Woorim Blitzes Field In The Last 100m Of The BRC Sprint
In an absolutely spectacular finish Woorim came from second last to win the $125,000 Group3 Darley BRC Sprint 1350m at Doomben on Saturday May 21.
Jockey Damian Browne expertly wove his way through to the centre of the field, to give Woorim (Show a Heart–Wabble CAN) a clear run in the last 100m.
Woorim then, much to the delight of trainer Robert Heathcote, powered home down the straight to give Heathcote his fourth Group win for the 2011 Winter Carnival.
Favourite backers were left speechless as the five-year-old gelding surged past $4.40 race favourite Listen Son (Larry Cassidy) and pipped him at the post by half a neck, in fact the jockey even looked to stand up the couple of strides?
Thankgodyou’rehere (Rod Quinn) followed closely to claim third by a short half head.
Heathcote is counting Woorim as his best Stradbroke chance. “If it’s a dry track, it is going to take a damn good horse to beat him,” he said.
“I spoke to Lester Grimmett the other day and I asked what do I have to do to get into the Stradbroke. If I win the BRC will you give me a penalty and he said you will have to win by a couple of lengths. Well we didn’t win by a couple of lengths, just a head, but it might help us get there and his win did have a touch of freakish about it!
“I knew he would be coming home late and strong and I’ll be honest, I could see the colours coming and flashing and I was thinking, ‘has he got there?’
“My angle said he hadn’t from where I stood but he’s super, he really is.
“He is an extraordinary horse, and it looked like the backmarkers weren’t favoured coming into the straight but what an enormous finish he’s got and all credit to Damian Browne, his timing is impeccable.”
Heathcote isn’t sure how much room for improvement there is with Woorim, but what he does know is that he is a phenomenal horse when things fall into place for him.
Woorim won the Glasshouse on a backup and he nearly won the Group 1 Rupert Clark at Caulfield last spring on a backup, which is why Heathcote purposely chose the BRC Sprint instead of the Doomben 10,000 to qualify for the Stradbroke if he failed to win last Saturday!
Buffering, Heathcote’s other superstar will challenge Woorim in the Stradbroke which is a huge achievement for the local trainer.
When asked how he will split them, Heathcote jokingly replied, “Buffering up front, and Woorim at the tail, which might be something to work on. Just give me a dry track for Woorim and a wet track for Buffering, but they are both genuine chances in our states showpiece race!”
Jockey Damian Browne knows better than anyone that Woorim has great ability and is capable of running great sectionals on dry tracks.
“I sort of had to pinch a couple of runs coming round the corner and I thought Rob likes me coming to the outside on this horse so he won’t be happy, but thankfully we got out and got there in the nick of time,” said Browne.
The BRC Sprint gives Woorim seven wins from 28 starts earning him $442,250 in prizemoney and bonuses.
Today (May 23), Racing Queensland announced that Woorim received a one kilogram penalty for winning the BRC Sprint, elevating him to 23rd in the order of entry. Which basically means he will get a run.
RACING Queensland web news: Elaine Dittman – May 23
Photo by Noel Pascoe
