Dynamic 7yo gelding AWESOME LAD (I AM INVINCIBLE ex SENSIBLE LADY) proved what an enigma he can be with a tough WIN at Doomben on Saturday.
Our Jason Deamer trained galloper was primed and ready to perform at his best seven (7) days earlier when running in the $500,000 FOUR PILLARS at Rosehill, the race that he was runner-up in the 2022 edition. He was third up for the preparation into the race this year and his trackwork led us to believe he was capable of finishing in the mix again.
However, AWESOME LAD had other ideas and put in the worst run of his career when finishing last of 20 runners beaten almost 9 lengths. When he pulled up AWESOME LAD would not have blown out a candle. He simply didn’t put in an effort.
Trainer, Jason Deamer, jockey Michael Dee, and Team Dynamic were at a loss to explain why he had not turned up on the day.
He got home that night and licked out his feed tin and was a ball of energy on Sunday morning.
So we chose to send him back to the races the following Saturday.
There was a beautiful race programmed in Brisbane at Doomben. It was the XXXX Class 6 Handicap (1600m) with a 1st prize cheque of $48,800
AWESOME LAD was a Class 4 horse, so he was going to be very well placed under Handicap conditions.
The start before in the FOUR PILLARS he was asked to carry 60.5kgs and was at best unenthusiastic.
In this race, he would drop to his true weight of 52.5kgs – 8.0kgs less than what he carried prior.
With 1.5kgs equivalent to 1 length, that meant he was in this race almost 6 lengths better off and was dropping significantly in class than the previous event.
Attempting to find a leading rider who could ride that light in Brisbane that wasn’t committed to another ride was a task, but Team Dynamic landed on Damien Thornton, who couldn’t quite get down that light but was able to get to 53.0kgs for us, so we happily engaged Damien to carry 0.5kgs over the allotted weight and run with 53.0kgs.
In a race that looked even on paper, we believed that if AWESOME LAD decided to turn up, he could win, especially at the big weight drop. However, we couldn’t get his last start effort out of our minds, but we believed we had him ready to run at his peak seven days earlier, so we had to forget it happened and try again. After all, racing is a sport, and everyone horses and humans alike can have an off day.
Our other considerations were that AWESOME LAD had three previous attempts at the 1600m trip for three duck eggs, whilst he is a horse that wants a hard track, and the surface was a Soft 5 which wasn’t ideal.
Hence, when the field were behind the barriers, AWESOME LAD was at massive odds of $9.50.
In the pre-race parade the horse looked fantastic and was alert and ready. The trip away had sparked him up. He had drawn well in barrier 4, and we expected that we should be able to either lead or track the other speed map leader Calm Seeker who had taken an apprentice with a 3.0kg claim and would only be carrying 51.0kgs.
Our race tactics were simple, ask AWESOME LAD to be positive and roll forward on the fence. If CALM SEEKER wanted to lead that’s great just track it and let it carry us into the race.
If it didn’t lead, then we could lead but peel off slow sectionals to help him get the mile trip.
As the gates crashed back, the map turned out spot on as Calm Seeker with the young apprentice went hard to find the lead peeling off quick early sectionals and setting up a three-length break over AWESOME LAD who sat second on the fence with a two length break over the rest of the 8 horse field that was spread out over 10 lengths.
The race was run at a genuine tempo, and the field maintained their positions until the race began in earnest from the 500m and swinging into the home straight.
As the field thundered around the home turn, Damien slipped a little rein to AWESOME LAD and he moved up stylishly to eyeball the leader at the 300m and it appeared a matter of how far he would win by as nothing was coming out of the pack to chase us down.
However, this is where things started to bite. He was spotting the leader 2.0kgs in weight, and we were running out of legs as we passed the 200m marker.
AWESOME LAD had worked to a head in front but Calm Seeker would not give in.
Damien could sense that AWESOME LAD didn’t want to attack the finishing post, so he sat down and got to work demanding that our horse continue and not throw in the towel as Calm Seeker refused to yield.
Over the final 100m Calm Seeker got its head back level but AWESOME LAD responded to Damien’s urgings who would not be denied winning. As the camera loomed, AWESOME LAD found the inner strength to fight hard and regain the lead and Damien pushed AWESOME LAD’s head down on the line to record a 0.16 Length margin over Calm Seeker (51.0kgs) ($9.50) with $3.20 favourite The Catch (52.0kgs) back in third place 1.67 lengths behind. On the Soft 5, he ran a Time of: 1:35.90 with a Last 600m: 35.45 secs.
