By Adam Hamilton
RIGHT here, right now Chicago Bull looks the horse to beat in the Perth Inter Dominion.
Yes that could mean having to beat the likes of Lazarus, Lennytheshark, Hectorjayjay, Tiger Tara and others, but the little “Bull” has plenty in his favour.
The Inter Dom is in his own backyard, he’s never raced better and – most importantly – he gets around Gloucester Park like no other horse since his champion stablemate Im Themightyquinn.
Chicago Bull made it five wins on end and three-from-three this campaign with a breathtaking display at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
The pint-sized son of Bettors Delight scorched around 1730m at Gloucester Park in a 1min52.6sec mile rate to win by nine metres. It was just 0.1sec outside Run Oneover’s track record.
To explain, Chicago Bull’s stablemate and multiple Group 1 winner Beaudiene Boaz found the front with a lap to go and just kept running.
Chicago Bull was last, came three-wide with a lap to go, drew alongside Beaudiene Boaz rounding the home bend, but then just left him standing. He was timed to run a 55.4sec last half off the track.
And Chicago Bull appeared to win with plenty in reserve for driver Gary Hall Jr.
THE All Stars’ Queensland raid had mixed success at Albion Park’s big meeting last Saturday night.
While both the Purdon/Rasmussen raiders – Partyon and The More The Better – won impressively the previous week, only one of them repeated the dose this time.
It was Bettors Delight colt The More The Better, who blew away his rivals in the Group 3 Provincial Derby and appears set to do the same in next week’s Group 1 Queensland Derby.
Any fears an inside back row draw might prove tricky were quickly erased when there was an early speed battle and Natalie Rasmussen snagged The More The Better right out the back into clear air.
With the sting out of the frontrunners, it was always just a matter of when Rasmussen launched and how far she won by.
The More The Better powered past his rivals rounding the final bend and cruised to a 6.2m win in an impressive 1min55.2sec mile rate for 2138m.
It was exactly the same time posted by Dean Braun’s Kiwi-bred filly Shartin, who led throughout to win the Group 1 Queensland Oaks over the same trip.
Driver Luke McCarthy used the pole to lead and pinched some cosy early splits before Partyon came to sit parked and put some pressure on down the back straight.
Shartin handled the challenge, pulled clear of Partyon and held-off My Casino Belle, who sat behind her, to win by 2.2m.
The Kiwi other filly Delightful Memphis found it impossible to make ground from the one-one trail in closing splits of 54.3 and 26.4sec. She ran fourth.
WELL-KNOWN owner Merv Butterworth’s decision to “scatter” some of his emerging stars is reaping rewards.
Motu Premier enjoyed a fantastic couple of years in the All Stars’ barn, but Butterworth felt he was better placed staying in Australia after Mark Purdon guided him through a successful Menangle raid back in April/May.
Instead of leaving him in Sydney or sending him to Melbourne, Butterworth moved Motu Premier across to the WA’s stables of his long-time friend Ross Olivieri.
The result has been three impressive wins from as many starts so far.
The best of them came when Motu Premier came from a back row draw to sit parked and powerfully win the Winter Wonder Pace in a brisk 1min55.6sec mile rate for 2100m at Bunbury last Saturday night.
In doing so, he beat high quality Gloucester Park performers Bettor Reward and Touch Of Success despite doing all the work.
At Ballarat last Thursday, Butterworth’s three-year-old Motu Meteor impressively broke through for his first win for new trainer Kerryn Manning when he resumed from a spell.
Motu Meteor won heats of the Victoria and NSW Derby for the All Stars’ and ran second in the Victoria Derby and third in the NSW Derby finals.
UNBEATEN juvenile filly My Sweetchilliphilly is close to returning for her Breeders Crown assault.
Shane and Lauren Tritton’s young star has looked awesome winning all four starts, but was spelled after the Pink Bonnet victory at Menangle on April 8.
“She wasn’t eligible for things like the (Australian) Gold of NSW Breeders so we took the chance to give her a break with the Crown in mind,” Shane Tritton said.
The daughter of Betterthancheddar sparkled winning a Menangle trial in a 1min53.6sec last Tuesday. That’s quicker than she’s gone winning a race so far.
My Sweetchillphilly’s best win so far came when she sat parked and poured the pressure on throughout to win the Bathurst Gold Tiara by 21m on March 25. She went a 1min54.7sec mile rate for 1730m, which would equate to at least a 1min52sec mile around Menangle.
She will be the “fresh” player to tackle Emma Stewart’s batch of star juvenile fillies headed by the likes of Molly Kelly, Nostra Beach and Nostra Villa.
Another juvenile to impress at those Menangle trials last Tuesday was John McCarthy’s unraced Kiwi import, Rakasinc.
By Changeover out of Rakarach, the gelding zoomed away with a 24m win in a 1min53.7sec mile so he’s one to watch when he steps out at the races.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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