13 October 2022 | Ken Casellas
Young seeks first group 1 success
Mundijong trainer Michael Young, pacing’s man of the moment, has inexperienced filly Im Themightylucy at her peak, and he has high hopes she will give him his first group 1 victory by overcoming a back-line draw and winning The Trots WA Oaks at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr shares Young’s optimism and says that the 2536m journey of the $150,000 classic will suit Im Themightylucy, whose forte is her sit-sprint ability.
The New Zealand-bred Im Themightylucy will start from the outside (barrier three) on the back line, and Young visualises her settling down in the one-wide line before Hall calls on her to unwind a typical sparkling last-lap dash.
“Im Themightylucy has to be sat up,” said Hall, who has won the Oaks with Miss Holmes in 2004 and Major Reality in 2015.
Im Themightylucy warmed up for the Oaks in splendid fashion last Friday night when the filly started from the inside of the back line in a 2130m event in which a patient Maddison Brown was happy to keep her in eighth position, four back on the pegs, before getting into the clear about 350m from home and sprinting fast, out wide, to win by a length from Little Darling, rating 1.56.2.
That improved Im Themightylucy’s record to seven wins from 12 starts. She has had eight starts in Western Australia for Young for six wins and a second placing.
Young is enjoying an outstanding season this year and is in second position on the trainers’ premiership table with 78 wins from 259 starters — behind Greg and Skye Bond, who have prepared 151 winners from 469 starters. Hall is the leading driver this year with 182 winners, 62 ahead of his nearest rival, Shannon Suvaljko.
The Bond stable has won the Oaks with Millwood Meg (2010) and Dodolicious (2016) and will be represented on Friday night with the smart New Zealand-bred In The Spotlight, who has won at nine of her 18 starts and will begin from the inside of the back line. In The Spotlight, to be driven by Ryan Warwick, has been placed at her past two starts. She should enjoy an ideal passage and is capable of fighting out the finish.
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis, who has won the Oaks with Jamcaro (1988), Showtime Franco (1996), Sheer Royalty (2009) and Sensational Gabby (2012), will have an army of supporters when he drives the Barry Howlett-trained Little Darling from the favourable No. 2 barrier on the front line.
Little Darling, a winner at five of her 15 starts, is a good frontrunner who can also produce a strong finishing burst when held up for a late charge. She, as well as In The Spotlight and the brilliant Wonderful To Fly, loom large as serious rivals for Im Themightylucy.
Wonderful To Fly boats the best record of the 12 Oaks runners —33 starts for 21 wins, six placings and stakes of $410,645. She has won two group 1 events, three at group 2 level and two in group 3 races. She has drawn barrier five on the front line, leaving trainer-reinsman Shane Young with plenty of options over the 2536m.
Wonderful To Fly lost very few admirers after she had to do plenty of work before wilting to fourth behind Im Themightylucy last Friday night. She started from barrier seven, raced three wide for the first 420m and got to the front 130m later. The lead time was a cracking 35.1sec., and after opening quarters of 31.9sec. and 29.7sec. Wonderful To Fly sped over the third 400m section in 27.9sec.
“She just got tired at the end,” said Young. “When Sovrana came forward into the breeze it made Wonderful To Fly rev up a little bit and run that 27.9sec. quarter. If she had got away with a slower quarter, she probably would’ve been okay (and won the race).”
Sovrana, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, did a fine job to finish third behind Im Themightylucy last week. That followed her smart victory over In The Spotlight in the group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic a fortnight earlier. She faces a stern task from the outside barrier (No. 9) this week.
Jumpingjackmac out to test star pacer
Talented four-year-old Jumpingjackmac has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier in the $30,000 Dot Williams Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr is setting the gelding the task of making the pace in a bid to beat rising superstar Magnificent Storm.
Hall pointed out that Jumpingjackmac had set the pace and won at the two previous times he had begun from the No. 1 barrier.
It was six starts ago (on August 5) that Jumpingjackmac had begun from the inside barrier and had set a dawdling pace (40.2sec. lead time followed by quarters of 32.2sec. and 30.3sec.) before dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.7sec. and 27.4sec. to win by a length at a 2min. rate over 2130m from Chicago Bull.
Three starts before that (on July 8) Jumpingjackmac begun from barrier one and he set a fast pace to win at a 1.55.2 rate over 2130m, holding on to beat Chicago Bull by a head, with Magnificent Storm a half-length away in third place.
“The plan will be to lead on Friday night, and I think he can beat Magnificent Storm,” said Hall.
Star reinsman Gary Hall jnr agrees wholeheartedly with his father, saying: “We will be trying to lead and hold it. Jumpingjackmac is going really well, as good as he can.”
Magnificent Storm resumed after an 11-week absence last Friday night when Aldo Cortopassi drove the Ray Williams-trained five-year-old to a brilliant all-the-way victory over Gambit and Lavra Joe in the group 2 Mount Eden Sprint, rating 1.53.2 over 1730m. Jumpingjackmac raced without cover early and then in the one-out, one-back position before finishing in fourth place.
