by Ken Casellas
Superstar pacer Chicago Bull will start the most ambitious campaign of his illustrious career when he contests the $25,000 Howard Porter Memorial over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night and he is forward enough in condition to notch his 23rd victory at his 35th start, despite drawing out wide at barrier seven. Champion trainer Gary Hall Snr was somewhat guarded in his prediction, saying: “he will go close.”
Chicago Bull will be making his first appearance for eight weeks and will be strongly fancied to extend his winning sequence to seven. He took his earnings to $932,049 when he began speedily from the No. 4 barrier, set the pace and won convincingly from The Bucket List and Our Jericho at a 1.55.9 rate over 2130m on July 14.
The five-year-old is being set for the rich summer carnival treble of the TABtouch Inter Dominion championship, the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup. His clash in the Inters with sensational New Zealand five-year-old Lazarus should provide spectacular action.
Hall hinted that his son Gary Hall Jnr would drive Chicago Bull conservatively and would rely on the gelding’s renowned dazzling finishing burst.
Hall Snr holds a strong hand in Friday night’s race in which he will also be represented by Run Oneover and Beaudiene Boaz.
Stuart McDonald will drive Run Oneover from the coveted No. 1 barrier on the front line and Nathan Turvey has been engaged to handle Beaudiene Boaz, who will start from the inside of the back line.
Hall Snr who has won the Porter Memorial with Make The Rules (1999), Its Written In The Stars (2000) and Crusader Banner (2015), said he expected Run Oneover to prove hard to beat, predicting that the six-year-old would set the pace and would not be placed under undue pressure.
Run Oneover led from barrier two and after a scorching third quarter of the final mile in 26.8sec. held on doggedly to win from Our Jimmy Johnstone last Friday night.
Hall Snr said that $1 million pacer Beaudiene Boaz was “going super” and was poised for a strong effort at his first start for eight weeks.
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri will be represented by Sheer Rocknroll (resuming after a spell) and Jambiani (a fast-finishing last-start winner). Sheer Rocknroll, to be driven for the first time by Morgan Woodley, is a winner of 22 races and should be prominent from the No. 2 barrier on the front line.
Sheer Rocknroll, the only mare in the race, warmed up for her first-up assignment after an absence of 12 weeks with a most impressive trial win at Pinjarra on Sunday morning when she led and won by four lengths from talented stablemate Im Full of Excuses, rating 1.56.2 over 2185m.
Shannon Suvaljko will drive Jambiani, who will start from barrier four on the front line. Jambiani was a 95/1 outsider driven by McDonald when he was fifth, three back on the pegs at the bell, before flashing home to beat Ideal Alice and Run 0neover at a 1.55 rate in the 2536m August Cup last Friday week.
The Michael Brennan trained The Bucket List will have admirers from barrier five. Now an eight-year-old, The Bucket List finished solidly when second to the pacemaker Bettors Fire in the Porter Memorial 12 months ago.
Adding further interest to Friday night’s event will be the return to racing of seven-year-old Simply Susational, who will be driven by Ryan Warwick for trainer Skye Bond. He will start from barrier two on the back line and is capable of unwinding with a powerful finishing burst.
Dual WA Pacing Cup winner My Hard Copy (Clint Hall) and Americanbootscoota (Chris Lewis), a winner at eight of his past 13 starts, fared badly in the random draw and face difficult tasks from barriers eight and nine, respectively.
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