She Will Reign Runs Fast Sectionals In Last-To-First Silver Slipper Victory
Resuming after winning her first two starts with stunning front-running efforts, She Will Reign was surprisingly slow to move and settled at the tail of the seven-horse field.
After improving along the rails from the 600 metres, she went through to be third on straightening, before dashing clear to win comfortably by one and a half lengths, running the 1100 metre distance in 1:04.70 (11.76 200m rate), equivalent to 1200 metres in 1:10.58.
That was good time on the Soft5 track but it was She Will Reign’s sectional times that really took the eye with her last 1000m metres in 55.86, last 800 metres in 44.52, last 600 metres in 33.30 and final 400 metres in 22.37.
Especially noteworthy was She Will Reign’s 200 metre breakdown from the 600 metre point: 10.93, 10.86 (400m in 21.79) and 11.51 for a fast last 600 metres of 33.30.
It was also interesting to compare She Will Reign’s times to those of the James Cummings-trained Tactical Advantage (Bel Esprit) who is unbeaten in four runs this preparation after his impressive win earlier in the day in the Three-Year-Old Handicap (1100m).
Tactical Advantage raced away to win by two and three quarter lengths in a time of 1:04.85 for the 1100 metre journey (11.79 200m rate), equivalent to 1200 metres in 1:10.74, fractionally slower than She Will Reign.
And their sectional times were also comparable with Tactical Advantage being timed to run his final 1000 metres in 56.11, last 800 metres in 44.79, last 600 metres in 33.28 with his final 400 metres in 21.75.
She Will Reign ran slightly quicker for the overall 1100 metre distance and also for the last 1000 metres and last 800 metres while Tactical Advantage produced marginally quicker last 600 metre and 400 metre times, which were quite exceptional.
The point being that She Will Reign, a two-year-old filly having only had three starts, can already produce times to match and even better some recorded by an in-form three-year-old with more experience.
But the bottom line, as demonstrated on the watch at Rosehill on Saturday, is that She Will Reign and Tactical Advantage are both set for excellent racetrack careers.
At Flemington on Saturday, the feature race was the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) which saw the seven-year-old gelding Terravista (Captain Rio) resume to grab a last-stride win, his second at Group One level.
Terravista is clearly an exceptional sprinter when at his peak and he does seem to excel over the straight course at Flemington, in addition he can produce a brilliant turn of foot even off a moderate early tempo as was the case on Saturday.
Surprisingly, the early pace was missing, mainly when the flying mare Heatherly (Lonhro), who was resuming, was ridden conservatively to retain a narrow lead with the first 400 metres of the 1000 metre race clocking a very moderate 24.91 (14.12, 10.79).
The pace really lifted from the 600 metre point which saw that section run in a brilliant 32.35, turning the Group One sprint into an exceptional dash home.
The end result saw the first five go across the line less than a length apart, Terravista winning by a short half head from Spieth (Thorn Park) with Star Turn (Star Witness) a short head away third, with Flamberge (Exceed And Excel) fourth and Illustrious Lad (I Am Invincible) as close-up fifth.
Tactics of the race certainly told against the Group One winning colt Flying Artie (Artie Schiller), the $3.60 favourite, who raced too keenly in the early stages due to the muddling tempo and his first up seventh is best overlooked.
He was then timed to run his last 600 metres in a fast 32.49 but he could only finish seventh in the sprint home and he went to the post two and quarter lengths behind the winner.
Fastest sectional times in the Lightning Stakes for last 600 metres was the winner Terravista’s 32.00, a time matched by the runner up Spieth – both showing brilliant acceleration.
In the Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m), the Team Hawkes-trained colt Ducimus (Snitzel), despite racing greenly over the closing stages and enduring a protest, showed sufficient talent to suggest that he has a really bright future.
Having his second start after winning on debut in a Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate (1100m) at Ballarat on 31 January, Ducimus shared the lead before taking a clear advantage at the 300 metres.
He then veered towards the rails side, recovered to retain the lead and then lasted to win well, scoring by a long head in a time for the 1100 metre distance of 1:03.72 (200m rate of 11.58), equivalent to 1200 metres in 1:09.51.
Ducimus’ sectional times were impressive. Clocked from the 1000 metres he ran 200 metre sections of 10.79, 10.65 (400m in 21.44), 10.71 (600m in 32.15), 11.14 (800m in 43.29) with his final 200 metres in 12.09 to give him a fast last 1000 metre time of 55.38.
But final word goes to another colt to impress on the watch, the Lindsay Park-trained and Shadwell-raced colt Muraaqeb (Snitzel) who created quite an impression with his last-to-first win in the Two-Year-Old Plate (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
After going back from his outside barrier (10) and settling in last place in the ten-horse field, Muraaqeb then went widest of all rounding the home turn.
The colt then stormed home to score impressively by a length and a quarter in the smart time of 58.19 for the 1000 metre distance.
Muraaqeb produced particularly good sectional times, with a 200 metre breakdown from the 800 metre point of 10.65, 11.25 (400m in 21.90), 11.25 (600m in 33.15) and 11.77 for his final 200 metres in 11.77 to give him a fast last 800 metres in 44.92.
He looks the makings of a very smart colt.