MONDAY MUSINGS: DON'T SACK ALL TOO HARD

By Matt Nicholls

20/08/2012

melbourneracing@gmail.com

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HE’S never going to be good as his little sister, but I thought the run of All Too Hard was OK on Saturday.

The half-brother of Black Caviar was slowly away in Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill and couldn’t reel in Snitzerland and Driefontein after they had an easy time in front.

To me, he was a horse looking for further.

On a good 3 track against a genuine sprinter like Snitzerland, it was always going to be a tough ask for the Hawkes-trained three-year-old to win.

The $3.40 for the Golden Rose on September 15 was always a bit short, but if you’re on, don’t rip up your ticket.

The naysayers will say the run on Saturday was ordinary.

He still ran the fastest closing sectional and hit the line reasonably well.

Unless they go like the clappers up front, it’s rare to see horses make up big distances over the sprint trips – especially when the two leaders are handy horses.

Because of his prohibitive odds, I won’t be backing All Too Hard in the Golden Rose, the Cox Plate or the Caulfield Guineas (who knows where the horse is headed), but he’s a genuine star in my opinion.

If John Hawkes can get him over his barrier problems, then he’ll win a lot of good races.

Back in June, I penned a story on this website naming five horses to watch in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup.

Only 24 horses will make the final field on the first Tuesday of November, but I can report that our five are still in the market and look on track to contend for the world’s richest handicap.

The biggest firmer has been Mount Athos, who was $71 with TAB Sportsbet in June, but is now equal second favourite at $21.

This was in The Age (edited slightly) ...

The Luca Cumani-trained Mount Athos comfortably beat a strong field in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury on Saturday night, defeating the classy Brown Panther (a Royal Ascot winner last year) with the 2011 English St Leger winner Masked Marvel toiling in his wake.

Another of Melbourne Racing’s hopes also won on the weekend.

The globetrotting Jakkalberry, trained by another Newmarket-based Italian, Marco Botti, but owned by an Australian syndicate, took out the inaugural running of the American St Leger under Irish jockey Colm O'Donohue.

Stamina is Jakkalberry's strong suit and he took the American race (2700m) when he hit the front in the last 100 metres but quickly went 2¼ lengths clear.

These are the odds of all our five runners we suggested to follow in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup. You can read that story HERE

Quest For Peace – Was $35/Now $35

Jakkalberry – $31/$35

Mount Athos – $71/$21

Win Variation – $51/$51

Maluckyday – $51/$41

By Blake Redden, harness.org.au

He may have been Mr 5000 last week, but yesterday Gavin Lang is Mr $303,000.

That’s how good Lang is travelling at the moment, following Glenferrie Shuffle's dominant win in the Breeders Crown final for two-year-old fillies.

Trained by Craig Demmler, Glenferrie Shuffle dominated in what was her first win at the elite level.

Its Onlyforyou ($1.80) started race favourite and took up the lead for Dexter Dunn and Cran Dalgety with a lap to go.

The race was going to plan for favourite backers with horses unable to sustain their position around the odds-on pop, but that was only until Glenferrie Shuffle ($4) pulled out and made a quick dash before the bend.

Gavin Lang got his filly to within a length of the leader as they turned for home, but from there she answered all questions emphatically, racing away to win by 14 metres.

Its Onlyforyou held on grimly for second from Frith ($11), who was brave from a wide draw and ran home strongly for third.

Rogers Passion ($81), also kept coming to finish fourth.

The wash-up of the race saw a mile rate of 1:57.3 with a last half of 57.7.

Glenferrie Shuffle extended her career stats to five wins from nine starts and she has only been unplaced on one occasion.

Her prizemoney jumped from just under $40,000 to over $226,000 when today's cheque is banked.

With only Australian pacers entered in the last race, the Craig Demmler-trained filly assured the Kiwi’s would play second fiddle on the day.

Five of the Group 1 races stayed in Australia, while the other four crossed the ditch.

More pictures and coverage of yesterday’s Breeders Crown day will be up here on Thursday.