Toorak Handicap Review: What The Jockeys Said

Lady Shenandoah and James McDonald won a thrilling Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield, edging Changing Colours by a head with Welcometotheshow a short head away third under 58kg from a wide draw. Here’s what the jockeys said.

It is always important to hear what the jockeys say after the race, as you can forgive a horse’s bad run or even find a winner next start, so head to the post-race comments below.

PANOVA (William Pike) – 15th

She didn’t step well, never travelled in the run and then I tried to put her in the race but just couldn’t get her interested.

HELLSING (Daniel Stackhouse) – 14th

He’s probably been okay. Once he couldn’t get too close to the front we had to do it the hard way and just up in that class, it was probably a bit too sharp for him. But I thought he held his ground nice enough.

FEROCE (Billy Egan) – 13th

It panned out really well from the wide gate, he had a beautiful run, the race presented for him at the top of the strait, but he just found a couple better than him today.

REGAL AWARD (Lachlan Neindorf) – 12th

I just thought he might have stopped a little bit too quick for our liking. He’s a bold-running horse, that’s what he is, and I knew I was in trouble with the 400 when Salty Pearl got to me and I stopped a bit quicker than what I would have liked. Maybe he’s not ready for the mile at this grade just yet.

VON HAUKE (Harry Coffey) – 11th

He ran well as he always does. Missed the start, got back, rode for a bit of luck, the luck was sort of going to come and then when he was going to round it out he ran out of a bit of room. But he’s going well, he’s honest as always.

EVAPORATE (Blake Shinn) – 10th

I had a nice run. He’s just racing a little bit flat at the moment.

SUN GOD (Jye McNeil) – 9th

Had a lovely position in running, felt like being competitive once we straightened, but he just got a little bit of wind out of his sail as the winner ducked through and he just didn’t finish off quite as good as he felt he was going to.

TOO DARN DISCREET (Declan Bates) – 8th

She run really well. She worked home nicely from back and she should be ready for 2000 metres again now.

SABAJ (Ethan Brown) – 7th

He was back and wide, but he just never travelled comfortably throughout the run. Whether he’s feeling that ground? I thought it was a pass mark, but he’s capable of better.

SALTY PEARL (Craig Williams) – 6th

She flew out, I just had to work to get across the eventual third horse and then I just had to find myself a little bit closer, so I just found that doing that little bit of work early made me vulnerable in the last 200. If we got an easier time in the first part of the race, she’s clearly fighting the race out. Very brave performance.

PONDALOWIE (Rachel King) – 5th

Super run. She’s probably got a little bit inconvenienced at the top of the straight, but she’s hit the line really well.

WARNIE (Mark Zahra) – 4th

He ran a super race. didn’t have a heap of room in the straight, but finished off well.

WELCOMETOTHESHOW (Craig Newitt) – 3rd

He run his guts out. He gave me a beautiful ride, he lobbed into a good spot, I was winner the whole way down the straight it just took a superstar to run him down.

CHANGING COLOURS (Luke Cartwright) – 2nd

She began honest, but end up in a lovely position in the three-wide line with cover. I just wanted to keep clear running for her and around the corner I just had to cover a bit too much ground that I would have liked. She showed a really good turn of foot, but unfortunately that horse ended up getting a run and got us on the line, but it was a really good run.

LADY SHENANDOAH (James McDonald) – 1st

Huge thrill. She hadn’t won for a while and I keep saying to everyone that it’s not that she doesn’t try, she’s got great tenacity, but she just hasn’t had much luck and she’s raced against the best horses in the land.

For her to win like that, she aimed up a needle eye gap, she just burst through. An incredible performance, really.

Great for the team to get her over the line and I think Chris and the team will be over the moon with that because everyone in the stable loves her. You can tell why, she’s just a beauty.

Thank God I was on a mare with great tenacity because Zahra, it was tight for a bit and thank God, Zahra and whoever was on my outside saved enough room.

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