02 November 2020 | Ken Casellas
Chicago Bull equals Quinny
Superstar pacer Chicago Bull maintained his magnificent form and was not extended in winning the group 3 Howard Porter Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was his 58TH win from 87 starts and it equals the number of wins recorded by Im Themightyquinn, who amassed $4,567,456 from his 58 wins and 34 placings from 111 starts. Chicago Bull, who has been placed 23 times, has earned $2,021,731.
Champion trainer Gary Hall snr has prepared six $1 million earners, the others being The Falcon Strike (41 wins and $1,224,094), Beaudiene Boaz (25 wins and $1,256,587), My Hard Copy (27 wins and $1,271,592) and King of Swing (26 wins and $1,483,136).
When queried about rating these star performers Hall had no hesitation in ranking Im Themightyquinn on top, stating that three wins in the Interdominion championship, three in the Fremantle Cup, three in the WA Pacing Cup and two in the Auckland Cup made it a comparatively easy decision.
He ranked Chicago Bull in second position but added that one horse who could have ranked close to his best was the ill-fated Alta Christiano, who broke down after winning 13 times from 18 starts.
Perhaps the major news from the Hall stable is that Chicago Bull will have one more run before having a new reinsman at his next appearance, in an open-class event at Gloucester Park on Friday week.
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr, who has driven Chicago Bull at each of his past 45 starts, has started a 19-day suspension for driving infringements and will not be able to drive for the next fortnight.
This leaves Stuart McDonald as the frontrunner to drive Chicago Bull at his next appearance. McDonald has handled Chicago Bull once in a race — when the gelding finished third behind Bettors Fire and Soho Tribeca in the Village Kid Sprint at Gloucester Park on December 29, 2017.
Chicago Bull, favourite at $1.10, was untroubled to lead from the No. 1 barrier in the Porter Memorial, and after a comparatively slow lead time of 38.1sec. and comfortable opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.3sec. he sprinted brilliantly over the final 400m sections in 27.5sec. and 26.6sec. He rated 1.54.7 and beaty Shockwave by a length, with Jack Farthing, hampered for room on the inside, a half-head away in third place.
Shockwave, the second fancy at $10, again was gallant in defeat. He started from the No. 5 barrier and raced in sixth position in the one-wide line until he started a three-wide move with 650m to travel. He quickly moved into second place at the 300m mark and fought on determinedly.
Reed back in the swing of things
Talented New Zealand-bred mare Arma Indie bounced back to her best form with a stylish all-the-way victory in the 2536m Vili’s Family Bakery Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The distance was never going to worry her; she has led and won over 2500m before,” said reinsman Mark Reed.
“She was never in danger, and, hopefully, as the saying goes ‘when the surf’s up, keep rolling on.’ Our Shelley Beach led and won at Pinjarra on Monday and it’s good to get back into the swing of things. I was battling to salute the judge for a while and I’m happy to get a couple of winners and back into a bit of form.
“When Arma Indi is right, she’s a really good mare. Tonight, she won well within herself, and it’s good to see the whole team (prepared by Reed’s father Mike) racing better. They were a bit disappointing a month or so ago, and now they’re all starting to go a bit better.”
Arma Indie, favourite at $1.60 from the favourable No. 2 barrier, led from Bettorstartdreaming in the breeze and Qtown Rip Roaring on the pegs. She dashed over the final quarters in 28.8sec. and 27.3sec. and beat McArdles Gem ($17) by just under a length. McArdles Gem enjoyed the perfect sit in the one-out and one-back position before finishing gamely with a three-wide burst.
Arma Indie, a winner at two of her ten New Zealand starts, now has had 21 starts in Western Australia for eight wins and six placings for owners Jim and Wilma Giumelli.
Champagne Prince sparkles
A gelding, bred in the purple by outstanding pacing sire McArdle and out of a brilliant pacing mare Champagne Princess, is a natural square-gaiter and looms as a key player in the $50,000 Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park on New Year’s Eve.
There is no rhyme or reason why a horse with such a strong pacing background is such a talented trotter. But that’s the story of seven-year-old Champagne Prince, who made an auspicious Western Australian debut with a striking all-the-way victory in the 2503m Catalano Truck And Equipment Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Champagne Prince, a $5.60 chance, began safely from the inside of the front line in the stand and he was perfectly rated in front by champion reinsman Chris Lewis, who guided him to a 2m victory over the $3 favourite Princess Mila, who improved from eighth in the middle stages. King of the Roses ($5), a newcomer from South Australia, was an encouraging third.
Champagne Prince is trained by Michael Young, who is delighted that a gentleman from Sydney and someone he has not met, convinced him to join him in purchasing the gelding a month ago.
“Champagne Prince was advertised for sale,” Young explained. “I didn’t see it, but Eddie Burchill did, and he asked he if I was interested, and I said yes. So, we bought him for $10,000.
“A few months ago, Eddie had Fireplay up for sale and I asked him if he wanted to send him to Perth.” Fireplay has raced eight times for Young for a win and four placings.
