Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterCOMING WITH a sustained run on the wide outside, 9-1 chance PROCEEDACCORDINGLY got up in the nick of time to beat the even-money favourite SATISFIER by a head in the IGL Trophy race over 1700 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Ridden by lightweight jockey Peter Bryan for owner Laurence Heffes and trainer Patrick Fong, PROCEEDACCORDINGLY was outpaced in midfield as a number of horses vied for the lead in the field of 10 overnight allowance horses. These included top weight SATISFIER, with substitute rider Shane Ellis replacing Ameth Robles, FRIENDLY EXPRESS, INSTATIALBLE and EMPERADOR on the rails.
SATISFIER on the inside worked his way into the lead as they sorted themselves out and galloped towards the home turn seemingly under pressure from the apprentice-ridden INSATIABLE (12-1) on the outside. Both turned for home on almost level terms, but the Philip Feanny-trained SATISFIER, hunting a hat-trick of wins, showed a lot of fight to repel the challenge of INSATIABLE approaching the distance.
But although battling on bravely in front, the four-year-old gelding by The Medic out of Midnight Angel just failed to stave off the fast-finishing PROCEEDACCORDINGLY whose final surge within shades of the wire did the trick.
This was PROCEED ACCORDINGLY's second consecutive win, having scored over 1400 metres in high claiming on New Year's Day. But Heffes was quietly confident that the seven-year-old gelding by The Medic out of Proceed could have made an impact in this tougher field on current form.
"For four years we ran him in the tongue tie but we decided to experiment with him on New Year's Day by running him without it and this had the desired effect," explained the former champion owner.
"So we decided to run him again without it and although the competition was more formidable, I thought that with SATISFIER asked to carry top weight and GLORIOUS STAR not really 100 per cent, his chances were better than most".
Meanwhile, WATERS OF MERRIBAH, a sparingly raced 4-y-o filly who is owned by entertainer Cocoa Tea, won the day's secondary feature, the inaugural running of the IGL Blue Flame Sprint Trophy over 1100 metres.
With champion jockey Trevor Simpson having gone back to the United States for a brief stint, Clive Lynch seized the opportunity to claim three winners on the 12-race programme.
