The Ownership Team of our
gallant Grey LOVE TAP were rightfully
very proud of the efforts of our
Dynamic galloper when
LOVE TAP tried his heart out when finishing 3.8 lengths behind the phenomenal winner
I’M THUNDERSTRUCK, COUNT DE RUPEE and VANGELIC in
Australia’s third highest prizemoney race the
$7.5m GOLDEN EAGLE over 1500m at Rosehill.
Horse’s are only 4yo’s for one year of their careers and the lure of the massive money on offer allows all owners to
“live the dream.”
LOVE TAP finished 9th of 18 runners by
3.8 lengths but importantly earned his connections
$60,000 prizemoney for the effort, which is equivalent to winning a standard Sydney Saturday win and this certainly pays some bills.
LOVE TAP was strong late and hitting the line, but the early tempo was just
too slick for
LOVE TAP who tried hard to be with the pacesetters but was just beaten for early toe, which had him settle mid field on the fence, in a racing pattern that doesn’t suit our free striding gelding.
Forced to tuck away on the fence, he was shuffled well back in the run and was near the tail as they passed the 350m, but he responded courageously to
Robbie Dolan’s urgings and with an uninterrupted run to the line he rallied hard.
Post-race
Robbie Dolan said he was
“Beaten for early speed but it was a really good run. Hit the line well. Probably short of his best distance.”
LOVE TAP - a $110,000 Magic Millions Yearling purchase has now had 10 starts: 5 Wins plus 4th in a Gr1 and 4th in a Gr2 with earnings now of $322,525.
In the Golden Eagle they ran a
Race Record of
1:27.90 with a Last 600m in
34.44.
To place that effort in perspective, the
$700,000 Four Pillars earlier on the day over the same trip
ran a time of 1:29.02 with a last 600m in 34.65. That was
1.12 secs slower which equates to approximately
8 lengths slower.
Naturally, the
Golden Eagle attracted
the best of the best from locally and interstate, whilst three overseas horses also came down to try their luck.
1500m event didn’t really suit our boy who is bred to run
1800m – 2000m but we tried every trick in the book to get our horse to firstly qualify and then arrive fit and well which we achieved.
LOVE TAP made the field but only just, as a
Benchmark 91 rating whilst the winner
I'M THUNDERSTRUCK had a
107 rating. That’s
16 rating points = 8.0kgs superior but we met him on level weights.
1.5kgs = approximately 1 length. Therefore,
I'M THUNDERSTUCK at level weights should have been
5.3 lengths in advance of
LOVE TAP. He finished
3.8 lengths in advance.
LOVE TAP is a winner twice at 1500m. He set the track record at Goulburn in running
1:28.13 and won two starts back at the 1500m trip when winning at Kembla in
1:29.81. He then ran 4th in the Gr2 Shannon Quality beaten 1 length in
1:28.21.
The Golden Eagle Race Record was held by Kolding in
1:28.28 (600m 35.13).
Analysis of the
Golden Eagle times reveals
LOVE TAP ran the Fastest Sectional Split in the race from the 600m to the 400m in 11.28. He ran a steady
11.33 from the 400m to the 200m and then ran home in
11.63.
The winner
I’M THUNDERSTRUCK ran home his last 200m in a sizzling 11.21, Count De Rupee (2nd) ran home in 11.55, Vangelic (3rd) ran 11.58. Whilst two imports
Law Of Indices (5th) ran 11.46 and Maximal (6th) ran 11.54. The other 12 runners ran home in slower time.
I’M THUNDERSTRUCK ran home 2.9 lengths faster for his last 200m than LOVE TAP.
Simply this proves the superiority of the winner whilst it cements our opinion that
LOVE TAP who can’t sprint but does grinds away off a fast tempo is better suited at longer trips.
In essence,
LOVE TAP has gone super, but he was
2.6 lengths behind his fastest time over 1500m. Then when we review his run in the Shannon he recorded
1:28.36 he has finished 1.05 lengths off the winner.
However, where this Golden Eagle race spun out of control for
LOVE TAP was in the
first 200m where he was unable to go the
helter skelter early tempo and was
shuffled back an extra pair, settling over
18 metres off pace, which he had to make up later in the race.
Unfortunately, under this race tempo he just couldn’t quite get there. Had
LOVE TAP peeled off his
Personal Best, stats still say he is over
1.8 lengths from the winner, which would have placed him in 6th position just ahead of Maximal.
LOVE TAP pulled up very well and licked the feed tin clean.
He will remain in work and has a nice programme mapped out for him over the balance of this preparation.