Girls Rule at Scone
By Grahame Timbrell 26 March, 2014
Scone apprentice Kassie Furness and Belannoro, the tiny Greg Bennett trained
mare that almost did not make it to the race track, combined to score an all the way
win in the SEH Dedicated Expert Care Class Two (1300m) at Scone on Tuesday.
The win continued a highly successful season for the stable and gave Bennett his
13th winner this season on his home track.
But just as impressive as Belanorro’s win was the second from the Paul Messara
trained Euterpe (Brenton Avdulla), which came from last and made up a huge
amount of ground in the straight to be beaten only half a length.
However, nothing could be taken away from the effort by Belannoro or Furness.
They had no peace early with Jess Taylor on Lady Scarlett kicking up on the inside
and momentarily taking the lead until Furness was able to kick clear then get
Belannoro to settle.
She cruised in front to the turn then kicked away on the straightening and looked set
to win by a big margin until Euterpe appeared on the scene.
“I told Kassie to let her settle and once she turned for home to count to 10 then to let
her go,” Bennett said.
“She rode exactly as I asked her but our plan almost came undone when Jess would
not give us any peace early in the race.
“Belannoro almost died because of a bad case of scouring and was off the scene for
12 months.
“She was so sick that at one stage I thought she would never get to the track.
“This win is a measure of her toughness.
“She is only little so she needs a longer break between runs but we will find another
race for her.”
Euterpe made up a huge amount of ground on the winner in the straight and was
closing so quickly he would have won had the race been much longer.
***
Greg Ryan, once again the state’s leading rider in terms of winners, had a lucky
escape from serious injury after Corona Sun fell just before the winning post in the
SEH Equine Dentistry Three year Old Maiden (900m).
Corona Sun had led for much of the journey but was falling back through the field
when he came down about 50 metres short of the line.
Ryan lay prone on the track for several minutes while paramedics attended to him
but gradually got to his feet, with help and limped back to the jockeys’ room.
He was checked over by medical staff and passed fit to continue riding and finished
fourth in the following race on the Pat Farrell trained Srinika.
After that race he was checked again and although complaining of a slight headache
said he was fit to continue riding.
The race was won by the Paul Messara trained Battle Queen, ridden by Brenton
Avdulla.
She bounded out of the barriers a length in front but was forced to sit three wide,
outside Corona Sun, until straightening.
At the 200 metres Battle Queen took control and although she only won by a long
neck from Spinning Gold she was always in control.
“She will go to the paddock now,” Messara said.
“She has a touch of class about her and will be much better next preparation.”
Avdulla said Battle Queen was a filly he had always had a bit of time for.
“I think she will eventually win a city race,” he said.
***
Four races later Ryan was back in the winner’s circle to give him a double and
extended his lead in the premiership to 93.5 wins when he came from last on the
Jason Deamer trained Casino Queen to win the SEH Advancing Equine Health
Benchmark 58 (1400m).
Earlier he had won the SEH Specialists In Equine Surgery Class Three (900m) on
the Stephen Gleeson trained Roger That.
It was a huge effort from Casino Prince which missed the start by more than a length
then came from last to win by a length.
Meghalaya (Grant Buckley) led with the Paul Messara trained Dark Mojo setting out
after the leader in the straight.
Casino Queen was on the fence and with no room had to be eased to the outside by
Ryan before flying home.
“She is not big but she is tough and we might look for a suitable race at Newcastle
now,” Deamer said.
That was Casino Queen’s second successive win after scoring at Muswellbrook
three weeks earlier.
***
Several years of surgery, chemotherapy and worry are behind Muswellbrook’s
Stephen Gleeson after winning a long fight with testicular cancer.
Now he is back in the business of training winners.
The Gleeson trained Roger That, ridden by Greg Ryan, lifted the trainer’s spirits
when he scored his third win in the SEH Specialists In Equine Surgery Class Three
(900m), sitting just off the pace then storming home.
“He went in to the race fresh, which is the way he loves to race and this is his pet
distance,” Gleeson said.
