News

Tribunal Stakes Derby Claims

21st Sep 2009

Virtual Formguide - Saturday, 19 September 2009

Tribunal continued to promote his Victoria Derby credentials by winning the $70,000 New Litho Plate (1700m) for three-year-olds at Caulfield this afternoon.

Settling in a worse then midfield position, three-kilo claiming apprentice Jason Maskiell used his initiative to slide forward in the muddling run affair to take the lead passing the 1000m mark.

With the pace of the race never hitting top gear before the 500m mark, Tribunal kicked nicely clear on the home turn to stave off the late-closing effort of Shamoline Warrior.

In the run to the line, Tribunal ($1.90-$2.30 fav) defeated Shamoline Warrior ($4.60-$5.50) by a length with the ultra-consistent Stoneblack ($4.60-$6) a further two and a half lengths away in third.

Xenophon ($71) settled on the speed and profited from the slow pace of the race however faded over the concluding stages to run fourth while Chartreux ($13) finished fifth.

The two disappointments of the race were Grief ($10) and Fareer ($16) who finished second last and last respectively in the field of eight.

Trainer Mick Price heaped praise on the daring ride of Maskiell.

"What he did in the first 400m or 500m was actually a little opposite to what we thought but he's riding and he's making the decisions," Price said.

"It was going to be one of the those messy races and the kid made the decision based on how his horse was going and what he should do.

"It was ten out of ten ride.

"The horse was there to get run down based on the ride but he's got the horse under him and I'm happy with the decision he made," Price added.

The young rider believes Tribunal has all the makings of a smart horse.

"I thought he quickened very good," Maskiell said before adding "he's potentially the best horse I've ridden."

Price believes the son of Encosta De Lago will need to learn how to race more tractably to win more races over the spring.

"He's got to settle a bit better but it was a ridiculously run race."

"We know what he needs, he needs racing that's all he needs and he's a really good horse." Tribunal is likely to contest the $150,000 UCI Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on October 3 before perhaps pressing on towards the AMMI Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24 and the VRC Derby (2500m) on October 31.

By Encosta De Lago out of Centaine mare Triattica, Tribunal is a half-brother to Group One winner Demerger who won the 2005 Adelaide Cup (3200m).

Passed in at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Tribunal has had four starts for three wins and a third.