22 January 2024 | Ken Casellas
Rumour Has It stands out
Six-year-old Rumour Has It, the only mare of the 18 runners who contested the two heats of the Nights Of Thunder at Gloucester Park on Friday night, stood out with an incredible victory in the first heat, the $23,000 Channel 7 Pace, and she looms as a major prospect in the $50,000 final next Friday night.
Rumour Has It, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by her husband Chris, was the $3 favourite who overcame a torrid run to beat the fast-finishing $7 fourth fancy Soho Dow Jones by a head.
Few horses recently have been strong enough to survive such fierce pressure and to go on and post a victory. But that’s what Rumour Has It, with Chris Lewis, with his usual calm reasoning, declaring: “She’s just a good horse. She is tough and very consistent.
“I thought we could still win, despite the pressure which obviously didn’t help our cause. She will tough it out and keep going. It got close on the line, but she was able to hold on.”
Rumour Has It began well from barrier No. 2 but was unable to cross the polemarker and $4.80 chance Stamford, who defied considerable pressure in the first lap in which the opening 400m section was covered in a slick 27.3sec. with three runners, Stamford, Rumour Has It and $4 chance Jawsoflincoln locked together, three abreast after 550m.
With Lewis refusing to yield to the pressure applied by Jawsoflincoln (who raced three wide throughout) the opening quarter was followed by two 29sec. 400m sections before the final quarter was run in 29.7sec., with Rumour Has It rating 1.53.7.
Rumour Has It was the third fastest qualifier for the final, with the five horses following her home (Soho Dow Jones, Tiger Royal, Alcopony, Ardens Horizon and Jawsoflincoln) all earning a start in the final field of nine.
Lewis will await the outcome of the barrier draw before deciding to drive either Rumour Has It or the Katja Warwick-trained All Is Well, who was the second fastest qualifier, beaten a head by Chal Patch in the second heat.
“All Is Well is going very nicely, and I’ll wait until the barrier draw,” said Lewis who has driven All Is Well at his past 14 starts and at 22 of his past 23 appearances.
Rumour Has It is in peak form and her six starts in her current campaign have produced four wins, a second and a fourth placing. “She has always been a good horse and she should already be a $200,000-plus earner but for her problems,” Lewis said.
Rumour Has It now has earned $150,703 from 12 wins and eight placings from 28 starts. She is unbeaten at her three starts over 1730m.
Mitch Miller, who drove Soho Dow Jones perfectly in the one-out, one-back position, was pleased with the gelding’s effort, but said that the honours were with Rumour Has It, who put up an awesome performance.
Jawsoflincoln, trained by Justin Prentice and driven by Gary Hall jnr, fought on grandly after racing wide throughout to finish sixth at his first start for seven months. He was the ninth and final qualifier for the final.
Chal Patch bounces back
Classy New Zealand-bred six-year-old Chal Patch, a disappointing sixth as a hot odds-on favourite a week earlier when racing first-up for six weeks, returned to top form with a thrilling last-stride victory in the second heat of the Nights Of Thunder, the WA Hall Of Fame Submissions Due Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Chal Patch was a $15.50 chance from out wide at barrier No. 7 in the 1730m sprint event and he raced at the rear while Lamandier ($11) was overracing in front, with Goodfellaz ($4.60) in the breeze and fancied runners Crowd Control ($4.60) and All Is Well ($5.50) next in line, with the $2.50 favourite Solesseo Matuca enjoying a good run in the one-out, two-back position.
Chris Lewis sent All Is Well to the front with about 300m to travel. Chal Patch was eighth at the 400m before Kyle Symington switched him wide and brought him home with a powerful burst to snatch victory by a head from All Is Well, with Solesseo Matuca finishing solidly into third place.
Chal Patch rated 1.53.5 to qualify in first place for the nine-horse final over 1730m next Friday night. After fast opening quarters of 27.7sec. and 28.4sec. the final 400m sections were covered in 29.1sec. and 29sec.
Chal Patch and Solesseo Matuca are trained by Nathan Turvey, and he is looking forward to the final with plenty of confidence.
“I was hoping for improvement from Chal Patch after his sixth last week,” said Turvey. “I thought that there was either something wrong with the horse or that I didn’t have him fit enough,” he said.