Now Young and Eddie Burchill and his wife Erica race Champagne Prince in partnership, and the first prize of $10,881 on Friday night has made the trotter an instant bargain. The gelding is a bit smaller than the average trotter, but Young said that he was “pretty muscled up and strong.”
“He came from Adelaide by truck and I gave him a week off,” Young said. “I had never trained a trotter and I didn’t really know what to expect. However, his work at home has been top notch and the Trotters Cup is his aim.
“All his brothers and sisters are pacers, but he trots like a machine.”
McArdle, who is by Falcon Seelster, has been a hugely successful pacing stallion for many years and he has been in the spotlight in recent years by the deeds of McWicked, the 2018 American Horse of the Year, who has just been retired to stud after winning 40 races and earning $5,103,271.
Champagne Princess excelled as a young pacer in New Zealand where she had 23 starts for 12 wins, eight placings and stakes of $143,484. Her victories included group 2 events as a two and three-year-old.
Champagne Prince, who raced 28 times in New Zealand for one win and seven placings, 14 times in Victoria for three wins and nine placings and 14 times in South Australia for five wins and six placings, is a half-brother to successful pacers Our Princess Royal, Lenola Stride, Jay Dub, Prince McArdle and Krug.
Krug, by Bettors Delight is Champagne Princess’s most recent foal and he has created a big impression in New Zealand, with his first 13 starts producing nine wins, three placings and $247,900. As a two-year-old he won the group 1 Cardigan Bay Stakes at Alexandra Park and a group 2 feature event at Ashburton.
In September this year Krug finished a head second to American Dealer in the group 1 Sires Stakes final for three-year-olds at Alexandra Park and won a $200,000 feature event a week later.
Rocknroll Whitby turns back the clock
West Australian-bred seven-year-old Rocknroll Whitby has overcome some gaiting problems and he notched his fifth win of the season when trainer Callan Suvaljko brought him home with a sparkling late burst to beat the well-supported $2.90 second fancy Sokys Big Bullet by one and a half lengths in the 2130m Westral Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Fourth fancy at $9.10, Rocknroll Whitby stormed home with a four-wide burst from seventh at the 400m mark.
A $20,000 yearling, Rocknroll Whity is raced by Suvaljko’s wife Amanda and he now has had 121 starts for 17 wins, 15 placings and $189,076 in stakes.
He revealed splendid early promise, leading and winning by six lengths on debut at Northam in March 2015 and then, three starts later, winning the $60,000 group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park.
But while he has remained sound throughout his career, Rocknroll Whitby did not live up to his early potential and he developed problems with cross-firing.
“He used to be one-dimensional and would only run when he was leading,” said Suvaljko. “And then he was cleaned up (badly checked) a few times on the first bend after starting in races over 1730m and 2536m. After that, he didn’t show any gate speed. Racing with spreaders and go-straights helped to get him off his knees and to go a lot straighter.
“Lately, he has been sitting and sprinting home strongly. Last week, after a 27.9sec. third quarter, he made up four to five lengths over the final 450m when fourth behind Captain Kirk and I was very confident of winning tonight.”
Suvaljko said that he had just added to his stable seasoned pacers Tuas Delight and Extreme Prince.
Stroke Of Luck aimed at Cups
Ace trainer Ross Olivieri is confident Stroke Of Luck will continue to improve and earn a shot at the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup in the coming weeks.
“He’s still a run or two away from his best,” he said after the seven-year-old produced a strong finish to win the 2536m Retravision Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. “He has made his way to fast class and is a really good competitor.”
Stoke Of Luck completed a double for Chris Voak, who was successful in the previous event with Roman Art. Voak gained an ideal passage for Stroke Of Luck in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before the $6.20 chance finished solidly to beat Patrickthepiranha ($6.50) by a half-length at a 1.57.4 rate. Bettor Be Oscar, the $1.65 favourite, set the pace but was swamped in the closing stages and finished fifth.
Patrickthepiranha, who started from the outside barrier the field of nine, raced outside the pacemaker Bettor Be Oscar for most of the way before taking a narrow lead about 220m from home.
Colin Brown, Patrickthepiranha’s trainer-reinsman, lodged a protest against Stroke Of Luck, on the grounds that Voak had used more than the flicking action with the whip. The protest was unsuccessful.
Stroke Of Luck is raced by the Merv Butterworth Racing syndicate which also was represented by the Olivieri-trained Jimmy Mack, who started at $23 and impressed in finishing with a spirited burst from seventh at the bell to be third. Stoke Of Luck has raced 62 times for 15 wins, 19 placings and stakes of $201,888.
Warriors Legacy causes an upset
Warriors Legacy, the rank outsider at $39.10, caused an upset when he thundered home to snatch a last-stride victory over the $3.10 equal favourite The Ideal Touch in the 2130m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Owner-trainer Jocelyn Young did not bustle Warriors Legacy early from the No. 5 barrier and the gelding raced in sixth position on the pegs in the field of seven before he was switched out wide 250m from home and sprinted fast to win at by a short half-head at a 1.57.1 rate.
