The coming of Katsidis
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Stathi Katsidis, seen returning Heartsareforlove, is in rare form (Noel Pascoe photos)
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Stathi Katsidis has carried on his winning ways claiming a double at Doomben on Saturday, February 6.
The top hoop has had a whirlwind month claiming top-notch victories such as the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Military Rose and the Listed Karaka Million across the Tasman on Sister Havana.
Katsidis has backed up his feature wins with new-found consistency in South-East Queensland, highlighted by his three doubles on metropolitan tracks since we brought in the New Year.
The jockey’s latest effort at Doomben has set up an intriguing three-way battle for the metropolitan jockeys premiership.
Katsidis, with 40 wins, joins senior Brisbane jockeys Jim Byrne (43) and Larry Cassidy (41) at the top of the table halfway through the 2009/10 racing season.
Celebrating his 31st birthday in a week’s time, Katsidis is quickly shedding the baggage from his well-publicised troubled past.
His steely determination, during his latest comeback, is noted in his words to the media and by all those close to him. Katsidis is regularly touted by those in the know as one of, if not the top jockey in Australia at the present.
However, it is his unabashed willingness to ride at provincial tracks week-in week-out that shows his true maturing as a jockey.
Katsidis holds a 17 win lead in the Queensland provincial jockeys premiership over Jim Byrne, and rides at an impressive win strike rate of 18 per cent.
What an effort, and seeming very possible at present, would it be for Katsidis to claim both the metropolitan and provincial jockeys premierships in the one season.
Back to Doomben, Katsidis picked up his first win on Heartsareforlove in the Sun Blade Servers QTIS 600 2YO Handicap 1200m.
The filly by Hussonet (USA), out of Happy Heart (FR), was driven hard to take up the pace from a wide barrier.
The two-year-old, trained by John Thompson for the powerful Patinack Farm syndicate, was unchallenged up to the top of the straight and then Heartsareforlove simply blew her opposition away.
The early stages of Patinack Farm’s venture into South-East Queensland have been fruitful.
“She felt very good. I won on their (Patinack Farm’s) filly last week here and won quite convincingly,” Katsisdis said.
“The opposition might have only be average as well, but she won by six and a half lengths and gave me a really nice feel the last 600m.
“I really like her. There’s not much of her but she will win races.”
Second placed Pinnacle Ridge (Larry Cassidy) did not go home to the Robert Heathcote stables empty handed.
The two-year-old gelding’s QTIS 600 and QTIS registration afforded connections a $22,000 cheque, which included $12,000 in added stakes.
Likewise, I’llbetricked (Anthony Erhart) benefited from his QTIS 600 and QTIS registration.
The David Lawlor-trained gelding, who was a further neck behind, collected $6000 in added stakes to boost his total cheque to $11,000.
Katsidis’ back-to-back wins was realised in the Fujitsu Managed Services Two Metro Wins Last Year Handicap 1020m.
The heavily backed five-year-old Monashee Dancer ($1.60) did not disappoint punters, however did it a touch tougher than Katsidis’ previous mount.
Identically, Katsidis took the Darren Bell-prepared rig to the front, but this time from the number one gate.
He found himself leading the charge down the Doomben straight, but Monashee Dancer’s legs started to get the wobbles with about 50 metres to travel as Perugin Thought closed in quickly.
“I’ve watched him race plenty and I know he does get very tired the last bit, but at the same time I tried to hold him up mid-race and he really resented it,” Katsidis said. “So I made note of that and let him roll when he wanted to.
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Monashee Dancer held on for Katsidis to collect a winning double
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“You’ve got to hold off using the whip on him for the last 20 metres and that was enough to get him the race.
“The horse is running out of his skin at the moment. Darren has got him flying.”
The Monashee Mountain (USA) rig, out of Tres Rapide (NZ), recorded a long head win to Perugin Thought who had Scott Seamer onboard.
Carry the Clubs (Joe Bowditch) fell a further two and a quarter lengths behind.
Recording his seventh win, Monashee Dancer has proven to be a very consistent performer in 19 starts, with connections collecting a cheque from 13 of these to total $154,810 in career prizemoney, which includes $4900 in QTIS added stakes.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Ross Dowd – February 8
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