Racing: Great training feat lands Mudgway

A delighted James McDonald enjoys the win. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

This was a training feat from hell.

The job Shaune Ritchie did to have Keep The Peace fit enough to hold out a determined Wall Street in Saturday's $250,000 Mudgway Stakes was phenomenal.

Even father Frank Ritchie, who set the group one standard with Bonecrusher, shook his head in admiration. "I'm not sure I could have done it - Shaune's ability to get them ready for the one day is stunning."

Jockey James McDonald was similarly impressed.

"Shaune did a great job. She felt tremendous today," he said almost before his feet hit the ground.

"Bring on Australia."

His own performance was as good as the winner's and her trainer.

The No 1 barrier had dangerous potential once it became obvious the rail was no place to be on Saturday.

McDonald had no option but to stay on the rail through the first half of the race and he won the Mudgway with his decision to switch outside the leader Fritzy Boy on the home bend.

The temptation was to stay on the rail for the shortest way home, but McDonald knew the smart tactic was to get out into better footing, even though it initially meant losing one or two lengths.

And that was only part of it. Being out where she was, Keep The Peace had something to fight when Wall Street loomed alongside at the 120m.

Had she been on the rail and wide apart she might not have held Wall Street out by the pencil-line winning margin.

The finish lived up to the hype attributed to the first group one of the season.

It might have looked like a tough race for both horses, but that's not the way Shaune Ritchie, in retrospect, sees it around his own horse.

"She has come through the race magnificently, but I expected her to because she was very fit going into it.

"And, she only had to sprint down the straight, it's not like she had a gut-buster from the 600m.

"She travelled up to the 400m on the steel."

Ritchie knew earlier this year he could have Keep The Peace ready to win the Mudgway fresh from a spell.

The evidence came when the then filly won the Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham in late January after a 77-day break from the races.

When she sat three wide without cover and still won, Ritchie knew he had a horse that did not require a massive amount of work to be race fit.

"I gave her only a short spell when she came back from the Derby in Sydney and gave her a lot of long, slow work to bring her up for this race.

"If you let them get too fat when they're out [spelling] you're always chasing.

"I reckon that's the way to go with all horses, the exception being immaturity."

The Big Wet meant trainer Jeff Lynds had a tough time getting Wall Street race ready and went so close to getting it right.

It was a brave effort by Wall Street, who missed by a finger span to give Keep The Peace three lengths from the 250m.

Serious thought was given to taking Keep The Peace straight to Melbourne after the Mudgway, but after a meeting with Queensland-based co-owner Paul Bellingham yesterday morning the decision has been made to go next to the Windsor Park Plate on September 18 back at Hastings.

"We'll then go to the Turnbull Stakes in Melbourne," said Ritchie.

"That's at set weights and penalties and she should go into the race on a favourable handicap.

"We'll keep her in everything [all feature races] in Melbourne and let the Turnbull dictate what path she takes."

The win was a bad result for the TAB.

So much money rolled in for Keep The Peace during the futures betting the TAB was forced to bring the mare's price in to $6.

Everyone must have got their money on in that form of betting because, remarkably, she paid $11.10 and $3.90 on Saturday.

Saturday's track conditions were a lot tougher than they looked. The surface was very holding and horses were working hard to make ground on the leaders in the closing stages.

As a result, Fritzy Boy held on to third comfortably ahead of Bulginbaah and Pennacchio.

Eileen Dubh did remarkably well to make ground late to be next home.

She played up in the starting stalls and was clearly last to settle. If she makes a better beginning she could play a part in the Windsor Park Plate.

The Hombre and Vosne Romanee were not disgraced.

MUDGWAY WRAP-UP

* Keep The Peace responded perfectly after a great ride by James McDonald.
* The Cambridge mare clung to a nose decision over a brave Wall Street.
* Keep The Peace will not go straight to Melbourne and will run in the Windsor Park Plate.