Champion jockey Hugh Bowman went within a nose of missing a couple of months – and a ride on Winx in the autumn – as he won on Olympic Academy on Saturday.
![Tight finish: Jockey Hugh Bowman on board Olympic Academy.](http://web.archive.org./web/20171229130136im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/w/2/c/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtw36w.png/1484994938546.jpg)
Bowman admitted that "he clocked off" in the final couple of strides as Olympic Academy just held a margin over Sabino Speed, and was fined $600 by stewards for failing to ride his mount to the line.
"I don't have to tell you [you] would have missed the start if not most of the autumn carnival if the result was different," chief steward Marc Van Gestel told Bowman.
"No one got a bigger shock than me when Peter Wells said to me pulling [up] that he thought he won," Bowman said.
The champion jockey stated that as Olympic Academy loomed alongside Sabino Speed at the 50m mark, he thought he had a long neck margin as he pleaded guilty to the charge. "It was just a genuine misjudgment," Bowman said. "I didn't misjudge the post, I misjudged how far I was in front and thought I had the other horse beaten.
"I clocked off a stride and half before the post, it was just a mistake."
While Bowman was lucky to keep the race, favourite Liapari continued a bad day for punters as he failed to find a clear run in the straight. Stewards questioned premiership leader Brenton Avdulla about his tactics in the straight.
He had looked to take a run between Sabino Speed and Olympic Academy inside the 200m mark but it shut and the favourite went to the line without being tested in fourth.
"I went for the run and it took him two strides too long to get into it and it shut on him," Avdulla said. He had earlier ridden a double on Exceeds and Montauk to extend his lead in the premiership.
SUPER STAR BOB SUPER
Matt Dale had to change his pre-race advice to owners of Super Star Bob as the horses headed to the gates for the Highway Handicap at Randwick on Saturday. "I told them coming here I thought we might be a run earlier but after he paraded I told them I think he will be right," Dale said after Super Star Bob kept his perfect record diving through late to win. "We have always had a big opinion of him but he is still raw and you saw that at the end. He is the sort of horse we can come back here for another Highway race in a couple of weeks before looking at the Canberra Guineas." Bobby El-Issa found a run to the inside of stablemate Clipper, which hit the lead too early according Dale, but Super Star Bob seemed to corkscrew his body in the closing stages. "He is still a big baby and saw the post and went to baulk at [it] but he had a bit on them," El-Issa said
VIA NAPOLI CRUISES
Jason Collett knew he had stolen one on his rivals as he scored on Via Napoli. Collett had been secure in the knowledge that he had done no work at the home turn over the Randwick mile and just had to sprint home. "Once she relaxed and travelled I knew I was right," Collett said. "Gee, we went easy, I couldn't believe it and I didn't really move until the turn and she just sprinted home." The overall time was slow and last 600m was 35.12 seconds, showing how completely Collett had controlled the speed. Via Napoli was never in danger in the straight and scored by one length from Anisha, with Queen Misty third. "She is the sort of mare that once she is happy in a race she is very hard to beat."
A WIN FOR LACHLAN
There was no Melbourne winner more heartfelt, nor more loudly cheered on Saturday afternoon than the front-running Burning Front when he provided trainer Darren Weir with his third winner of what proved to be a lucrative day at Moonee Valley.
And not just because he was a well-backed $1.60 favourite who never gave his supporters a moment's worry as he shouldered 60 kilograms to give Brad Rawiller an easy win in the Ranvet Vobis Gold Star race.
No, Burning Front gave teenager Lachlan Lovatt – the son of the gelding's senior part owner, Justin – every reason to marvel at how good life can feel as he looked down from the committee room where his father and a number of friends were hosting a lunch for him.
The 14-year-old schoolboy has just endured the most harrowing five months of his life in the Royal Children's Hospital, having undergone chemotherapy and other painful treatment for leukaemia, a condition he was diagnosed with on August 20 last year.
SHINN PICKS UP THIRD SUSPENSION
Blake Shinn clocked up his third careless riding suspension this month when he was banned for six meetings for causing interference to Got the Goss on Roaring To Win in the final race at Randwick on Saturday.
Shinn is riding on a stay of proceeding as he appeals suspensions from Kembla and Warwick Farm on Wednesday. He indicated he would fight Saturday's suspension, which occurred at 700m when Got The Goss was checked.
Shinn argued that he had pull off on Got The Goss, when a call came from his jockey Matthew Cahill as his mount was also getting pressure from Petrossian on his inside.
With the appeals backing up, if Shinn is unsuccessful in any or all of the appeals it would ruled him out for a significant part of the
autumn carnival.
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