By Adam Hamilton
KEVIN Pizzuto knows bypassing the Inter Dominion is the right thing to do with Majordan.
There may be no faster pacer in Australasia, but Pizzuto thinks sprinting is just his go.
“He’s a dead-set miler. He can be competitive in longer races, but over a mile he’s amazing so we’re keeping him to the sprints and setting him for the Miracle Mile,” he said.
“Next year I think you’ll see him go to the US to race. He’d be great over there in the short races.”
Majordan blazed his way to yet another sparkling mile win at Menangle last night in the Group 3 Tony Turnbull free-for-all.
He cruised to the front from a wide draw, dictated through a 56.9sec first half then rocketed home in 53.7sec to win as he liked over the much improved Real Stride with Rakarolla third.
The eye-catcher was the Inter Dominion-bound My Alpha Rock, who stormed home from last to finish fourth and was clocked to run a 53.2sec last half out deep.
“We were up against it from the draw, but he really finished it off well and it’s topped him off nicely for Melbourne next week,” My Alpha Rock’s co-trainer Shane Tritton said.
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MANY think an amazing four-year-old Western Australian crop could be the key to the Fremantle and WA Cups in January.
The door is certainly open in fast-class ranks with Chicago Bull’s unfortunate injury.
But, first, this stellar group of WA four-year-olds – most of them bred and/or bought from NZ – will lock horns against their own age in a couple of Group 1 races.
First-up is next Friday night’s McInerney Ford 4YO Classic then comes the Golden Nugget.
This year it’s the Greg and Skye stable which looks to hold the key. They could have as many as five runners in the 4YO features.
And both Greg Bond and stable driver, Ryan Warwick, and uncertain who their top seed is.
On class and buzz factor, it must be recent Kiwi purchase Ana Malak, who finally made his WA debut and thrashed a moderate field in slick time at Pinjarra last Monday.
But other Kiwi imports, Mighty Conqueror and Bettor Aim, are right there with Ana Malak.
“My gut feel is Ryan will go with Ana Malak as his drive, but he thinks Mighty Conqueror is right up there and he was very impressed with how Bettor Aim felt winning at Pinjarra last Monday,” Greg Bond said.
“We’ve certainly got a good bunch. There’s two or three others vying for spots in the big (4YO) races as well. We could have five runners.”
The buzz around Ana Malak is huge, but Bond just wished he’d been able to get another lead-up race or two into the pacer.
“He had a foot abscess which held us back from racing him for a few weeks, but we gave him a strong hitout at Pinjarra. He’s very exciting,” he said.
“Like all the big races, the barrier draws are going to be so important because I’d don’t think there is much between out best few and there’s certainly some other very nice horses in it as well.”
Those other horses include nominal favorite Jack Mac, who hasn’t been seen since thrashing a good field at Pinjarra a few weeks back. He looks special, but must have issues being so sparingly raced.
Then there are Gary Hall Sr’s Ideal Liner, so impressive winning his only two runs, and Ross Olivieri’s regally-bred former Victorian Stefsbest, who brilliantly won the Nugget prelude, albeit by leading, at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
A couple of month’s back, another former Kiwi, King Of Swing, was all the rage, but his form has slipped. There was much focus on his run at Gloucester Park last Friday night, but he found trouble, broke and was tailed-out.
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ALL credit to young trainer Kirsty Elsom for her patience and nurturing veteran pacer Devendra.
The nine-year-old former Tasmania broke through for his first win in almost 11 months when he led throughout in the free-for-all at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
It’s the same Devendra who won two heats of the 2015 Perth Inter Dominion and was rated a big chance in the final – won by Lennytheshark – before drawing poorly.
With Aiden De Campo driving, Devendra used the pole to lead and just held-off the emerging Rocknroll Lincoln to win in a 1min56.4sec mile rate for 2130m.
The exciting Vampiro did the work outside the leader and ran third, just 24 hours after Team Bond opted to scratch him from the Inter Dominion and focus on the Fremantle and WA Cups.
In another key Gloucester Park results, exciting Christian Cullen mare Eden Franco thrashed her rivals in the $50,000 Group 2 Norms Daughter Classic by 12.6m in a 1min56.2sec mile rate for 2130m.
And last season’s classy juvenile Shockwave, a son of Mach Three, who thrashed a handy field by almost 20m in a 1min56.6sec mile rate for 2130m.
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THE emerging Wardan Express is the best example of what a fantastic 2018 trainer Matty Craven has enjoyed.
He’s gone from fringe player to major force and has Cant Refuse in the Inter Dominion as well.
Wardan Express was stuck a rut as a C2 pacer before joining Craven and, in this one preparation, he’s won seven races, including the $30,000 Group 3 Gordon Rothacker Memorial final in a strong field at Melton last Friday night.
The other winner of note at Melton was brilliant young trotting mare Dance Craze, a daughter of former Rowe Cup-winning mare La Coocaracha, who toyed with her rivals in the free-for-all to make it 13 wins from just 20 starts.
Trainer Anton Golino battles soundness issues with Dance Craze, hence her light racing record. And that’s why she’s not in the Inter Dominion trotting series.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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