Confusing for all except Boss

It was hard to get a line on Saturday’s wet track at Rosehill. Some horses just didn’t handle it – odds-on favourites Sepoy and Maluckyday were two  – yet others with suspect wet track form, such as Zavite and Aloha, ploughed through it for terrific wins at Group 1 level.

Even some riders also saw it differently. Sepoy’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy said the track was already a heavy rating when Sepoy finished second, in the pouring rain, behind Smart Missile (ridden by Glen Boss, who had a day out in the mud with four winners) in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m), race two – at that stage the track had been downgraded from dead4 to dead5.

So quickly did the track deteriorate that the filly Elite Falls ran the 1200m to win the Group 2 Reisling Stakes in 1 min. 12.36secs, nearly 2.5secs slower than Smart Missile took to win the colts and geldings race for juveniles.

Boss (pictured), on the other hand, said he was confident Aloha would handle it in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m), despite the fact trainer Mick Price had previously felt she wasn’t any good on a wet track. Boss said: “The track is all right; horses are getting a sure footing, I expect her to handle it.” He was right, Aloha won easily. In the same race, the mudlark Graceful Anna struggled home in 14^th place, 13 lengths behind the winner. Figure that out.

Two races earlier, Boss had guided Zavite (100/1) to a surprise win in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (WFA, 2000m). Zavite also has been regarded by his trainer Anthony Cummings as a wet track duffer – 22 starts on tracks rated from dead to heavy for only one dead-track win – yet the eight-year-old veteran of 59 starts bowled along in front and then kicked back to beat noted-mudlark Descarado in a thrilling finish.

It was Boss at his brilliant best, and a “wet-track” ride equal to anything I have seen. He allowed Zavite to get comfortable in the going; encouraged him to find his stride and rhythm in an even tempo; held his head without panic even when Descarado headed him at the 300m; and then drove him hard to the line. Show the video to all young jockeys.

I hear the connections of Maluckyday – fourth in the Ranvet – weren’t happy with Jim Cassidy’s ride. They must have been watching a different race to me, because with Boss setting a genuine tempo in front, Maluckyday wasn’t able to get comfortable in the going at any stage. It was obvious at the 800 metres, with Cassidy niggling at the gelding, that another day would be a better day for Maluckyday.

Yes, Maluckyday finished a wonderful second behind Americain on a rain-affected track – rated slow6 but run in the rain which made the surface slushy – in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup in the spring, but he had only 51kg on his back (on Saturday at weight-for-age he lumped 59kg) and that result only highlights that each track surface is different – some horses will handle wet surfaces on some tracks and not others. For instance, how can a slow, sandy Strathayr track at Moonee Valley equate to a non-Strathayr surface? … two different ball games, and a trick for people looking for wet trackers based on statistics without researching at which track the horse earned its wet-track credit.

I suspect that a firm track in two weeks on Golden Slipper/The BMW day will see some considerable form reversals from Saturday’s meeting. Be wary.

Breeding lines:

Sepoy (ch c 2, Elusive Quality (USA)-Watchful, by Danehill (USA))

Smart Missile (br c 2, Fastnet Rock-Comical Smile (USA), by Comic Strip (USA))

Elite Falls (b f 2, More Than Ready (USA)-Niagara Falls, by Danehill (USA))

Zavite (b g 8, Zabeel (NZ)-Miss Vita (USA), by Alleged (USA))

Maluckyday (b g 4, Zabeel (NZ)-Natalie Wood (NZ), by Yachtie)

Descarado (b g 4, High Chaparral (IRE)-Karamea Lady (NZ), by Lord Ballina)

Aloha (b m 4, Encosta De Lago-Tennessee Midnight, by Danehill (USA))

Graceful Anna (ch m 4, Canny Lad-Lamellar, by Grand Lodge (USA))