Horses to watch in 2009: All Silent
December 23rd 2008 04:48
All Silent is a 5 year old gelding by Belong To Me - out of the Semipalatinsk mare Lisheenowen. He is a half-brother to brilliant mare Private Steer - herself a multiple winner of Group One races.
(Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images AsiaPac)
All Silent's rise through the ranks was meteoric in the latter stages of the Melbourne Spring carnival. He began his campaign in Sydney with three consecutive unplaced runs - albeit in Group company on each occasion. At his third run back he ran a brave 4th in the Group One Epsom Handicap over 1600m at Randwick on a slow rated track. The winner of the Epsom Handicap Theseo would also come to Melbourne where he too would win a Group One event - the Mackinnon Stakes over 2000m. Theseo also ran a game 5th in the Group One Cox Plate at Moonee Valley over 2040m behind Maldivian.
I then had opportunity to watch All Silent close up when he was a heavily supported favourite in the last race on Derby Day at Flemington in the Group 3 AAMI Travel Insurance Stakes over 1400m. He defeated a very strong field that consisted of Group One winner Sniper’s Bullet, and the talented Stickpin and Turrfontein. This day he was ridden by Damien Oliver and had a soft run in transit (way back) in the pack behind surprise pacemaker Sniper’s Bullet. As Oliver is often to do as first option, he sat and waited for an opening rather than push into clear running. I saw this mindset and measure come unstuck several times during the Spring with his mounts going to the line either blocked or checked. But this time Oliver found a dream passage right along the running rail and inside Sniper’s Bullet to victory.
Going into the Group One Emirates over 1600m on Final Day at Flemington I was inclined to believe it a battle between All Silent and Sniper’s Bullet on the speedfigures that came from this race just one week earlier. But with a slight leaning to the unlucky Sniper’s Bullet.
The Emirates Stakes of 2008 saw one of the most emphatic victories in a feature mile race in Australia. This time the suspended Oliver had been replaced by Dwayne Dunn. And as he did his previous start All Silent sat back midfield in running. But this time there was no waiting for gaps - Dunn found All Silent clear running early in the straight and he exploded away with an electrifying sprint. A 3 1/2 length victory - at his ease.
All Silent has only raced 11 times - for 5 wins and one solitary placing. His trainer Graeme Begg has been very patient and kind with All Silent. He resisted the lure of rich rewards to travel west to Perth straight after Melbourne. He resisted the temptation to travel even further for the riches of Hong Kong in December.
All Silent will return to racing in the Autumn with a bright future ahead of him. He may prove to be a star of Australian racing - and he will have the opportunity to race overseas. Good Ba Ba is the benchmark miler. All Silent is the emerging challenger.
"He's only had 11 starts and he's still got it all ahead of him. We've been very careful the way we've planned the races and just taking him along very quietly." - Graeme Begg.
"He doesn't give you much of a feel on the track which is a good thing because you know he can just idle and when you ask him to pick up he finds the line. When I asked him for an effort he really exploded and put them away very easily." - Dwayne Dunn.
The Timeform Ratings as at 20th of December have All Silent rated as the 7th best 5 year old (plus) Australian horse on 124. Heading the table as equal top rated on 126 are: Apache Cat; Pompeii Ruler; Takeover Target and Zipping. On 125 come Maldivian and Master O’Reilly. There is a significant gap to the next group on 121 that include Niconero, Theseo and Douro Valley.
All Silent appears poised to improve even further upon what he displayed through the Spring. Definitely a horse to watch in 2009.
Dwayne Dunn aboard All Silent coasting to a win in the Emirates
(Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images AsiaPac)
All Silent's rise through the ranks was meteoric in the latter stages of the Melbourne Spring carnival. He began his campaign in Sydney with three consecutive unplaced runs - albeit in Group company on each occasion. At his third run back he ran a brave 4th in the Group One Epsom Handicap over 1600m at Randwick on a slow rated track. The winner of the Epsom Handicap Theseo would also come to Melbourne where he too would win a Group One event - the Mackinnon Stakes over 2000m. Theseo also ran a game 5th in the Group One Cox Plate at Moonee Valley over 2040m behind Maldivian.
I then had opportunity to watch All Silent close up when he was a heavily supported favourite in the last race on Derby Day at Flemington in the Group 3 AAMI Travel Insurance Stakes over 1400m. He defeated a very strong field that consisted of Group One winner Sniper’s Bullet, and the talented Stickpin and Turrfontein. This day he was ridden by Damien Oliver and had a soft run in transit (way back) in the pack behind surprise pacemaker Sniper’s Bullet. As Oliver is often to do as first option, he sat and waited for an opening rather than push into clear running. I saw this mindset and measure come unstuck several times during the Spring with his mounts going to the line either blocked or checked. But this time Oliver found a dream passage right along the running rail and inside Sniper’s Bullet to victory.
Going into the Group One Emirates over 1600m on Final Day at Flemington I was inclined to believe it a battle between All Silent and Sniper’s Bullet on the speedfigures that came from this race just one week earlier. But with a slight leaning to the unlucky Sniper’s Bullet.
The Emirates Stakes of 2008 saw one of the most emphatic victories in a feature mile race in Australia. This time the suspended Oliver had been replaced by Dwayne Dunn. And as he did his previous start All Silent sat back midfield in running. But this time there was no waiting for gaps - Dunn found All Silent clear running early in the straight and he exploded away with an electrifying sprint. A 3 1/2 length victory - at his ease.
All Silent has only raced 11 times - for 5 wins and one solitary placing. His trainer Graeme Begg has been very patient and kind with All Silent. He resisted the lure of rich rewards to travel west to Perth straight after Melbourne. He resisted the temptation to travel even further for the riches of Hong Kong in December.
All Silent will return to racing in the Autumn with a bright future ahead of him. He may prove to be a star of Australian racing - and he will have the opportunity to race overseas. Good Ba Ba is the benchmark miler. All Silent is the emerging challenger.
"He's only had 11 starts and he's still got it all ahead of him. We've been very careful the way we've planned the races and just taking him along very quietly." - Graeme Begg.
"He doesn't give you much of a feel on the track which is a good thing because you know he can just idle and when you ask him to pick up he finds the line. When I asked him for an effort he really exploded and put them away very easily." - Dwayne Dunn.
The Timeform Ratings as at 20th of December have All Silent rated as the 7th best 5 year old (plus) Australian horse on 124. Heading the table as equal top rated on 126 are: Apache Cat; Pompeii Ruler; Takeover Target and Zipping. On 125 come Maldivian and Master O’Reilly. There is a significant gap to the next group on 121 that include Niconero, Theseo and Douro Valley.
All Silent appears poised to improve even further upon what he displayed through the Spring. Definitely a horse to watch in 2009.
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