Shown no limits
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Shane Scriven drives My Limit to the line (Noel Pascoe photo)
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Trainer Robert Heathcote described My Limit’s win in the Tattersall’s Life Members QTIS 3YO Handicap 1600m as “a little unusual”.
On Saturday, July 19 at Eagle Farm, My Limit (G3 Show a Heart-Wabble) jumped from barrier 17 after a six week break heading into a race with a massive drop back in distance.
“I think it’s first to understand how unusual the preparation was,” said Heathcote.
“This horse came off his last start was in the Derby and that was back on June 7. It was very unusual that the horse had had three weeks in the paddock and then been back with me going into a mile race first up.”
“So for me as a trainer it was unusual because I’ve never prepared a horse to do what he did on Saturday. And then of course we came up with a horror barrier draw of 17.
“Basically we kind of left it up to the jockey Shane Scriven to a degree.”
From the outside barrier jump, Scriven and My Limit settled well towards the back. Coming into the straight they were still back. They put the speed on in the last few hundred metres to move up and take the win by a long neck ahead of last week’s QTIS winner and $5 race favourite Punch Up (Ryan Wiggins) by a long neck.
Our Magic (Kelvin Wharton) followed in third by three quarters of a length.
My Limit’s last start was in the Group 1 Queensland Derby 2400m where he placed eighth. Heathcote said the drop back in distance wasn’t deliberate.
“It was depending on how much speed there was and it actually surprised me that they did come out and go so hard,” he said.
“There didn’t appear to be a lot of speed in the race early but I guess a lot of other trainers and owners though that as well and everybody wanted to go forward and Shane had no option but to ride the horse cold. We were pretty convinced we had him fit enough and he showed a really good long sustained sprint basically from the 350m and he nailed them on the line.”
My Limit also made several attempts during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. He placed fifth in the Group 3 Doomben Classic 1615m before claiming third in the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate 2020m.
“He was unlucky,” said Heathcote.
“He had a pretty good carnival without winning. He did run third in the Rough Habit Plate which traditionally has been a pretty good lead up for the Derby.”
“I make no secret and even the jockey Shane Scriven agrees that even his ride in the Derby perhaps wasn’t one of his better ones and he never had a lot of luck. He was wide and deep the entire way and the horse still ran a very credible race.”
“It was a good effort to come back like that and certainly from Shane’s perspective you know he gave him a ten out of ten ride and he certainly repaid the owners from his less than perfect ride in the Derby.”
Scriven’s day was made even better by riding a treble.
He also won on the $2.30 race favourite and Barry Baldwin-trained Simplest in the Sky Channel NMW Handicap 1000m.
In the last the Des Lambart Memorial Class 6 Handicap 1200m he found success aboard the Liam Birchley-trained Upilio.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – July 21
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