Champion jockey Glen Boss sent his best wishes to former top Queensland trainer Alan Bailey after Streets Away (Street Cry) won Saturday’s $100,000 Belinda Jane Verco McLeod Mile (1600m).
Streets Away is part of a contingent of horses Bailey sent south to chase Victorian and New South Wales prizemoney with trainers such as Anthony Cummings and Darren Weir.
Streets Away flopped when unable to beat a runner home at his first start for Weir at Flemington on July 21 but Boss was keen to employ different tactics in his second run for the Ballarat stable.
“Going back to my apprentice days, Alan Bailey was one of my big supporters when I was a kid,” Boss said. “He’s not in the greatest of health at the moment so I just wish him all the best.
“I went back through this horse’s tapes and he runs his best races when he has been allowed to flow in his races. When he gets held up, I don’t know whether he cuts his breathing or loses interest, but when he gets held up in his races he just doesn’t finish them off.
“They wanted me to ride him quiet but I say there’s no way I’m going to ride him quiet. They were going to go at no tempo and Philda was going to get a cosy run, that was pretty obvious for anyone who had done the form.”
Boss carried out his plan perfectly, positioning the gelding on the back of the leader Philda (Pupil), before getting going passing the 600 metres. Streets Away initially struggled to match Philda’s sprint but surged strongly over the final 150 metres to record his first Victorian win.
Streets Away defeated Philda by three-quarters of a length with Oak Heart finishing another 2-3/4 lengths away in third. The field ran the 1600m in 1:38.80, which included a 35.29-second last 600-metre sectional, on a dead track. Streets Away started at $13 on track but paid $10.70 on the Victorian TAB.
Streets Away was a $NZ150,000 purchase at the 2008 NZB Select Yearling Sale. Saturday’s win was the six-year-old’s eighth from 28 starts and took his prizemoney to more than $280,000 for his owners – McDonald Syndicate (Mgr: K McDonald & A Bailey), G Douglas, Mrs R Douglas, R Shea and Mrs M Shea.