Astrojet (rails) fends off stablemate Peer Gynt
photo: STC
Trainer Michael Clements knew he could not lose the race, not once but twice at two separate moments within the space of less than five minutes.
When the judge had to call for the photo to split his duo of Astrojet (NZ) (Coats Choice) and Peer Gynt (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the $75,000 Novice race over 1400, the Zimbabwean-born handler was in the cushy win-win position of bagging the winner and the runner-up either way.
Astrojet's No 9 was in the end semaphored with a nose as the official margin, but barely a few seconds later, the Inquiry sign flashed just a few inches below on the board. Peer Gynt's jockey Alan Munro had viewed the race replay inside the last 200m and decided to lodge an objection against the winner for alleged interference.
With the naked eye it was hard to see any check, but the head-on camera saw Astrojet roll out when Antonio da Silva changed his whip through to the left hand. A brush occurred between the two Clements as Astrojet laid out onto Peer Gynt before the pair held their line to continue on a straight path asunder.
Clements even joked that the Stewards should give him two chairs in the inquiry room. The two jockeys stated their cases, and after deliberation, Munro's objection was overruled and Clements could finally put a name to his 7th winner of the season – Astrojet, who was the less fancied of the pair on $169 with Peer Gynt's quote at $31.
"I told Alan it was his call whether he wanted to object. In the Stewards' room, you could see the brushing was not severe but Alan was entitled to object given he felt his horse was bumped and he lost by only a nose," said Clements.
"Either way, they have both run very well today and I couldn't be happier with the result. Astrojet is a horse who should not be ridden off the pace and I told da Silva to ride him more forward today.
"Last time, he was too far back and he was also shuffled back around the corner. I will consider both horses over the 1400m and 1600m Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, not so much the 1200m."
Da Silva was for one glad the Stewards have gone his way as wins had been few and far between this year. His previous one and only 2016 win came aboard another outsider ($219) Salut Amour for Clements on January 15.
"It's only when I changed my whip to the left hand that he hung out," said da Silva.
"It was not a big bump and I'm glad I've kept the race as it's been a while since I last won a race. I would have been very disappointed if I lost that race in the Stewards' room."
A son of New Zealand sire Coats Choice, Astrojet was recording his second win from four starts for stakes earnings around the $75,000 mark for the UNI Stable. He was sold from Berkley Stud's 2014 NZB draft before going to be sold at the Ready to Run Sale under Esker Lodge's banner. Peer Gynt is also a graduate of the Ready to Run Sale, making $180,000 for vendors Lyndhurst Farm. -STC
When the judge had to call for the photo to split his duo of Astrojet (NZ) (Coats Choice) and Peer Gynt (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the $75,000 Novice race over 1400, the Zimbabwean-born handler was in the cushy win-win position of bagging the winner and the runner-up either way.
Astrojet's No 9 was in the end semaphored with a nose as the official margin, but barely a few seconds later, the Inquiry sign flashed just a few inches below on the board. Peer Gynt's jockey Alan Munro had viewed the race replay inside the last 200m and decided to lodge an objection against the winner for alleged interference.
With the naked eye it was hard to see any check, but the head-on camera saw Astrojet roll out when Antonio da Silva changed his whip through to the left hand. A brush occurred between the two Clements as Astrojet laid out onto Peer Gynt before the pair held their line to continue on a straight path asunder.
Clements even joked that the Stewards should give him two chairs in the inquiry room. The two jockeys stated their cases, and after deliberation, Munro's objection was overruled and Clements could finally put a name to his 7th winner of the season – Astrojet, who was the less fancied of the pair on $169 with Peer Gynt's quote at $31.
"I told Alan it was his call whether he wanted to object. In the Stewards' room, you could see the brushing was not severe but Alan was entitled to object given he felt his horse was bumped and he lost by only a nose," said Clements.
"Either way, they have both run very well today and I couldn't be happier with the result. Astrojet is a horse who should not be ridden off the pace and I told da Silva to ride him more forward today.
"Last time, he was too far back and he was also shuffled back around the corner. I will consider both horses over the 1400m and 1600m Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, not so much the 1200m."
Da Silva was for one glad the Stewards have gone his way as wins had been few and far between this year. His previous one and only 2016 win came aboard another outsider ($219) Salut Amour for Clements on January 15.
"It's only when I changed my whip to the left hand that he hung out," said da Silva.
"It was not a big bump and I'm glad I've kept the race as it's been a while since I last won a race. I would have been very disappointed if I lost that race in the Stewards' room."
A son of New Zealand sire Coats Choice, Astrojet was recording his second win from four starts for stakes earnings around the $75,000 mark for the UNI Stable. He was sold from Berkley Stud's 2014 NZB draft before going to be sold at the Ready to Run Sale under Esker Lodge's banner. Peer Gynt is also a graduate of the Ready to Run Sale, making $180,000 for vendors Lyndhurst Farm. -STC