Morgan's Brave Call Rewarded

The Sunday Age

Sunday September 7, 2008

Michael Lynch

WHAT do you do when you set your horse - who is at best a day-to-day proposition because of dodgy legs - for a specific race and he doesn't get into the field?

Well, if you are Whittlesea trainer Peter Morgan you roll the dice, pay up to run in another race on the program - even if you wonder whether the distance might not be suitable - and take a chance.

And, if you're lucky, your bold instincts are rewarded.

That's exactly how it panned out for Morgan yesterday when his injury-prone seven-year-old gelding Stavka ($5.50), ridden by Danny Brereton, held on to win by the narrowest possible margin.

Stavka survived by a nose from the David Hayes-trained cups contender The Fuzz ($26), who made a terrific seasonal debut.

Morgan had wanted to run Stavka, who was having only his 10th start, in the group 3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200 metres) down the famous Flemington straight - a course and distance over which Stavka's dam, Special, had her finest hour, winning the Newmarket Handicap in 1988.

But Stavka's rating was only good enough to earn him a spot as second emergency in the Bobbie Lewis, so Morgan switched targets, even though he had prepared his charge for the lesser distance.

"When they took so long (to declare him the winner) I thought a dead-heat would do," a relieved Morgan said.

"He's lame more times than he is not. To do what he has done is absolutely magnificent. I always wanted him to get to 1400 metres last year, but he didn't hold up. He's been hard to train because of his problems."

While The Fuzz delighted Hayes with his narrow defeat, the champion trainer said it was "back to the drawing board" with Largo Lad, who was sent out the $4.20 favourite.

"It was a great run, but he's a good Flemington, Melbourne horse, he does everything," Hayes said of The Fuzz, who won last year's Geelong Cup and was a fancy for the Melbourne Cup before being scratched on the morning of the race.

As for Largo Lad, Hayes said: "I have kept him fresh going into this race . . . and I reckon he was too fresh and he over-raced."

Earlier in the day, trainer Robert Smerdon produced progressive stayer Light Vision to win his third race in succession, in the Voodoo Handicap (2000 metres).

Light Vision ($3.20 favourite), partnered by Ben Melham, led throughout and had too much in the locker for the fast-finishing Gallopin ($7) and Testa Grande ($31).

Smerdon now has to plot a path to qualify Light Vision for the Caulfield Cup, where the five-year-old has just 50 kilograms. "It gets tougher from now. He's probably going to have to win a race that gets him in," he said.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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