At Moonee Valley tonight, Danny O'Brien made up for a little of the disappointment endured by Waikato Stud's Gary Chittick when his class mare Be Delicious dropped dead after trialling at Flemington earlier in the week.

Be Delicious faltered and collapsed from a suspected ruptured aorta after her trial. Fortunately her rider, Steven King was able to jump clear and was unhurt.

"Its always very nasty to lose one of your best mares", said O'Brien's Racing Manager Aaron Corby. "She was a beautiful horse and worth a lot at stud."

Tonight, the O'Brien trained Splashing Out, also owned by Chittick, overcame race inexperience and coped with running under lights for the first time when she won the Ashley's Foresters Arms Handicap.

With Steven King taking the O'Reilly filly to the outside, Splashing Out ($4.00-$5.00) wobbled around the turn, where she was also hit over the head by the whip of Andrew Mallyon aboard the David Hayes trained McFly.

"It was a very good effort for a lightly raced horse having its second start tonight under lights", said King.

"She copped a crack over the head at the turn there so it was a good effort."

Second favourite Flame Of Sydney ($3.00-$4.40) was able to get an inside run when the favourite Tango Fire ($2.60-$2.35-$2.40F) drifted out but she was no match for the winner, being beaten by three quarters of a length.

McFly ($7.00-$8.00) was third, a half length behind Flame Of Sydney, while Tango Fire weakened to fifth after racing fiercely in the lead with her mouth open.

"Once she straightened up and knuckled down she put paid to them pretty quickly", said Corby.

"It looks like she's got her fair share of ability."

Corby said the stable will adopt a wait and see attitude before deciding what to do next with Splashing Out.

"Being her first preparation we'll see how she comes through the run."

"If she shows any troubles getting through it we'll just tip her out and bring her back as a three year old filly in the Autumn."

"If she pulls up all right we'll probably step her up in class to three year old Saturday class."

O'Brien has had a great deal of success with Chittick's horses, winning at Group 1 level with Glamour Puss and Group 3 with Breezy. Be Delicious was stakes placed in the Group 3 Vanity at Flemington in the Autumn and looked likely to improve on that record during the Spring.

"In work at the moment we've got five", said Corby, when asked how many of Chittick's horses were in the stable.

"He tries to get a really good guide on them in New Zealand. He either races them or there are a few that he's sent over unraced. The majority of them are tried over there on the track."

In common with most of the Chittick horses, Splashing Out boasts a strong female family. She is out of the top class Carolingian mare Iguazu, winner of 12 races including 8 at stakes level. The family includes class gallopers such as Centie Lassie, Zamazaan Lass, Omnicorp, Crimson, Prince Bourbon, Pharostan, Bourbon Boy and Maximum Effort.

Splashing Out is by O'Reilly who has a very respectable 15% win strike rate from his 1000 or so Australian runners over the past 5 seasons. Chittick stands him at Waikato at a service fee of $12,000.

Photos: Quentin Lang

© Cyberhorse 2024 Bill Saunders Published 29/09/06