” So, I went over him thoroughly and decided that if I did find anything I would take him to the vets. I kept looking but couldn’t find anything. I worked him on Wednesday morning and was really happy with his work.
“I was stoked with the run of Solesseo Matuca. This first-up run will do him the world of good. We have had a couple of hiccups with him in the past couple of weeks. There were no major problems, but he missed two or three hoppled runs.”
One Good Turn Deserves Another
Six years ago, eight-time leading WA trainer Ross Olivieri sold well-performed pacer Assassinator to South Australians Christopher and Justin Nicol — and the 12-year-old is still racing with youthful enthusiasm.
Assassinator, a winner of 19 races in Western Australia, has given the Nicol family considerable pleasure with 16 wins in South Australia and one in Victoria — and the veteran has amassed $322,772 in prizemoney from 36 wins and 61 placings from 246 starts.
Now, in the case of ‘one good turn deserves another,’ the Nicols have sent six-year-old Sportswriter gelding Post Game to Olivieri and his trainer wife Jemma Hayman.
The Victorian-bred Post Game was the $1.20 favourite from the No. 1 barrier for his WA debut in the Westral Meshlock Security Doors And Screens Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Chris Voak drove him to an all-the-way victory as he held on to beat the fast-finishing Cut And Run by a half-head, rating a smart 1.55.2 over the 1730m journey.
“Post Game is quirky at home, but he has given us the feel that he is a nice horse,” said Hayman. “I thought he could win, going 1.56. But he went much quicker.
“I think he is probably better racing with a sit. A lot of his better races in Victoria were when he raced with a sit.”
Olivieri said that Assassinator had done an amazing job in Adelaide. “Eventually, after racing here, the Nicols would like to race Post Game in Adelaide,” he said.
Post Game is the first foal out of the Bettors Delight mare Samantha Sparkle, who raced 98 times for 11 wins, 30 placings and $70,815 in stakes. Post Game now has had 33 starts for eight wins, 11 placings and $64,470.
Middlepage proves his worth
It was quite appropriate that the $19,000 APG Perth Sale March 3RD Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night was won by a pacer purchased at the APG Perth yearling sale in 2018.
The pacer in question is seven-year-old Tintin In America gelding Middlepage, who was not extended by trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper in setting the pace and coasting to a two-length victory over Name In Lights.
Harper purchased Middlepage for $20,000 and he races the gelding in partnership with seven first-time owners, a syndicate of casino workers.
Middlepage, named because he was featured in the middle page of the KTC Bloodstock yearling sale magazine, has proved an excellent buy with earnings of $164,895 from 17 wins and 20 placings from 86 starts. Harper also paid $8500 for a Rich And Spoilt yearling at the 2018 sale for the same owners. This pacer is Hengheng, who has raced 54 times for nine wins, 11 placings and $91,121.
“A reason why I bought Middlepage was because I liked his conformation,” said Harper. “He was a lovely, conformed horse.
“Middlepage had a really good (previous) campaign but at the moment he is not going quite right and is taking his time to hit his stride. He is not a Free-For-All horse but should work his way to that grade.
“Dropping in class tonight was comfortable for him. He won with something in hand. But he hasn’t been quite right. I’ve had vets look at him, but we can’t quite put a finger on it. However, I think there are more wins in him.”
Middlepage is the seventh foal out of New Zealand mare Thats The Spirit, who also produced Patrickthepiranha, a winner of 13 races in WA and 18 in America. Patrickthepiranha earned $574,194 from 31 wins and 25 placings from 100 starts. His wins included group 1, 2 and 3 features for juvenile pacers as well as the group 2 Christmas Gift in December 2019, a week after finishing a head second to Shockwave in the Golden Nugget.
Thomson Bay appreciates a drop in class
WA-bred seven-year-old Thomson Bay took full advantage of a drop in class and the prized No. 1 barrier when he set the pace and won the $21,000 WA Hall Of Fame Submissions Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Stuart McDonald enjoyed an armchair drive to guide the $3.30 favourite to a neck victory over the $3.70 second fancy Eldaytona, who ran home solidly after trailing the leader all the way. After opening quarters of 29.1sec. and 29sec. Thomson Bay dashed over the final 400m sections in 27.6sec. and 28.2sec. and rated 1.53.1 over the 1730m.
