by Wayne Currall
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr has a very big opinion of Zach Maguire. It’s a lead that should give punters confidence when the showy black horse steps out in Friday night’s Clipsal by Schneider Electric Handicap SS Pace (2503m) at Gloucester Park.
“I think he’s doing things wrong in races … over racing early but still sustaining good runs,” Hall told GPTV last week. “He’s got a blistering turn of foot and is probably, I think, in the top four or five horses I’ve driven for speed. If we can manage him early and getting him doing things right he’s certainly got a very bright future.”
It’s a big call on the four-year-old Bettors Delight entire, considering Junior has reined the likes of The Falcon Strike, Im Themightyquinn and Chicago Bull but despite Zach Maguire’s last-start eighth in the Pure Steel Final (2130m), won by stablemate Harry Hoo, Hall hasn’t changed his opinion of the horse.
A quick look at the replay shows why he still has the faith. Zach Maguire tramped three deep without cove over the last 800m of the race when that section of the event was carved out in a slick 56.7. He never gave the game away and was still stretching his neck out right to the line and was only beaten 7.8m. It was a sterling effort.
Punters can also take confidence in the fact that Zach Maguire has never been beaten in a standing-start event in Australia. He had one stand run in his native New Zealand and finished second, but his record on our shores in stands is unblemished.
Zach Maguire returned from a four-month break at Pinjarra in early May when he came off 20m to defeat The Trilogy in a stand. He then backed that win up with an even more impressive performance a week later at the same track when he came off 40m and raced away to victory. Four days later he came to town and ran down the promising Johnny Disco after he tramped three wide without cover.
Zach Maguire looks like the real deal and Junior’s glowing endorsement of the horse makes him one of the better bets on Friday night’s card. His stiffest opposition in a nine-horse field appear to be Aurelius, Im Master Charlie, Assassinator, New World Order and the 40m backmarker Waltzing With Cullen.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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