early the run home that caused his game but narrow defeat. Overconfidence cost Start Wondering a notable G1 sprint double. Perfect Fit ran a sound third and got half a length closer to Star Wondering at the line after being runner up too him in the Railway, so the 3kg swing in her favour did not have the desired effect at all. The mare once crossed early from the ace got back further than intended but got off in time and surged though to fourth at the 200m. She hit a slight flat spot then got going again late to be beaten just over three-quarters of a length. There was a deadheat for fourth between Reilly Lincoln and Lady Zafira with the former having finished third in her prior outing in the Railway, so that race stood up here but it was not a genuine G1 like today either. Reilly Lincoln raced third the outer and kept fighting on to be beaten just over a length. She had won a G3 two starts ago at Riccarton with 53kg and easily beat into second that day Signify, which carried 4.5kg more. Today he carried just 1kg more than her. Lady Zafira at $78 came from well back to run home stoutly down the outer and she has come up well this season. She won a Listed 1000m at Riccarton two starts ago at 53kg and tenth that day was Signify, which carried 6.5kg more and copped a check near the home turn by a rival breaking down ahead of him. Today he carried just 1.5kg more than Lady Zafira. Mighty Solomon ran on rather well from the back as did Brighton and Slice Of Class respectively. The first and last names will be winning again soon while the middle name is now a broodmare with this being her last race and throw of the dice to get some G1 blacktype. Speech Craft was luckless and found the line from back on the inner with the key for his chances being shut out of the inside run at the 250m when full of running. He was angled out and ran on between runners late but it could have been interesting if he had surged though unimpeded. Adventador, which won the race last year at $80, wilted late after sitting outside the pace and forcing the issue, with the next three home behind him in 2016 paying $34, $42 and $56. To show the Telegraph has become a set weights and penalties race for the blowouts and boilovers the winner in 2015 was Sacred Star at $27 over Designated Driver at $93. The year before the third finisher Jaggard was paying $72 a win. Passing Shot led and then was joined across the junction to the home turn before wilting, while Luna Rossa a fresh up 3yo filly was well back and wide but noticed finding the line the last 50m. Odyssey Moon had a horror run and was four four-wide at times in the midfield so did well not to drop right out and was beaten just over four lengths. He was found to have a diaphragmatic flutter post race. The rest weakened out or never got into the race but the tragedy of the race was First Serve, which started third favourite and was the only other South Island trained runner in the race bar the winner. The mare was on the pace initially then got crossed and became fired up before losing her place surrounded only to break down after 400m sadly. She fractured her fetlock joint of the right foreleg and was humanely euthanased. This did not look anywhere near a genuine G1 field on paper or computer screen and so it proved with the first three home from the G1 Railway at Ellerslie just under three weeks prior finishing second, third and fourth equal. The Railway also was nowhere near a genuine G1 sprint race and that form today was beaten by a South Island sprinter that had not won a race since last winter that was having a first ever G1 attempt. Signify has ability and the drop to 55kg was the biggest factor but where he goes next may have to be WFA and that will see where he really stands in the sprinting ranks. The apprentice rider Racha Cuneen was winning his second G1, after capturing the 1000 Guineas on La Diosa in the Spring and notably in the Telegraph last year he was second beaten a length on a $34 shot in Miss Seton Sands. The sprinting ranks are not as dire as the staying ranks as the New Zealand breed is in the main stamina orientated but the times they are a-changin’ to quote the Bob Dylan written and sung by him 1964 classic.



FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 11. SIGNIFY (NZ) 5yo G
PERFECTLY READY (AUS) - PICA PICA (NZ)
R CUNEEN
A COWAN
$46.3
55kg
Mrs T L Cowan

Sales Information

2nd 1. START WONDERING (NZ) 6yo G
EIGHTH WONDER (NZ) - ROSEANBAR (NZ)
JOHNATHON PARKES
J J & E RAYNER
$5.8
58kg
Mrs J M & S B Gudsell

Sales Information

3rd 3. PERFECT FIT (NZ) 5yo M
ELUSIVE CITY (USA) - FAYREFORM (NZ)
MICHAEL COLEMAN
KEN & BEV KELSO
$4.9
56kg
Haunui Bloodstock Ltd, Pinecliff Racing Syndicate, M Duncan, G Madill, J Orton & The Provincial Ltd

Sales Information

4th 14. REILLY LINCOLN (NZ) 5yo M
PINS (AUS) - WAILEA MISS (NZ)
R J MYERS
LISA LATTA
$20.7
54kg

Sales Information

4th 15. LADY ZAFIRA (NZ) 6yo M
IFFRAAJ (GB) - MARY ROBINSON (NZ)
MARK DU PLESSIS
JOHN BARY
$78.4
53.5kg

Sales Information

6th 9. MIGHTY SOLOMON (NZ) 6yo G
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - STAR OF TARZIE (NZ)
KELLY MYERS
LISA LATTA
$22.6
55kg

Sales Information

7th 12. BRIGHTON (NZ) 4yo G
BUFFALO MAN (CAN) - GORE BAY (AUS)
MICHAEL MCNAB
N W TILEY
$20.3
55kg

Sales Information

8th 17. SLICE OF CLASS (NZ) 6yo M
GUILLOTINE (NZ) - BIBLE CLASS (NZ)
DARRYL BRADLEY
K ZIMMERMAN
$110.5
53kg

Sales Information

9th 7. SPEECH CRAFT (AUS) 8yo G
ORATORIO (IRE) - CHALEUR (NZ)
JONATHAN RIDDELL
T L RIDDELL
$24.2
56kg

Sales Information

10th 2. ADVENTADOR (NZ) 8yo G
FAST 'N' FAMOUS (AUS) - ALPINE BEAUTY (NZ)
HAYDEN TINSLEY
GUY LOWRY & GRANT CULLEN
$74.4
58kg
11th 5. PASSING SHOT (NZ) 5yo G
SWISS ACE (AUS) - DERRYDANE (NZ)
OPIE BOSSON
STEPHEN MCKEE
$27.9
56kg

Sales Information

12th 18. LUNA ROSSA (NZ) 3yo F
WRITTEN TYCOON (AUS) - WILD PROMISES (AUS)
MATTHEW CAMERON
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$8.8
52.5kg
13th 4. ODYSSEY MOON (AUS) 4yo H
SNITZEL (AUS) - RUN TO THE MOON (USA)
NOEL CALLOW
ROBERT SMERDON
$5.2
56kg

Sales Information

14th 8. LONGCHAMP (NZ) 5yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - SHOT AT THE TITLE (AUS)
KANE SMITH
ANDREW R CAMPBELL
$50.1
55.5kg

Sales Information

15th 10. MISS APPLETON (NZ) 6yo M
ALIGN (AUS) - OUR ASPIRATION (NZ)
ALYSHA COLLETT
GARY VILE
$29.6
55kg

Sales Information

16th 6. SIR STATHAM (NZ) 7yo G
DANROAD (AUS) - POLYANA (NZ)
CHRIS DELL
SCOTT LUCOCK & SALLY GILLESPIE
$63.7
56kg
17th 16. NO MORE TEARS (NZ) 4yo M
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - OCEAN OF TEARS (NZ)
DANIELLE JOHNSON
STEPHEN MARSH
$35.3
53.5kg

Sales Information

UNP 13. FIRST SERVE (NZ) 4yo M
SWISS ACE (AUS) - FUAR (NZ)
SAMANTHA WYNNE
MICHAEL & MATTHEW PITMAN
$7.4
54kg

Sales Information

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