The win ended a losing sequence of twelve, which included just one placing, and it improved his record to 46 starts for 14 wins, seven placings and stakes of $118,663.
Thomson Bay is proving a great bargain for Coolup trainer Hayden Reeves, who bought the Mr Feelgood gelding for $1000 from breeder Peter King after the pacer had raced only once for an eleventh placing behind Caveman as a two-year-old at Pinjarra. Thomson Bay has now had 45 starts for Ashleigh Reeves for 14 wins and seven placings for earnings of $130,623.
Thomson Bay is the only foal out of the Rich And Spoilt mare Geordie Bay, who raced eleven times for two wins (at Bunbury in September 2012) and stakes of $7399.
Showpony regains his confidence
Expert shoeing by Donald Harper and C. Hynam has played a significant role in the recent splendid form of WA-bred five-year-old Showpony, who completed a hat-trick of wins when he led and scored an easy victory in the 1730m Catalano Truck And Equipment Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Pinjarra trainer David Young said that Showpony had been troubled by getting down on his hind bumpers.
“Full credit to Donny Harper and C. Hynam who have been shoeing him, and they have done a good job in getting him off his bumpers,” said Young. “And this has got the horse’s confidence back. He has overcome his problems of getting down on his hind bumpers, and is now not touching them.
“And while he is happy, we will keep going, and he will race again next Friday. I was surprised that he flew out of the gate tonight because I wasn’t particularly confident that he would win the start.”
Indeed, Showpony, the $1.60 favourite, driven by Stuart McDonald, easily won the start from barrier two, and after a lead time of 7.4sec. sped over the opening 400m in 28.5sec. before a moderate second quarter of 30.5sec. was followed by final sections of 28.3sec. and 28sec. which gave his rivals little chance of challenging him.
Showpony now has raced 23 times for nine wins, eight placings and stakes of $65,197.
Mighthavtime comes from last
Consistent mare Mighthavtime is improving with every start, and she produced the best performance of her career when she charged home from last to record an easy win in the $21,000 Mexican March Coming Soon Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Mighthavtime, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, was an $8.20 chance from out wide at barrier eight, and Deni Roberts wisely restrained her at the start while polemarker Rocknroll Sass ($2.90) was setting the pace from the $1.90 favourite Zephyra in the breeze.
Two opening quarters of 29.7sec. were followed by a quick 28.6sec. third section, and Roberts bided her time until she sent Mighthavtime forward from the rear, with a three-wide burst 250m from home. Mighthavtime charged to the front 80m from the post and won by more than two lengths from $13 chance Machs Legacy, who ran home powerfully.
Mighthavtime, who went to the post with the ear plugs still in, rated 1.57.2 over 2130m. A winner at four of her 22 New Zealand starts, she now has raced 15 times in WA for three wins and eight placings.
She is by Betterthancheddar and is the fourth foal out of One Christian (one win from seven starts).
“That was definitely her best run,” said Roberts. “She is so consistent, and her runs have been getting better and better. She is just a speed mare, even though she can also do a bit of work. But now as she is getting up in grade, this is probably the way I would like to drive her. She has a good turn of foot. They ran a good time up front which set it up nicely for her.”
Nullarbor Navajo is on the way up
Lightly-raced Victorian-bred mare Nullarbor Navajo is set for a successful campaign, following her easy victory in the 2130m Steelos Open Every Race Night Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was her second win from three starts after an eight-month absence, and it completed a driving double for Stuart McDonald, who was successful earlier in the night with Thomson Bay.
McDonald (29) then travelled to Albany where he landed four winners for trainer Michael Young on Saturday night.
Nullarbor Navajo is trained by 23-year-old Corey Peterson, who opted to go to Busselton to drive three pacers for trainer Matt Scott — and 15 minutes before Nullarbor Navajo’s victory Peterson guided four-year-old Mikipelo ($2.50) to a runaway five-length victory over Im the Best in the $14,696 Busselton Cup over 2680m.
Peterson’s partner Cassie Abbott was the stand-in trainer for Nullarbor Navajo, and she said that the mare would be set for upcoming feature events for mares. “Corey has a high opinion of her,” she said.
Nullarbor Navajo, the $1.30 favourite from the No. 1 barrier, set a moderate pace early before sprinting the final 400m sections in 27.4sec. and 28.1sec. as she defeated the breeze horse Ima Fivestar General ($6) by five metres, rating 1.56.1.
