Katsidis Claims Cup With Our Lukas

Bart Sinclair From: Saturday, 19 June 2010 

STATHI Katsidis landed his first Ipswich Cup win on Saturday on board Our Lukas but conceded he was one stride away from defeat.
Our Lukas ($3.40) defied history to win the Cup by a nose from Frozone ($11).
"I felt I was nearly a half-length in front near the line but I could feel the second horse coming back, and I think in one more stride the result would have been the other way," a relieved Katsidis said.
Katsidis felt Our Lukas was really struggling from the 600m, and it seemed the dream of the six-year-old becoming the first horse to win successive Ipswich Cups was slipping away.
In the heat of battle from halfway down the straight, Katsidis made a telling decision.
"I felt Our Lukas was giving his all and I was frightened if I hit him too much with the whip, he might turn it up," he said.
"I didn't stop with the whip altogether but toned it down, and he kept responding until right near the line, when I think he had had enough.
"Fortunately he just had a big enough advantage to hold off the second horse's fight-back."
The win was a triumph for trainer Robert Heathcote, who has been the dominant player in the Brisbane premiership all season.
He timed the preparation of Our Lukas to perfection, following the blueprint he set last year of running the gelding a week before the big race.
When Our Lukas was successful at Eagle Farm last Saturday, Heathcote's confidence soared.
Then the record book came out and showed it was difficult to win an Ipswich Cup with 56kg, especially coming from a wide barrier.
"I'm just so thrilled. A lot of people have worked hard to get to this point," Heathcote said.
"All the staff have contributed, especially Melissa Leitch, who rides him work and takes him to the beach nearly every day."
Our Lukas now may be given a chance in the Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast in a fortnight.
The six-year-old is raced by former globe-trotting businessman John Taylor and ex-Brisbane soccer player Barry O'Toole, now based in Melbourne.
Taylor recounted his working days in far-away places like Korea and Moscow, where he would rise in the early hours of the morning and listen to radio calls of his racehorses in Australia on the internet.
"I used to set myself up for a day of punting and have bet on a whole meeting by 11am in the morning," Taylor recounted.
The Taylor-O'Toole combination has had a great financial ride with Our Lukas, who has now won $546,000 in stake earnings from 36 starts which have yielded 11 wins.
Frozone had to do some early work from a wide gate but travelled smoothly near the lead for rider Scott Seamer.
Early in the straight Frozone appeared to be holding Our Lukas, but gradually the advantage was cut down and it seemed the favourite would score by a clear margin.
However, Frozone fought tigerishly and it was down to just centimetres on the line.
Like Our Lukas, Frozone is likely to run next in the Caloundra Cup.
Warrior Within ($41) was best of the rest just a length away.
Chris Munce offered no excuses for Teary Eyed ($5), who was handy enough at the turn but could not come on from that point.
Shane Scriven believed top-weight Baughurst ($9) was a great winning chance at the turn, but he just couldn't find enough sprint.
It was a true staying test run in 2min 10.6sec, only 0.2sec outside the course record set in the Cup by Distancia in 1993.