Grafton Guineas – “Won It”
Fabulous 3yo filly RAPT (More Than Ready ex Ghenwaa) trained by Jason Deamer and ridden by Ash Morgan delivered his Dynamic All Ladies Co-Ownership Team an awesome victory in one of the two Feature Races, the $80,000, 2024 Tursa - Grafton Guineas (1600m) on Day 1 of the Grafton Carnival.
Grafton Guineas - WON IT - RAPT flew across the line eased down under a tight hold
In emphatic fashion, RAPT was luxuriously eased down to a canter crossing the line 2.76 lengths clear of her rivals.
The racecaller summed things up in his call: “Rapt deeper out running on, and with 150m to go, Rapt moved up, hit the lead and charged away, the Guineas is all over, the Grafton Guineas belongs to Rapt.”
Such was her dominance, our filly had been second last into the home turn, 6-lengths off the leaders and the widest runner down the straight, and she still gave them a cold, as she sizzled to claim an effortless win.
RAPT was airborne over the last 600m
Our All-Ladies Co-Ownership Team banked the First Prize cheque of $38,750 + BOBS Bonus and Vouchers taking the haul to a neat $50,000.
Our tremendous Newcastle based horseman Jason Deamer has done another superb job with our filly, and she is thriving under his care.
A $130,000 Magic Millions purchase the girls have seen their asset grow into money as their filly has now won more than she cost, plus her elder 4yo half-sister Tashi (by Sebring) this preparation has now won $455,725 and been stakes performed 4-times in her past 5 runs.
RAPT with this victory took her career tally to 13 Starts: 3 Wins; 4 seconds; 2 thirds and Prizemoney: $156,175
She is also versatile in that she enjoys Heavy Tracks and Good Tracks equally. Good: 6:2-1-1 / Soft: 3:0-1-1 / Heavy: 4:1-2-0.
What was amazing was the sizzling time the field ran home their last 600m. The clocked is triggered when the nose of the leader hits the beam at the 600m marker, and the nose of the winner hits the beam at the finishing line. The race recorded a sizzling 34.19 secs for the last 600m.
To put that sectional into perspective, the fastest last 600m ever run for a mile (1600m) event at Grafton was recorded in 2007 by Kanter Brau who recorded 34.06 secs. The difference of 0.13 of a second is equivalent to a distance of approximately 0.9 of a length.
RAPT was at least 6-lengths off the leader at the 600m in this race. She had to reel-in that margin, she covered additional ground to get out to be the widest runner on the track, and such was her sizzling closing speed, Ash had the luxury to “idle-down” over the final 50m.
600m
400m
Home Turn
200m
Win
So, the mind boggles how blistering our filly was peeling off that last 600m of her race and what she could have run if asked to extend all the way to the finishing post.
The data reveals she would have run the fastest last 600m of any horse for a 1600m race at Grafton.
This was her second win in a row when ridden “stone cold” to start the race and ask the filly to join in from the 600m.
Rapt & Ash Morgan returning to scale
Last start she did it at Scone, which was a Gosford Provincial meeting transferred.
RAPT winning her previous start at Scone
Now she put away a field of some of the best miler 3yo’s in the bush.
TURSA GRAFTON GUINEAS (1600 METRES) Of $80,000. 1st $38,750 + BOBS Bonus. Good 4 Time: 1:36.91 Last 600m: 34.19. RAPT (Jason Deamer) (Ashley Morgan) Barrier 10, 54kg, $6, defeated FIORSUM FRED (Scott Singleton) (Mikayla Weir) 54kg, $26, by 2.76 Lengths; third CHEVRON (Kristen Buchanan) (Taylor Marshall) 58.5kg, $5.50 beaten 3.3 lengths.
Ashley Morgan was interviewed post-race by Sky Channel’s Gary Kleise who started the commentary by saying: “Ash – real big win mate!”
Ash responded: “Yes that’s right. We stepped her up in trip, I think a few runs ago we figured out the way to ride her was dead cold and she was a bit keen on me the last day at Scone. We went that quick here the first half of the race I was half off the chain, and I was a little bit concerned, but from the 800m onwards she just really built up underneath me. There were a couple of options to stay down low and cut underneath but, I just know she’s a horse that likes clear air, and likes to be left alone, and gee she let rip really well.”
Gary then said, “In fairness, that was a big win at Scone, but that was better today.”
Ash said: “For sure – yeah. As I said we just figured out how to ride her, I galloped her a few times. Ten days ago and she is thriving, she is one of those mares that has won a race and she feels that she has got real confidence out of it. So, yeah, she’s flying! Thank you.”
CONGRATULATIONS to our ALL LADIES Co-Ownership Team that Own and Race RAPT: Dynamic Ladies (Mgr Mrs F Watt), Mrs C Freeman, Mrs A T Woollett, Mrs K Corby, Mrs M Whitton, Mrs B Krezo, Ms L I Kennedy, Mrs T M O'Sullivan, Mrs M Seminara, Mrs B Cooper, Mrs B A Reid, Ms L Woollett.
Rapt - Winner 17.7.24 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
1st of 11 GRAF 17Jul24 1600m Good4 GRAF GNEAS $80,000 ($50,000) Ashley Morgan 54kg Bar10, 2nd Fiorsum Fred 54kg, 3rd Chevron 58.5kg 1:36.91 (600m 34.19), 2.76L, 9th@800m, 7th@400m, $6/$6/$6
This win recorded Dynamic Syndications second win for the day having won Race 3 at Randwick earlier with IT’S A KNOCKOUT.
The win was our 60th for the 2023-24 Season, and our 888th Race Win Overall.
Onwards and Upwards – Forever Forward!