Meeting In Review – Friday 3 November 2023

Date: 07-Nov-2023

Friday’s Ipswich Turf Club meeting saw a sea of colour around the track as hundreds of racegoers donned bright TradeMutt shirts in support of the This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS) raceday.

Throughout October, the club has shone the spotlight on mental health awareness with Friday’s race meeting raising all important funds for the TIACS Foundation.

Trainer Jack Bruce trained Ocean Emperor to victory at last year’s TIAC Raceday.

The popular conditioner went one better at this year’s meeting, helping himself to a winning running double.

Bruce put the saddle on Reign Of Power in the opening event of the day, the THIS IS A CONVERSATION STARTER QTIS Three-Years-Old Colts and Geldings.

The son of Power was facing the start under race conditions for the first time and acquitted himself extremely well in the 1200m contest.

He settled towards the back before coming with a powerful finishing burst to snatch victory from Epic Flash on the winning post.

It was a nice win that would have had punters entering his name into their blackbooks.

The Bruce camp returned to the winner’s enclosure in the next race with Media Scandal.

Astute bettors gravitated to the four-year-old mare, backing her into a $2.90 favourite when the gates crashed back.

The daughter of Press Statement enjoyed a nice run behind the two leaders who went quickly in front before showing a nice turn of foot to dash clear late.

Local lad Jake Bayliss was in the irons aboard Media Scandal.

Bruce had two other runners on the day with Kudu finishing second by a length and Singer Sargent arriving in third in their respective races.

Jag Guthmann-Chester rarely leaves Ipswich without a win and that was again the case on Friday.

The Gold Coast hoop partnered the Renita Beaton-trained Air Marshal in the ICARE SUPPORT SERVICES BENCHMARK 68 Handicap over 1200m.

Money came thick and fast for Air Marshal.

Guthmann-Chester gave his mount’s backers a stress-free watch with the seven-year-old responding strongly in the straight to win by a length.

Guthmann-Chester came agonisingly close to a winning double, with his ride in the following race, Shot Out, getting run down in the shadows of the post.

Our 2021/22 premiership winning jockey, Sam Collett, returned to the winner’s circle aboard Booga Ray in the FERTPRO MANUFACTURING QTIS Three-Years-Old Fillies Maiden Plate.

‘The Queen of Ipswich’ used barrier 1 to advantage and settled handy on the Mark Currie-trained filly before getting the most out of her mount in the run home to win by a neck.

The three-time Group 1 winning jockey has had a lean run lately, so it was good to see her record a win on her favourite track.

Currie was not the only trainer from Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley to taste success at Friday’s meeting.

In fact, it was a big day out for the training fraternity to our west with Lindsay Hatch, Greg Wright and Dale Groves all winning a race each.

Showers prior to the race aided the cause of Hatch’s Dragon Pins who was a dominant winner of the SMIRNOFF RATINGS BAND 0 - 58 Handicap.

The Wright-trained The Right Way looked one of the good things of the day and duly saluted in the #MENTALHEALTHAWARENESS RATINGS BAND 0 - 58 Handicap with apprentice Alisha Donald in the saddle.

Groves put the polish on Spirit’s Charm in the final race of the day who enjoyed the sting out of the track and an excellent Les ‘Bubba’ Tilley ride to win by half a length.

Sky Thoroughbred Central form analysts and big supporters of the Ipswich Turf Club, Kiaarn Dickens and Paul Joice sent punters home with a double figure dividend win.

The shrewd Dickens gave a strong push for Spirit’s Charm, noting that the mare gets better further into a preparation and loves getting her toe in the ground.

Racing returns to Ipswich on Thursday, November 9 for our annual Oaks Day meeting.

By Craig Sheppard

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