This took Nullarbor Navajo’s record to 39 starts for 11 wins, 12 placings and $94,352. She is by American stallion Betterthancheddar and is the fifth foal out of Courage Under Fire mare Teen Dreams, a winner of three Victorian country events from 34 starts.
Ideal Agent resumes in style
Talented New Zealand-bred pacer Ideal Agent has made a full recovery from a bowed tendon, and he made an impressive return to racing after a 13-month absence when he was not extended in winning the $31,000 Joe and Margaret Petricevich Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ideal Agent was the $2.30 second favourite from the No. 4 barrier in the 2130m event, and he was driven confidently by Deni Roberts, who was perfectly content to race the small but muscular stallion without cover while the $1.85 favourite Talks Up A Storm was setting the pace.
Kyle Harper gave Talks Up A Storm an easy time early, with a slow lead time of 38sec. followed by modest quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.2sec. before sprinting home with 400m sections of 27.5sec. and 28.1sec.
Ideal Agent cruised to the front 60m from the post and beat Talks Up A Storm by 2m, rating 1.55.7 in the small field of five runners.
“I planned to go forward to the breeze and did not want it to be a single file affair,” explained Roberts. “Ideal Agent was pretty keen off the gate. I was going to drive him pretty much the way he felt. He wanted to run the gate, so I went with him. He was quite keen throughout and I had a lot of horse underneath me.
“I wanted to keep back from the leader as I wanted to have the softest run as possible. But he went a bit harder than I wanted to. However, he showed his class at the end, and I did not release the ear plugs.”
The win gave Roberts and champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond the first leg of a double. They combined to win the following event with Mighthavtime.
Ideal Agent was having his first start since he won a 2536m Free-For-All on December 30, 2022. Soon after that he damaged his nearside fore tendon, and the Bonds gave him every chance to recover with a rehabilitation program which included a lot of exercising in the water in a walking machine.
Ideal Agent, a seven-year-old by American Ideal, won four times in New Zealand and his 27 starts for the Bond camp have produced 13 wins and eight placings, boosting his earnings to $259,495.
Our Maestoso is a star
Busselton trainer Barry Howlett was so impressed with the deeds of his brilliant trotter Sunnys Little Whiz seven and eight years ago that he purchased a close relation at a 2019 New Zealand weanling sale.
Howlett paid $8000 for the weanling who is now a five-year-old and is emerging as a square gaited superstar.
The gelding, who is by Canadian sire Majestic Son, races under the name of Our Maestoso, and he maintained his outstanding form with a splendid first-up victory in the $31,000 Pick Your Race Name Trotters Sprint over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Our Maestoso is closely related to Sunnys Little Whiz, who had 48 starts for 18 wins, 15 placings and $150,140. The highlight of his career was his victory in the group 1 Trotters Cup in December 2016.
Now Howlett is setting Our Maestoso for the $50,000 Trotters Cup next Friday week. “I think Our Maestoso could even be better than Sunnys Little Whiz,” he said. “He should be unbeaten. His only defeats have been when he finished third behind Bromwich when he couldn’t get out until the race was all over, and when he pulled a shoe and galloped before finishing sixth.”
Our Maestoso has raced only 13 times for eleven wins and stakes of $70,080. He is the second foal out of Letz Hope, whose first foal Zigzagzoo has had 39 starts for six wins, 13 placings and $55,175.
Explaining why Our Maestoso has raced only 13 times, Howlett said: “He has just turned five, and there were no races here for two and three-year-olds. So, we had to put him in the paddock until he was four.
“He has been working good at home but is still very big (in condition) and he will improve heaps on that run. He won easily, with the ear plugs in.”
Our Maestoso was the $3.60 second fancy on Friday night when Chris Lewis got him away smartly from barrier four, while the polemarker and $3 favourite Patched galloped badly and settled down a distant last before making up a lot of ground to finish eighth in the field of twelve.
Our Maestoso rated 1.58.9 and beat $19 chance Evas Image, who put in a splendid performance to fight on doggedly after racing without cover all the way. Tricky Ric, racing first-up, was a $4 chance from the outside of the back line. He raced in the one-out, one-back position for much of the way and fought on gamely to finish third.
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