Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Flying Tristram to soar and Laird happy with other July day runners

David Thiselton
Charles Laird said yesterday that his Vodacom Durban July runner Flying Tristram had “done nothing wrong” but couldn’t compare him to his 2007 July winner Hunting Tower, saying that they were “completely different horses.”
Laird had not always had the July earmarked for the three-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Flying Spur and said, “In fact if I’d had a choice I would have run Galileo’s Galaxy.” Flying Tristram has, in the words of Glen Hatt who rode him work yesterday, “a naturally long-striding, flowing action.”
Hatt added that he was therefore not surprised that the horse had not acted in the mud in the SA Derby, while Laird added that “dropping him out in that race” had also not aided his cause. Laird felt that Flying Tristram had put up one of the best July gallops and he indeed did catch the eye, with that beautiful long stride and his head down nicely. However, referring to his natural action, he said, “Flying Tristram seems better suited to a more testing course. But on the other hand he has never run at Greyville before so you never know and Glen has a lot of experience. But drawn 18, it’s going to be very tough.”
Asked on whether he had the necessary turn of foot required for Greyville and the stamina capacity for 2 200m, he said, “Anton eased it up in the front in his last start in the Pinnacle Plate and then turned it up and they couldn’t catch him. So he can quicken. He is a horse that can lose his action if you drop him out so you have to ride him with confidence. I say he will get the eleven furlongs.” Hatt, who said the horse had given him a “great feel” in his workout, agreed the draw would be tough but added, “He is a galloper though so maybe that wide draw is not bad. If he was drawn well you wouldn’t want to get cover too early as he wouldn’t be able to stride out.” Laird agreed, but admitted that a lower draw would be preferable and that the tendency was to look for positives when drawn wide. In this light, he said, “If you are drawn one, two or three and you commit early there is nothing you can do about it.” Laird stable jockey Anton Marcus recalled too that Classic Flag, who won in 1998, was widely drawn and stayed wide in the running. Robbie Hill, listening in, said that a wide draw is invariably not a bad thing in the July and added that if it was wet “it is actually a win.” Hatt felt that this year’s July was a three-year-old race and said, “I’ve thought from a long time ago that it would be a three-year-old race. Also if you look at all the top older horses like Pocket Power and River Jetez, they are all horses that like to come from behind, and the three-year-olds are very difficult to catch. “This year they’ll be especially difficult to catch as they are a month older.” Flying Tristram is offically the best handicapped horse in the race, having won an 1 800m Pinnacle Plate race after the weights were published. He is probably the most under-rated horse in the race and gives Glen Hatt a chance of landing his first July as well as Laird a chance of adding to the amazing July record of his extended family.

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