Sectionally Speaking: King Kirk's 'stretch burst was incredible'

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

King Kirk (Ole Kirk) took out the G3 Breeders' Plate (1000 metres) in the time of 57.48s, which is 2l faster than what we expect from juveniles in this race.

Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) won the G3 Gimcrack S. (1000 metres) in the time of 57.72s, which is 0.7l faster than race expectations.

Here is a breakdown of every section from both winners:

What we note is the early speed from Bel Merci is quicker. If we stopped the race at the 400 metres, then Bel Merci would’ve been 4l in front of King Kirk. But the colt’s stretch burst was incredible. His last 400 metres was bang on 6l faster than the filly’s.

With a last 800 metres in 43.96s, King Kirk was the only horse to break 44s all day with Bella Nipotina the second fastest in 44.20s.

His sectionals suggest 1200 metres won’t be an issue and despite sounding like a fool, he is the clubhouse leader for the Golden Slipper, which would give trainer Gai Waterhouse a record-breaking eighth victory in the world’s richest 2-year-old race.

There was hidden merit in Bel Merci’s win. Firstly, her trainer John Thompson has far less success with horses on debut than Waterhouse does. His stats sit around the 10 per cent mark compared to Waterhouse’s 17 per cent. Pro-punters will use these stats, along with many others, to help form the right price for a horse. Point being, Bel Merci may have more upside. It’s worth noting that Bel Merci’s 10.56s split between the 800 metres and 600 metres was the fastest of the day. She was entitled to get tired over the last 200 metres.

Meanwhile, Tremonti (Hellbent) gave Waterhouse and Bott an interstate juvenile double when he fought back tenaciously to win the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. (1000 metres). He clocked 58.56s which is just inside the class benchmark although given the speed of the race, we’re reserved about this win. His first 400 metres was in 24.38s or 2.4l faster than average for 1000-metre races for juvenile at Flemington. And that meant his last 600 metres was nearly 2l slower than benchmark.

Typically, in these lesser races we like to see them hitting the line a tad better if they’re going to measure up to the big Group 1s later in the season. Alas, not many 2-year-olds get headed and fight back, especially on debut. He could be an improver, as free-running horses tend to progress with racing and another 200 metres might also suit.

Below average times in the 1600-metre stakes races

We had 3 x 1600-metre stakes races for 3-year-olds over the weekend. The G1 Flight S. (1600 metres) at Randwick was taken out by Lady Shenandoah (Sniztel) 1.34:8, which is a fraction slower than average for this race. But it was a moderate tempo so the fact she’s near the benchmark tells you she’s come home quick. To give you some context, Ceowulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) won the Epsom H. in barnstorming fashion. His last 600 metres was just over a length quicker than Lady Shenandoah. The filly has also clocked top 10 meeting splits from the 800-metre to the post.

Swiftfalcon’s (Exceedance) victory in the Listed Dulcify S. was 0.16 faster than the Flight S. but the Dulcify was run 5l faster than the Flight S. through the first section making it tough for the fillies to beat the boys. Still, if he’s a genuine 2000-metre horse, that is an impressive win. The last of the 3-year-old mile races to assess is the G2 Edward Manifold S. conducted at Flemington. Too Darn Discreet (Too Darn Hot {GB}) was 0.5l slower than benchmark and her last 200 metres ranked 88th of the day. Not a race to get overly excited about from a ratings point of view. We’re still not convinced Declichy Boulevard (Snitzel) is a miler.

If you fell asleep during the G2 Premiere S. (1200 metres) from Randwick that’s because almost no effort was made through the first half of the race. This illustrious group of top-line sprinters had little more than a track gallop.

Coal Crusher (Turffontein) led them up and was going 14l slower than average when he got to the halfway mark. This of course meant The Everest defending champ, Think About It (So You Think {NZ}), had zero hope of winning settling around 5l off this dawdling tempo. Still, from the 600 metres to the post he failed to clock the fastest split of the race in any of those three sections.

Airman’s (I Am Invincible) winning time was 10l slower than average. The horse to follow is Bella Nipotina, who was held up but when out clocked the best last 200 metres of the race and the best last 1000 metres of the meeting. We mentioned last week we have Traffic Warden (Street Boss {USA}) right up there for The Everest calculations and it was great to see him get a slot on Monday. He and Bella Nipotina would be our early picks.

Lastly, the G2 Danehill S. saw First Settler (Written Tycoon) excel off a slow tempo in an average edition of the 3YO sprint while Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) won a tough G1 Turnbull S. She rated 94 on our database and that will go close to winning a Cox Plate in your average year. We’ll learn more about the Cox Plate this Saturday when Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) wins the Caulfield Guineas. Australia’s top three chances in the Cox Plate might be Via Sistina, Broadsiding and Pride Of Jenni – all with residual value.