“We’ve gone from chocolates to boiled lollies this week,” said Cortopassi. “He was super and really switched on, strong and sharp. And that was good for him, first-up, when normally he is pretty unconscious first-up. He was just jogging through the line.
“Barrier nine is always hard at Gloucester Park, especially against a horse of the calibre of Jumpingjackmac from barrier one. It is never easy from nine, but he has overcome bad draws. He is strong, fast and versatile, so we’ve got options.
“Ill talk to Robbie (managing part-owner Rob Tomlinson) and Ray (trainer Ray Williams) and work out a plan of attack. It’s not the end of the world if Magnificent Storm doesn’t win. But I hate getting beaten.”
Tomlinson will also be represented by To Fast To Serious, who will be driven by trainer Dylan Egerton-Green from barrier five. The six-year-old, who will be having his first start for 14 weeks, gave a sample of his ability when he finished second to Jumpingjackmac two starts ago (on July 1) when Chicago Bull finished in third place.
Apart from Jumpingjackmac, Hall snr will be represented by Gambit (Stuart McDonald), Diego (Maddison Brown) and Will I Rocknroll (Mitch Miller). Gambit will start from the inside of the back line and should fight out the finish after four seconds from his past five starts (two behind Lavra Joe and one each behind Plutonium and Magnificent Storm).
Sweet Vivienne poised to shine
Smart two-year-old filly Sweet Vivienne has drawn awkwardly at barrier six in the 2130m Follow The Trots On Facebook And Twitter Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but astute trainer Kim Prentice is enthusiastic about her prospects.
“This will be her last run before she goes to the paddock,” said Prentice. “We’ll most likely push the button and charge forward. If they want to hold us out, good luck to them. She is definitely a strong winning chance. She is going very good and is very strong.
“After this race she will have a good break and she’ll come back a really lovely three-year-old.”
Sweet Vivienne will be handled by Mitch Miller, who made full use of her sparkling gate speed when she began from barrier four and burst to the front after 80m in a 2130m event on Tuesday of last week. She dashed over the final quarters in 28.7sec. and 28.9sec. and rated 1.58.6 in winning by four lengths from American Monarch.
That was Sweet Vivienne’s third all-the-way win from her past five appearances. Her main opposition is expected to come from the Katja Warwick-trained Fly To Fame and Aiden de Campo’s American Monarch.
Fly To Fame, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko, will be strongly fancied from barrier three. She possesses excellent gate speed as she revealed when she led from barrier two and won from Hunt the Magic at a 1.59.8 rate over 2130m at Gloucester Park three starts ago. She raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs and was hampered for room in the final stages when an unlucky fifth behind Sweet Vivienne on Tuesday of last week.
American Monarch, drawn out wide t barrier seven, faces a tougher task than when she set the pace from the No. 2 barrier and held on to win from Lucienne over 1730m at Gloucester Park three starts ago.
Miller, who is driving in wonderful style, has sound prospects when he drives experienced campaigner The Kraken for Coolup trainer Dan Costello from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m You Too Mate Pace.
The Kraken, who has won once from his past 28 starts and twice from his past 47 starts, will be making his 99TH appearance in a career of 13 wins and 30 placings. He has maintained his sound form with seconds to Suing You and The Mustang at his past two outings.
Smart Watch set for hat-trick
New Zealand-bred colt Smart Watch, impressive when unextended in winning at his first two Australian starts, at Gloucester Park last month, faces an important moment of truth when he clashes with his talented stablemate High Price in the 2130m Vale Beth Richardson Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The three-year-olds are trained by Gary Hall snr, who declared that little separated them on ability, and that he fancied High Price, who will start from barrier six on the front line and be driven by Stuart McDonald, ahead of Smart Watch, who will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, with Gary Hall jnr in the sulky.
“I reckon High Price will make it tough for Smart Watch,” said Hall snr. “There is not much between them, and I consider that High Price is just as good as Smart Watch. High Price will keep sliding forward to breeze or lead.”
Hall jnr has a good opinion of both pacers, saying: “I like High Price, but I think Smart Watch, all things equal, is a better horse. I think he will win. We will probably have to go three wide from the last thousand. And that’s not easy to do, but I think he is capable.
“High Price lacks a bit of maturity between the ears, and he can be his own worst enemy. However, I believe he will get better and better.”
Adding interest to Friday night’s event will be the first appearance at Gloucester Park of Swagger Man, a Bettors Delight New Zealand-bred gelding who made an encouraging Australian debut when he set a solid pace and finished a close second to Im Themightylucy over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
Swagger Man, who is trained by Ryan Bell and will be driven by Kyle Symington from barrier three, showed plenty of promise in New Zealand where his 12 starts produced two wins and four placings.
Another Bettors Delight three-year-old Strength And Honour will start from barrier seven and will be attempting to extend his winning sequence to five for trainers Greg and Skye Bond.
Strength And Honour, who will be driven by Ryan Warwick, has raced six times in Western Australia for five wins and one second placing.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