Gleeson had been battling the cancer for several years.
“My illness was unusual in that while it is one of those cancers that is, in the majority
of cases curable, mine took a lot longer than most,” Gleeson said.
“It meant three operations and countless treatments of chemo therapy but five
months ago the doctors gave me the all clear and I was able to go back to work.
“All I need now are check-ups every three months.
“Dad (Jim) kept the stable running when I was too sick to do any work and now we
still work together.
“I feel good and now and after this win, I feel even better.”
***
Kris Lees trained filly Snippy Luse (Andrew Gibbons) underlined her potential by
leading all the way and showing a ton of fighting spirit to win the SEH Specialists In
Intensive are Maiden (1100m).
“She was gone at the 100 metres but just kept fighting back,” Gibbons said.
“She was just so tough.”
Snippy Luse was having only her second start after leading early when third on
debut in a Cessnock maiden on March 10.
“She obviously has ability but has never really stood out as anything special in the
stable or on the track,” foreman, Mal Ollerton, said.
“She is just one of those horses that goes about the job without any fuss or drawing
any attention to herself.”
***
Sydney apprentice, Taylor Marshall, a fixture at country and provincial meetings as
he learns his craft, rode his 38th winner when the Newcastle trained Tofindaway
came from near last to win the SEH Professional Sales Radiology Maiden (1300m).
Trainer, Craig Roberts, had been based at the Evergreen Stud at Raymond Terrace
but recently moved his stable on course at Broadmeadow.
Despite the horse finishing last at Newcastle at his last start, Roberts thought the
three year old was a good chance.
“He was pretty unlucky here two starts back when second and ridden a bit more
forward,” Roberts said.
“He has a really good finishing sprint and his work has been super so I told Taylor to
drop him right out and then let him come home.”
Marshall followed the instructions to the letter, letting him drop out to second last
then unleashing his finish once in the straight to storm down the outside and win by a
length from the Greg Bennett trained Opening Bell with the Paul Messara trained
Raweesha getting home well for third.
***
The win by Sukraji in the Scone Equine Hospital Benchmark 65 (1100m) brought
some relief for Wyong trainer, Brett Partelle and his wife Lani.
Partelle has been battling poor health since an accident two years ago and returns to
Sydney’s St Vincents Hospital next week for more treatment.
“It’s been a tough time and Lani has had to rung the stable with me simply telling her
what to do,” Partelle said.
“It’s not ideal and we have come close to losing everything we have worked so hard
for.
“Luckily I have Lani and great staff who have kept the place going.”
Sukraji, ridden by Jeff Penza, came from a long way back to sprint quickly in the
straight and grab the lead near the line to win.
“I think she is best kept fresh for these sprint races,” Partelle said.
“She has won up to 1600 metres but I think she is suited best to these shorter
races.”
***
Partelle was one of two Wyong based trainers to land a winner with the other going
to the Stephen Farley trained White Devon, which survived a protest to win the SEH
Reproductive Services Class One and Maiden (1600m).
White Devon, heavily backed to start the $3.20 second favourite and ridden by Grant
Buckley, hit the front in the straight only to be headed by the Kris Lees trained
Nevada Blue (Dale Spriggs).
Buckley got to work on White Devon and she rallied to take back the lead and beat
Nevada Blue by a nose.
Spriggs asked to view the video of the race then fired in a protest, alleging
interference in the final 150 metres.
While the horses did brush stewards could not be satisfied it cost Nevada Blue the
race and dismissed the objection.
The win was White Devon’s second from 17 starts but Farley said her record should
be better.
“We discovered she had been racing for part of this preparation with a low grade
virus,” Farley said.
“When it was finally found we treated it straight away and this win shows she has
bounced back.
“She is a mare with ability and I think she will eventually develop into a 2000 metre
horse.”
The big run came from the John Ramsey trained Granados (Greg Ryan), a three
year old filly having her first start for the stable after coming from Melbourne.
Granados started favourite on the strength of a close third at Mornington and good
Victorian provincial form and finished third, beaten only a nose and a neck.