First Guineas crown for King
The Sunday Age
Sunday March 14, 2010
IT WAS one of the few group 1 races on the Australian racing calendar that Bart Cummings had not won but the master, with his ability to train horses to the minute and apply gear changes at the right time, saw the Crown Guineas (1600 metres) ticked off the to-be-won list with the impressive win of Rock Classic yesterday.There was not much wrong with Rock Classic's form coming into the race, having won twice and run second once in a four-start career.However, punters were happy to send him out unwanted as an $18 chance behind the $1.60 favourite Denman, but a few tweaks with his gear transformed him from an honest toiler into one of the best three-year-olds in the country."He had a few problems that we have now corrected. We had to step up from the second rank and he stepped up to take his place here today," Cummings said.While gear changes do not add ability they can certainly get horses to produce what they otherwise might not, and yesterday the Cummings formula was a combination of winkers off, blinkers back on, lugging bit off and norton bit on."He didn't like a tongue tie so we put the norton bit on him to stop him swallowing his tongue and the other day he wanted to run away from horses on his inside or outside and not take runs so the blinkers went on and corrected that problem. Apart from that, the rest is easy."I think he's a very, very good horse. He's only just learning what to do and I think he's got a good future," Cummings said.He said he wanted to discuss Rock Classic's immediate future with connections but said the youngster would return to Sydney where he will take on some more group 1 assignments.Favourite backers were ill at ease right from the start, with Denman ($1.60) being slowly away, before booting up to sit outside the pacemaker Guru Bob.He took over as they came into the straight but was under pressure shortly afterwards and only battled in the run to the line, finishing a well beaten fourth."He just wanted to overrace a bit. It sounds funny but in hindsight I wished I had led. It might sound crazy but he just might have relaxed a little better," McEvoy said.The only query on Denman coming into the race was his ability to run out the 1600 metres and that was the way it turned out.He raced to the lead at the top of the straight but Rock Classic raced to him shortly afterwards before running clear, to defeat the only filly in the race, Set For Fame ($5.50), by a length, with Linton ($5.50) three-quarters of a length away third.Michael Rodd said he was very confident on Rock Classic from a long way out. "I couldn't believe it coming around the turn," he said."I didn't want to get pocketed when the sprint came on but didn't want to get there too early because I knew when he got to the front he'd have a good look around. Every time I eased up he'd slow up so I had to get stuck into him."It was an amazing win. What can I say," a very impressed Rodd added.Set For Fame's rider Luke Nolen was disappointed at her defeat after he was caught behind Denman at the top of the straight."The day Denman doesn't quicken I'm stuck on his back. I was happy to roll into it on his back but no sooner had I done that than he went nowhere."We got to the inside but just didn't get the chance to roll into it," Nolen said.Linton's rider Nick Hall was pleased with the gelding's third placing. "It was a fantastic effort. He probably could have run second but is still very raw."He lost a couple of lengths when he came off the bridle on the turn but will be a lot better of next preparation."
© 2010 The Sunday Age
