On Tuesday afternoon, 1st March the
provincial Kembla Grange meeting was
transferred down the highway to
Goulburn to escape the sodden track.
Our
Dynamic Syndications 3yo filly EXTREME GEM (Extreme Choice x Encosta Jewel) trained by Richard Freedman was to face the starter for the first time.
Despite being inexperienced, and still having a lot to learn regarding racecraft, and knowing she is bred to want further than the 1200m of this debut trip,
our filly was far too good for her peers with a very soft win.
Taking the 2.0kg claim for promising young
apprentice Dylan Gibbons, EXTREME GEM was thrown into the
Wombarra Reef Maiden Plate 1200m under set weights when only carrying 54.5kgs.
Jumping like a gazelle from barrier 3,
Extreme Gem bowled straight to the front on the Soft 6 deck, before Dylan grabbed hold, allowing the Gary Portelli 4yo mare She Can Talk with Louise Day on top to roll to the front, giving
Extreme Gem the trail on the leaders back, as the race favourite and stablemate Amathuba rolled up to sit at our girth.
Goulburn had a cut-away rail in place and Dylan was asked to attempt to get some cover in the run and stay close to the fence on straightening.
The plan turned out almost perfectly, however when the leader crossed, the tempo dropped to an almost noncompetitive slow pace, causing our inexperienced filly to over race and fight the rider for 100m before she could settle.
This farcical tempo turned the race into a sit and sprint and gave none of the backmarkers any hope, as was proven in the sectionals where they rocked home off the front in 34.72.
As the field swung into the straight to balance for the run home, Dylan steered his path to the inside cut away and the combination of a pull in the weights, soft sectional run in transit and the most important aspect of ability shone through.
Spotting the leader a couple of lengths at the 300m, Dylan asked
Extreme Gem to improve and
the filly found another gear.
She had drawn level at the 180m and then sailed on by without any pressure.
Never in doubt and with nothing making any impact,
Dylan sat up with an armchair ride to ease our filly down to almost a canter but still posted a 2-length victory over Amathuba with a further 1.3 lengths back to third placed She Can Talk.
The runner-up is no slouch hence why it started favourite, having been placed 5 times in 6 starts whilst the third-place runner had been placed 4 times in 7 starts.
Extreme Gem has been a work in progress, after suffering near career ending splints to the inside of both cannons that grew so large, they were rubbing on the tendons. It required surgery, and plenty of time. Unfortunately, they reappeared and required further recuperation, hence why we are halfway through her 3yo season before seeing her at the races. Also being so far behind the eight ball she has taken a while to build fitness, muscle culture and experience.
But as the saying goes,
“all good things come to those that wait.”
From the first crop of the sire who has proven to be a sensation at stud
EXTREME CHOICE from an
Encosta De Lago mare, we purchased Extreme Gem at the Magic Millions for $100,000.
She is bred on the same
A+++ cross Not A Single Doubt x Encosta De Lago cross
Congratulations to the loyal ownership group that have stayed the distance and shown great patience with their filly who has had more than her share of troubles: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr S R Freeman, Mr P J Woollett, Smyth Family Racing, Mr NR Evans, Mr S Troughton, Mr C A Reid, Mr D A Poletto, Mr D W Watt, Mr S Loane, Mr D J Ricketts.
Extreme Gem wins 1/3/22 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Being a Kembla Grange provincial maiden transferred to Goulburn, it was a provincial class race for provincial prizemoney and Extreme Gem banked $22,365 for her debut win which included $5,625 in BOBS Bonuses and $16,740 prizemoney.