News

All Silent making plenty of Doncaster noise

22nd Mar 2009

Racenet - Brad Waters - Saturday, 21 March 2009

All Silent’s march to the Doncaster Mile gathered momentum with a brilliant win in the GII Myer Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Grahame Begg set All Silent his first weight-for-age challenge in the Canterbury Stakes and didn’t let down his connections with a barnstorming win, coming from well off the speed.

Champion Melbourne jockey Damien Oliver had All Silent travelling beautifully off a reasonable speed set by Murtajill before pulling out and All Silent went into overdrive, gobbling up his rivals easily to look the winner a fair way out.

Top class Darley mare Forensics followed All Silent as he made his run and the mare managed to get the eventual winning margin down to a long neck but was never a chance of beating All Silent.

“He was in front a fair way out and he sort of star-gazed a bit but he had it won a long way out,” Oliver said.

Royal Disrection enjoyed a good trail before boxing on well for third place while Black Piranha had difficulties gaining a clear run in the straight before finishing off his race strongly for fourth placing.

All Silent was in awesome form in his two Melbourne runs in the spring, winning the GI Emirates Stakes at Flemington but Grahame Begg thinks the son of Belong to Me has improved substantially and come back to racing a true weight-for-age performer.

“When he let down, he really gave it to them,” Begg said.

“Going to weight-for-age for the first time, it’s all up for him. He’ll go on from today and go on to the George Ryder and then the Doncaster, it’s very exciting.”

The $2.40 favourite Northern Meteor was expected to dominate the race from the front but Blake Shinn handed up the lead to Murtajill to take the good trail.

Northern Meteor was asked to go at the 350 metres but failed to quicken, finishing midfield, beaten five lengths.

Placings and margins – All Silent (D.Oliver) $5 (59kg) defeated Forensics (K.McEvoy) $4.60 (57kg) by a neck with 1 ¼ lengths back to Royal Discretion (N.Rawiller) $2.50 fav (57kg) in third spot.

Winner’s breeding – All Silent is a five-year-old bay gelding by Belong to Me out of Lisheenowen (Semipalatinsk)

The Times – The 1300-metre trip was covered in 1.16.57 with the last 600 run in 34.36 seconds.

What they said – “A really good effort, he’s much stronger this time in,” Damien Oliver, rider of All Silent (1st).

“Great return,” Kerrin McEvoy, rider of Forensics (2nd).

“Super effort, he’s on target for the Doncaster,” Tye Angland, rider of Black Piranha (4th).

“He felt a bit fresh and raced too close,” Corey Brown, rider of Triple Honour.

“He went like a horse looking for a mile,” Blake Shinn, rider of Northern Meteor.

“He just didn’t like the ground today,” Darren Beadman, rider of Mentality.

The Market – All Silent had support on track, firming from $6 to $5 and Forensics was also popular with punters, firming from $6 to $4.60.

Royal Discretion was also tried at decent odds, starting at $14 after opening at $26.

Northern Meteor eased slightly in the market before starting as a $2.40 favourite.