Damien Thornton had ridden the perfect race both tactically and tempo related.
AWESOME LAD had finally, after Seven Metropolitan placings (5 seconds and 2 thirds) delivered at Metropolitan Saturday grade. He had shown that he has the courage to finish off in a tight finish. He showed he can give weight to rivals and defeat them, he can run on a Soft surface, and he delivered upon his pedigree and ran a mile out at fast tempo.
The win in town was special for our owners because AWESOME LAD had previously recorded Four (4) provincial wins plus 2nd $500,000 Rosehill Four Pillars, 2nd Warwick Farm (twice), 2nd Eagle Farm (twice), 3rd Rosehill and 3rd Eagle Farm.
JOB DONE!
Sky Commentator Michael Maxworthy in post-race commentary said: “Damien Thornton getting the best out of AWESOME LAD, who we have seen those colours before with Hard To Say, who is often coming up from Newcastle for the stable, and knocking off our prizemoney, and Jason Deamer has done it again here with AWESOME LAD. He was well beaten last time, he finished last at Rosehill in the FOUR PILLARS, did have a wide gate and a big weight, drops nearly 10 kilos today, and has got the money. Ridden nice and handy to the pace, ready to take over at the top of the straight, he reaches the lead at about the 100m mark and gets up to score.”
DAMIEN THORNTON came back to scale and was interviewed by Sky Channel reporter Bernadette Cooper who said: “Let’s have a chat with the man of the moment who is riding very well at the moment, great stuff, well-done.”
Damien replied: “Thank you. He was good today, he was made to earn it, and he did.”
Bernie then said: “He didn’t mind the dog fight at all, did he?”
Damien answered: “No, I thought I had it covered, I was going to win by a length, but he had other ideas, so it was nice to get his head down.”
Bernie laughed and said: “He didn’t want you to get too cocky!”
Damien quipped: “No - There’s nothing wrong with winning is there?”
Bernie then asked: “Jason was pretty confident I hear.”
Damien answered: “Yeah, I spoke to him this morning, he gave me a call on the in here, he was pretty happy with him, he’d done really well and he wouldn’t have sent him up here for nothing. So, yeah, he had a good run today, and we got the chocolates.”
Bernie concluded: “So there he is Damien Thornton, 53.0kgs on AWESOME LAD, he ran last in the FOUR PILLARS last start, comes to Queensland, and knocks off a nice mile race here.”
CONGRATULATIONS to our DYNAMIC OWNERS of AWESOME LAD: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr S R Freeman, Mr A Maich, Ms S T Hancock, Mr A Merritt, Mr N Merritt, Mrs T M O'Sullivan, Mr D O'Sullivan, Mrs C Ciappara, Mr L Szancer, Mrs A T Woollett, Mr J C Lovegrove
Awesome Lad - Winner 11.11.23 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
The WIN by AWESOME LAD was our 51st Race Win for the 2023 Calendar Year.
Overall, it was Dynamic Syndications 853rd Race Win.
It was also our 25th Race Win for the new 2023-24 Racing Season.
It capped a good 5 days for Dynamic Syndications / Jason Deamer as together we won the $300,000 CHOISIR Handicap at Randwick on Tuesday with HARD TO SAY banking $170,000, then on Thursday we had a fourth place with JACK DUGGAN at Hawkesbury, and now another Race Win with AWESOME LAD banking $48,800 at Doomben.
AWESOME LAD was a $75,000 tried horse purchase from the Magic Millions who at that time had three starts for a Maiden Win at Gosford and a third at Newcastle earning $26,465.
Under Dynamic / Deamer Racing Team, AWESOME LAD has had:
28 Starts: 4 Wins: 7 Seconds: 3 Thirds & earned $292,500.
AWESOME LAD has advanced his Record to:
31 Starts: 5 Wins: 7 Seconds: 4 Thirds & Prizemoney of $318,970.
5 Wins: Doomben 1600m, Hawkesbury 1300m & 1500m, Newcastle 1350m, Gosford 1200m
1st of 10 DOOM 11Nov23 1600m Soft5 CL6 $85,000 ($48,800) Damien Thornton 52.5kg (cd 53kg) Barrier 4 Rtg 72, 2nd Calm Seeker (NZ) 51kg, 3rd The Catch 52kg 1:35.90 (600m 35.45), 0.16L, 2nd@800m, 3rd@400m, $7.50/$9.50/$10/$9.50.
Onwards & Upwards!