View from the top
|
Well ahead of the field Viewed and Damien Oliver head for the winning post
|
The Bart Cummings-trained Viewed made the Group 2 Australia Post Brisbane Cup 2400m his through winning by a massive seven lengths.
As $3.40 race favourite there was confidence in the horse but the big margin confirmed what connections already knew.
“I told you he could do it. I always thought he would be a good stayer,” said Cummings. “We had thoughts of selling him to Hong Kong to race but we talked them out of that. I think he’s got a good future here in Australia.”
“He’s a nice horse, didn’t he win easy?” he said after the race.
Ridden by Damien Oliver, they moved out to race wide. As they travelled along, Viewed (H4 Scenic IRE-Lovers Knot NZ) continued to creep up along the outside and once he got there, there he stayed. In the straight, they left the remainder of the field to thrash it out for the placings as there was no doubt of the winner.
Fulmonti (Ric McMahon) was second a neck ahead of Sky Biscuit (Dale Spriggs).
Cummings was happy with the way the race was run. “I told him to get out there, I think that’s the best place to be,” he said. “He likes the going soft.”
“They were only walking. I said if they were only walking just let him stride up while there’s no pace on. So it worked out alright.”
Oliver said it was always a pleasure to ride for Cummings. “I won my first Group 1 with him,” he said.
“He just blitzed them. He headed round like it was a good track, that’s why the margin’s been so great I think.”
“Earlier they put the brakes on in the straight and there was kind of a check in front of him, I just came out to avoid it and kind of couldn’t get back in and the pace was slow anyway so I just let him roll up near the lead. The further he went, the stronger he got.
“It’s my first ride on him, he still needs to settle a little bit, learn some race manners a bit, I’m sure he’ll improve.”
|
Governor Quentin Bryce presents the Brisbane Cup to connections including trainer Bart Cummings and jockey Damien Oliver (Noel Pascoe photos)
|
It was the second Black Type win for Viewed after he claimed the Listed JRA Plate late April.
“I tracked him the day he won the JRA Plate in Sydney and he let down like a nice horse that day. He really accelerated good and I had my eye on him then. It was fortunate for me he didn’t get Stevie Arnold’s weight today. I was able to pick up the ride. He (Arnold) was good help for me. He told me a little bit about the horse. It’s a credit to Stevie to help me out like that, he’s a lovely bloke,” said Oliver.
“He said don’t boot him out. Don’t try and be too positive at the start and get a position because you will have trouble holding him. I had a nice position but when there was a bit of a chain reaction going out of the straight, he sort of lost his position.”
“The pace was slow anyway and he’s not a horse you can really wrestle so I just let him stride up. I think 550kg will be beat 50 every time,” joked Oliver.
“I put the pressure on a little bit earlier than I wanted to. He was just going so good. I had a look how far out we were in the straight and daylight was second.”
Viewed has earned a nudge under half a million dollars in prizemoney from his 17 starts including seven wins.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – June 10
|
