Boreale To Lead Woodlands Charge

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday May 10, 2003

Max Presnell

With the cerise army of Woodlands Stud primed for another offensive, Boreale could signal the end of the old guard in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast today.

On figures, proven weight-for-age types such as Shogun Lodge, Dress Circle and Mr Bureaucrat have kilos to spare under the conditions of the race over up-and-comers Boreale, Cognac Trader and to a lesser degree Bush Padre.

Boreale had only 51 kilograms in the Doncaster recently, while Shogun Lodge was handicapped on 57kg but meets him on level terms in the Hollindale.

Now a six-year-old with 53 races under his girth, Shogun Lodge won the race in 2000 and 2001, while Mr Bureaucrat, a seven-year-old, took the 1800-metre test last year.

Shogun Lodge seems to have lost form but Mr Bureaucrat indicated there was still plenty of horse-power in his tank with a solid third to Tit For Taat over 1400m in the Byrne Hart at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

Six-year-old Dress Circle , trained by Gai Waterhouse, has been mixing it in group 1 company and went down by only 1.8 lengths to stablemate Arlington Road in the All Aged Stakes at Randwick on April 26.

But Boreale by Octagonal, which is making an impression against the shuttle-service stallions for his owners, Jack and Bob Ingham is now a well-seasoned four-year-old which has six wins and five placings from 14 starts.

The gelding may have had only a soft kill in weaker company in the Ramsay Stakes, 1800m, at Eagle Farm last Saturday but it indicated his well-being.

Fortunately, the John Hawkes-tuned Boreale, unlike many of the Octagonals, has tactical speed, a plus around the tricky Gold Coast circuit, while Cognac Trader, nursed by the master trainer Bart Cummings with only 11 races to date, gets back in the field.

Cognac Trader confirmed his potential with an overwhelming finish to take a transitional open race at Randwick recently following a bold effort in the Doncaster, in which Boreale was third.

Bush Padre, at five and with 33 runs, may be past the age of improvement but has been racing in top form in Melbourne and from the two gate promises to get the run of the race.VERDICT: Boreale is a good gamble. AWAKE TO IT: The last-start effort of Wide Awake , running in the Gold Coast Guineas , was one of the eye-catching performances of the Randwick autumn carnival. On a track that favoured horses up front and near the rail, Wide Awake came from well back out wide and went down by 2.9 lengths to Bollinger in the South Pacific over 1400m on April 19.

Another in the cerise of Woodlands Stud, Wide Awake, a Quest For Fame three-year-old, has had only four starts and is on an upward spiral.

Another Sydneysider, Charlie Bub, will be one of the top hopes in the event and, from the two barrier, should receive a good passage.

Charlie Bub was third to the local sprinter Proudly Agro , again opposed to him today. Proudly Agro, alas, drew 19.VERDICT: Stay with Wide Awake. CHILD'S PLAY: Flemington trainer Ray Lawson has come up with Greg Childs to time the finishing sprint of stayer Homewrecker to a nicety in the Prime Minister's Cup.

Homewrecker has been second at his three most recent starts and charged clear in the JRA Plate, 2000m, at Randwick on April 26 but was caught in the last stride by Pentastic.

Grandstand jockeys figure Homewrecker went too soon.

Considering Pentastic was runner-up to outstanding galloper Lonhro in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick last Saturday, Homewrecker has excellent credentials for today's race, in which the main dangers are Piachay, Restless and Gunnamatta .

Piachay flopped in the Easter Cup at Caulfield on April 19 but had been working into winning form.VERDICT: Childs to guide Homewrecker astutely. BIG THREAT: Ominous, out to make amends in the Bishop's Cup series at Rosehill Gardens, has been giving too big a start in recent races.

Like so many of the John Hawkes team, Ominous is by Octagonal, and was off the track when sixth to Who Did It in the Carbine Club, 1600m, at Randwick on April 21.

Today's 1500m may be short of what is going to be his best distance but given a reasonable pace, Ominous, now with a norton bit, should be hard to beat.

Emerging Star and Jacko, a winner of three of four starts at the provincials, are expected to go forward and this may give Ominous the last crack at them.VERDICT: The decision is Ominous. NO BONES ABOUT IT: Octagonal has yet another Rosehill representative, Orthopaedic, in the Holden Parramatta Services series .

Orthopaedic ran on nicely when fourth to Desert Sashay over 1400m at Randwick on April 26 at his first start after a spell and last campaign scored most impressively second up.

The gelding will need a reasonable tempo again, with opposition expected from Seirawan, from the Bart Cummings stable, and the lightly raced Vereza, a Zabeel mare which won at Canterbury last start.VERDICT: Orthopaedic to have the legs to triumph.