Bookmakers take a hammering with Pivotal Point
(by Rodney Masters of racingpost.co.uk)
FOR the second year running, the bookmakers took a painful wounding in the £100,000 Vodafone Stewards Cup when Peter Makin's Pivotal Point, once known as the 'Big Bruiser', pulled off a gamble from a morning price of 14-1 to 7-1 co favourite with a no nonsense performance under jockey of the month Seb Sanders at Goodwood on Saturday.
Bookmakers were keen to stand the gelding, citing his stall one draw on the stands side as their main reason, but the money continued to crash in and on-coursehe was supported from 10's.
Ladbrokes spokesman Balthazar Fabricius summed up the result in one word - disastrous, while David Stevens of Corals called it an absolute shocker.
To his credit, the title chasing Sanders, riding his 43rd winnerof the month, had done his homework, and knew that Raccoon, drawn alongside him, might dive left of right leaving the stall didn't take his eye off him as the stalls opening. Having seen him off, it was plain sailing.
After Pivotal Point had quickened impressively to see off the high drawn pair Fantasy Believer (24) and High Reach (28), Makin revealed he considers the once erratic gelding as potential Group race material and there is a chance he will seek the same Stewards Cup- Prix de Abbaye double achieved last year by Patavellian.
This marked a return to the major stage for Makin, long regarded as the Mr Nice Guy of Racing who, despite two wretched seasons, never lost his smile or his sense of humour.
"At last I can say that is the end of two grim years," he said. "The horses were suffering from a virus which no-one has really been able to identify. But this year they have finally been right and I can go to the races with me head held up high and knowing my horses would run well."
The winner was originally with Linda Perratt in Ayr, but was bordering on the lunatic when he went into the stalls and had not raced by the end of his two-year-old season. He was moved to Makin because his yard was close to horse whisperer Gary Witherford, who managed to get him sorted out mentally.
Makin added. "When Pivotal Point came to me, I could see he was a great big bruiser, so I had him gelding immediately. Gary did a terrific job with him, and until last year he went to the start with him for every race."
Longchamp on Arc day is now part of the programme. "I'd love to win the Abbaye, in which we were runner-up a couple of seasons back with Imperial Beauty."
Ownership of the winner is shared by West Indies-based Ray Bernard, who is heavily involved in racing there, and John Perry, who is retired and lives in London.
What they said
Peter Makin
"We had a massive clear-out at the end of last year, getting rid of a lot of horses who were really very much dead wood and who may have been carrying the virus as well. So as a result of that we are down from 50 horses to 30 and we are a bit rattling about at Ogbourne, but maybe this will be the start of something good again"
Makin again
"I think Seb (Sanders) has a real chance of being champion jockey this year. He isn't very far behind Kieren Fallon and is riding in brilliant form, so much so that he could almost win if he started from Chichester Harbour. He has been associated with us for ten years - at one time we more or less had second claim on him, but he's rather in demand now"
Sanders
"July has been the most wonderful month for me. But hold on a minute, I've got Lingfield tonight"