Stormyskyes, the only filly in the event and a $19 chance, led from the No. 1 barrier and defied challenges for the lead in the first lap. Master Publisher, the $3.10 equal favourite and one of the three runners trained by Gary Hall snr, raced without cover early before gaining the one-out, one-back trail when stablemate Copy N Pace, a heavily supported $3.50 third favourite, dashed forward into the breeze.
Copy N Pace took a narrow lead about 220m from home before The Ideal Touch got to the front 60m from the post.
Warriors Legacy, by Auckland Reactor, is the second foal out of the unraced mare Titans Legacy and is related to Scram Jet, who earned $235,076 from 24 wins and 42 placings from 172 starts. Warriors Legacy has raced 20 times for four wins, ten placings and $34,147 in prizemoney.
American Arma following in dam’s footsteps
Eight years ago, Arma Xpress won at 12 of her first 14 starts, and now her daughter, the exciting two-year-old filly American Arma, is following in her footsteps.
American Arma, trained and driven by Colin Brown, gave a sample of her class when she scored a decisive victory in the 2130m Choices Flooring Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. That was her second convincing victory from her first two starts.
American Arma, the $1.70 favourite from barrier six, raced wide early before taking the lead after about 600m and was not extended in winning by three lengths from her stablemate and $13 chance Joelene, who impressed greatly by flashing home, out wide, from last in the field of nine with 400m to travel.
The Terry Ferguson-trained Bettor Beach Belle ($5.50) maintained her excellent form when she finished solidly from sixth at the bell to be third. The winner rated 1.57.5 after final quarters of 29.6sec. and 28.7sec.
Arma Xpress was retired after her 18 starts produced 12 wins and one placing for earnings of $279,890. In 2012 she won two group 1 features, the Sales Classic for fillies and the Golden Slipper, as well as winning three group 2 events, the Champagne Classic, the Westbred Classic and the Golden Bracelet.
The Kraken breaks through
Speedy four-year-old The Kraken notched his first Gloucester Park victory at his tenth appearance at the track when he revealed admirable fighting qualities to work hard in the breeze before running home determinedly to beat Alta Intrigue and Bolta in the 1730m Etch Coatings Pace on Friday night.
He was the second fancy at $4.10 from barrier five, with the polemarker Bolta favourite at $1.90.
The Kraken was having his fifth start in the space of a month and trainer Aiden de Campo made the most of an important edge in fitness by applying pressure on the pacemaker Bolta, who was making his first appearance for three months.
The Kraken took the lead 55m from the post and won by a neck from $6 third fancy Alta Intrigue, rating 1.55.7. Alta Intrigue fought on strongly after racing wide in the final circuit.
The Kraken is the fifth foal out of former smart juvenile Before Night Falls, who won the group 1 Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies in June 2008 and was retired after 38 starts that produced 12 wins, eight placings and stakes of $169,279. The Kraken now has had 44 starts for nine wins, 18 placings and $68,141.
Pinjarra Cup on the cards for Roman Art
Coolup owner-trainer Vic Bryers is delighted with Roman Art’s successful return to racing after a spell and said he was nurturing a long-range plan for the four-year-old to contest the Pinjarra Cup next March.
Roman Art, having his third start after a five-month absence, was favourite at $1.75 when Chris Voak drove him to an easy all-the-way victory in the 2130m Simmonds Steel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
After a slow lead time of 39.1sec. and a pedestrian open quarter of 31.5sec., Roman Art dashed over the next 400m sections in 28.2sec., 27.9sec. and 27.8sec. and beat Vivere Damore by 5m at a 1.56.7 rate.
Roman Art now boasts a 50 per cent winning record, with his 20 starts producing ten wins, six placings and stakes of $66,560.
Filly too fast for mares
Three-year-old Blue Chip Adda, the only filly against eight mares in the 2130m Allwood Stud Farm Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, showed her class when she unwound a spirited finishing burst to win easily.
This completed a double for trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo, who had been successful with The Kraken in the opening event on the program.
Blue Chip Adda, the $1.90 favourite, raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before she finished with a powerful burst to hit the front 250m from home and race away to win by two lengths from $7.50 chance Radiant Amber, who set the pace after showing great gate speed to lead from the No. 5 barrier.
The race was marred by a mishap on the home turn on the final circuit when Shannon Suvaljko (Iona Diamond) and Deni Roberts (Tiffany Twirl) were dislodged from the sulky and Just Makemine Diamonds (Chris Voak) met with severe interference.
The win took Blue Chip Adda’s earnings to $101,119 from seven wins and seven placings from 25 starts. The filly is the first foal out of former smart pacer Adda Rising Star, who raced 84 times for 16 wins, 27 placings and $184,608 in prizemoney. Adda Rising Star finished second twice in group 1 feature events — behind Lucky Joy in the State Sires Series for two-year-old fillies in June 2012 and behind Lucky Diva in the State Sires Series for three-year-olds in July 2013.
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