News

Reply Churlish makes it four in succession after Rosehill win

4th Jan 2014

Thoroughbred News - by Rob Burnet - Saturday, 4 January 2013

Warwick Farm trainer Steve Englebrecht set four-year-old O’Reilly mare Reply Churlish a Saturday challenge after three provincial wins in succession and she stepped up again to win the $85,000 Australian Turf Club Bm72 Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

It was a close affair at the end of the trip, but Englebrecht had instructed jockey Peter Robl to make the race a staying contest and Robl did just that, even if the margin at the end was just a short half-head.

Robl went to the lead into the back straight on Reply Churlish (57.5kg) and followed by Mossmoney (58.5kg) and Blake Shinn they stepped out the metres. Passing the 600m Robl increased the pace and the rest of the field were left struggling to step up.

At the 400m Reply Churlish was 2L ahead and going strongly and with 300m to run the margin was 3L. Finally the field picked up the pace and chased with Forever Crazy (56.5kg) and Glyn Schofield and Easter Island (59kg) and Brenton Avdulla leading the charge.

The lead to Reply Churlish rapidly closed and Robl had to call on the mare’s reserves, but she had sufficient as the others rushed at her right on the line.

Forever Crazy (Encosta de Lago) was second with Easter Island (Encosta de Lago) third, the margin a head.

The time was 1.50.50 on the Good 3 track with the final 600m covered on 35.62. Reply Churlish paid $2.90 on NSW TAB as favourite.

“A head is as good as a furlong, it was excellent,” said Englebrecht.

“She handled it quite well, she did all the work and with 57.5kg on her back she did really well. I told him to make them run it so he certainly did,” he said.

Englebrecht said that after the four wins in succession, with the first at Canberra over 1300m back on November 17th, he would see how the mare came through Saturday’s race before deciding her next move.

Either races over the Sydney autumn or Queensland winter could be on the agenda for the next campaign.

“We thought she was going to be strong at the 1800m and that is why we elected to ride her as a genuinely run 1800m race. As it turned out it all worked out good in the end,” said Robl.

Reply Churlish is out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare You Can Say That and this was just her seventh race. The four wins and a second place have now earned stakes of $88,750 for owners AJ Watson, Mrs SC Watson, PK Watson and JR Watson.

Reply Churlish (O'Reilly x You Can't Say That) was a $120,000 purchase by trainer Steve Englebrecht from the draft of Rich Hill Stud at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale