KEY POINTS:
David Walsh had a couple of important events to ponder as he ended a busy week packing up his saddles at Te Rapa last night.
The first was riding Gaze to win Saturday's Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Ellerslie.
By contrast, the second was still having to wait
for the Judicial Control Authority's decision on a charge of not providing a horse every opportunity to obtain the best possible position in a race.
That case was heard last Friday week, on the same day that fellow rider Jim Collett faced an identical charge and trainer Lance O'Sullivan was charged with not notifying a condition around Pentane in the Kelt Capital that might have affected the horse's performance.
Collett was told on Friday that the charge against him had been dismissed and the authority also announced that a decision on Walsh and O'Sullivan would not be issued until today.
Ten days seems an inordinate length of time to wait for a judgment on such an important charge.
Walsh is New Zealand's senior statesman in the saddle and it's doubtful the premiership-winning jockey has ridden better.
There have been a couple of tentative periods when Walsh has revived his career after "retirements", but that is the case with practically all jockeys who slip away from the saddle for any length of time.
A big factor in that is confidence and Walsh, very self-assured throughout the peaks of his career, is riding with immense confidence.
He is confident Gaze has a big future and so is trainer Roger James.
"I've been trying to get Roger to put me on this mare for a long time," said Walsh after Gaze received the perfect trip just behind the leaders and one width off the rail.
Walsh gave Gaze a big thumbs-up when he compared her to Fun On The Run, a great performer from the stable of the late Noel Eales.
"Everything about her reminds me of Fun On The Run. She's not very tall, but she's long and she's got class written all over her. Tall Poppy is another mare I rode that fits the same bill."
Gaze had not started since going out as favourite for the Queensland Oaks in June. She had won the Doomben Roses at her previous start but drew wide in the Oaks and was not strong enough to back up, finishing mid-field.
"She's a lot more mature this time in," says James. "She's so much stronger."
Rosetti Bay ran her usual gallant race for second behind a very talented winner and Penny Florence did well for third.
The 1400m and a usual slow beginning combined to beat the favourite, Arlingtonboulevard. The tough mare was brave in finishing strongly into fifth from near last on the corner and, despite the ease of Gaze's win, she would have made the finish interesting had the race been at 1600m.