Byrne claims Eagle Farm double
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Jim Byrne drives Black Minx across the line to win the Listed C.E. McDougall Stakes (Ross Stevenson photo)
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Brisbane jockey Jim Byrne secured a winning double at Eagle Farm’s Girls’ Day Out raceday on Saturday.
Byrne claimed two of the three Black Type races on offer at the meeting including the Listed Schweppes C.E. McDougall Stakes 1000m and the Listed Rosemount O Falvelon Quality Handicap 1200m.
Up and coming two-year-old Black Minx (F2 Lonhro-Faith Hill) came from out wide of the 13-horse field to fly away with the Listed C.E. McDougall Stakes for trainer Mark Webb.
The filly pounced on the field to storm away with the win by two lengths from Saratoga (Phillip Wolfgram). Lucky Kentucky (Terry Treichel) was a further two and a quarters of a length back in third place.
“She was three deep the entire (way) and I actually got taken wider around the turn. I didn’t want to come out to the middle of the track until I entered the straight, especially with the 57kg but I was three deep and had cover the whole way. I was always very confident with her,” Byrne said.
“She’s always been the sort of horse that has always impressed me.
“Like her breeding would suggest, she is an extremely relaxed type of horse and takes everything in her stride. Nothing really fazes her and on Saturday (March 1) they (crowd) were really loud and rowdy but you wouldn’t know she was a two-year-old. She just goes about her business and is extremely adaptable.
“I think she is the real deal. She’s is the sort of horse that can be definitely competitive in these bigger races.
“She relaxes well for you; you can ride her forward she’s very quick out of the barriers or you can ride her back if you had to do that.”
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Atapi storms home to win the Listed Falvelon Quality (Ross Stevenson photo)
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Byrne was again in the winner’s box two races later when he partnered up with Shaun Dwyer’s horse Atapi in the Listed Falvelon Quality.
Atapi (G6 Last Tycoon-Pride of Ingenue) dropped back shortly after jumping and was last until finding a split in the field at the 200 metre mark. Once clear the gelding bolted away to win by two and a quarter lengths over Daunting Lad (Tony Pattillo). Stolit (Andrew Spinks) claimed third a further long head away.
“We knew it was going to be very competitive on Saturday (March 1) and he finished off very strongly. When you are racing in a quality field like he was in on Saturday (March 1), you don’t anticipate them sprinting to the line like this horse did.
“He was very explosive. As soon as I got him into the clear I started letting him down. I only had to give him two hits with the stick and he let down very quickly.”
Byrne rode the horse when he resumed for fifth at Eagle Farm in January.
“I’m quite familiar with the horse. I rode him two starts back in the 1000m when he had the blinkers of for the first time.
“It was the plan to ride him quiet then and let the horse explode to the line and he really finished the race off very well that day and it was just his fitness that gave out.”
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Claire Power – March 3
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