ALL SILENT RELISHES RETURN TO FLEMINGTON

ALL SILENT (outside) CLAIMS HIS RIVALS

For the second year running All Silent was the toast of Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Twelve months ago he claimed the Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 1600m. On Saturday he dropped back to the 1200m sprint trip for a dominant win in the Group 1 $500,000 Patinack Farm Classic, a leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.

In a performance that left punters breathless, the dynamic Sydneysider sat last at the 400m mark before swallowing up his rivals with an amazing finishing burst.

He covered the final 400m in a sizzling 21.71 seconds to score running away by three-quarters of a length from three-year-old Wanted and race leader Bank Robber.

Trainer Grahame Begg was amazed at the performance and admitted he was concerned the race may have been slipping away from the heavily backed favourite with 400m to run.

“He stood them up an unbelievable start and still mowed them down,” Begg said.

“He gave us a few anxious moments though,” he added. “Coming up to the 400 (metre mark), he was on Nicconi's back, but he didn't take him into the race and he had to get around his heels and wind him up. Thank God it was Flemington.

The lightly raced six-year-old relished the dry track and is now unbeaten in four starts at Flemington.

“He loves getting on good tracks and he loves Flemington,” Begg said. “He's a very, very good racehorse.”

The win provided star young jockey Nicholas Hall with the second Group 1 win of his career, at the same track where he landed his first aboard Efficient in last month's Turnbull Stakes.

“I'm lost for words with this horse, nothing can describe his turn of foot,” Hall declared.

“He did a fantastic job today. I followed Nicconi into the race, but he was just weakening earlier than I wanted to so he had to face the breeze and he did a fantastic job.”

All Silent is now likely to be given the chance to claim another leg of the Global Sprint Challenge with connections eyeing off a start in the Hong Kong International at Sha Tin on 13 December.

Of the beaten brigade, cult hero Apache Cat finished fourth, beaten 1.5 lengths, whilst the well supported Nicconi was the disappointing runner tailing off to finish last of the nine runners.

RESULT - 2009 PATINACK FARM CLASSIC- G1

1200 m / 6f

7th LEG GLOBAL SPRINT CHALLENGE

TRACK: Good 3               

GLOBAL SPRINT CHALLENGE POINTS TABLE AFTER 7 LEGS

LEADERS

2009 GROUP 1 PATINACK FARM CLASSIC 1200m (6f)

FLEMINGTON Racecourse

SEVENTH LEG 2009 GLOBAL SPRINT CHALLENGE

Saturday 7 November 2009

2.05pm (Local Time)  12.05pm (Japan) 3.05am (UK) 11.05pm (Hong Kong)

Apache spearheads the action on Saturday

APACHE CAT WILL HEADLINE TOMORROWS PATINACK FARM CLASSIC

The $1m Emirates Stakes (1600m) is the headline race on Saturday’s final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, but it will be forced to share the spotlight with a horse, cult hero Apache Cat.

Victoria's most popular galloper lines up in the Group 1 co-feature, the $500,000 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m), much to the delight of the thousands headed to Flemington. The race is the 7th of the 2009 Global Sprint Challenge.

At his most recent appearance, joyous fans almost brought down the grandstand when he won the Group 2 Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley on Tatts Cox Plate Day, 24 October.

The crowd roared in admiration and further success at Flemington would provide an emotion charged end to a week of countless highlights.

A winner of 19 races and $4.5m in stakes, Apache Cat will be joined by gun stablemate and Schweppes Stakes runner-up Mic Mac in what looks a great contest.

Trainer Greg Eurell reports that the glamour sprinters have come through their last start in great order and he's not without hope of landing another feature race quinella.

“They've both come through the Valley really well and I'm very, very happy leading into Saturday,” he said.

Whilst his sprint form has been second to none, Eurell admits that Apache Cat has failed to produce his ‘A game' on occasions when racing down the Flemington straight.

“His last few down the straight haven't been flash, but his form leading into this is good and he's probably in better shape,” he said.

Mic Mac, who did a little more work than his stablemate in the Schweppes, will wear blinkers for the first time on Saturday in a bid to reduce the margin.

“It's not as though he's been doing anything wrong,” Eurell explained. “We just thought we'd try them in his work and he's worked really well.”

Interestingly, amongst their rivals in the weight-for-age sprint is last season's Emirates Stakes winner All Silent who has been kept fresh for the Classic after a stunning win at the track and distance in the Group 3 Gilgai Stakes on 3 October.