02 September 2024 | Ken Casellas
Soho Dow Jones is the icing on the cake
Before travelling to Gloucester Park on Friday night reinsman Mitch Miller purchased a passion fruit sponge cake to give to astute trainer Kim Prentice for his 63RD birthday — and then he presented him with further gifts by driving a double with Soho Dow Jones and Crowd Control.
Miller said that the wins were a just reward for Prentice, who has been working overtime during the past couple of months to keep his stable’s pacers fit and well.
“All our horses have been affected by an infection for the past month or two, and their heart rates are now starting to come down, showing that they are recovering better from their work,” said Prentice.
The 29-year-old Miller excelled in the sulky to win the $50,000 The Running Camel Binshaw Pace with Soho Dow Jones, 30 minutes after scoring a brilliant victory with Crowd Control in the $21,000 Adopt A Camel Pace.
“The double has been a good result, particularly after the whole stable has been sick and Kim has had a tough time over the past month or so,” said Miller.
“Every horse on the property has been crook, suffering from a virus and gut issues, and Kim has had his work cut out treating the horses, getting medication, doing bloods and making sure that they are all cherry ripe — and making me look good.”
Soho Dow Jones was a $16.50 chance from the No. 4 barrier in the Binshaw Pace, and Miller drove aggressively by sending the five-year-old forward, three wide, in the first lap to race in the breeze, with the $2 favourite All Is Well setting the pace.
All Is Well set comfortable times with a lead time of 37.2sec. and opening quarters of 30.1sec. and 31.4sec. before the tempo was lifted with smart final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 28sec.
Soho Dow Jones moved on terms with All Is Well with 350m to travel before gaining a clear advantage before the home turn and going on to win by 2m from the $2.90 second favourite Miki Jet, who began from the inside of the back line and trailed the pacemaker.
Miller held Soho Dow Jones back in the breeze to keep the brilliant Miki Jet under lock and key on the pegs until Gary Hall jnr was finally able to get into the clear 120m from the post. But by that time Soho Dow Jones was a clear leader and had the victory sewn up.
Chivalry ($10) finished third after enjoying an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position, while All Is Well wilted to finish fourth.
“Soho Dow Jones showed a lot of heart,” said Miller. “He has been flying in Free-For-Alls in this campaign.”
Soho Dow Jones, who finished third behind Tricky Miki and Wonderful To Fly in the Golden Nugget last December, has earned $226,405 from 15 wins and 17 placings from 62 starts.
Star Casino resumes in style
Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams produced Star Casino in fine fettle for his return to racing after a 15-week absence when Dylan Egerton-Green drove him to victory in the $19,000 Rex Far Too Good Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred five-year-old was the $2.70 favourite from barrier four, and he appeared to be in trouble when he raced three wide for the first 200m and then in the breeze for the next 500m before he was able to enjoy the ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position behind Lets Get Rockin, who had dashed forward from the rear to work in the breeze on the outside of the polemarker Withoutthetuh ($8).
After a third quarter of 28sec. Star Casino got to the front 120m from the post and held on grimly to beat the fast-finishing $2.80 second fancy Flying Rumour by a half-head, rating 1.57.1 over 2130m.
Veteran Rock Me Over ($31) finished with a spirited burst from tenth at the bell to be third.
“It probably worked out for us that Shannon (Suvaljko) was on our outside (with Flying Rumour in the final stages),” said Egerton-Green. “On the corner, Star Casino really lifted from there.
“He is a funny horse; he’s on the bit, flat-out, one minute, and off the bit the next. With more racing, he should keep improving. They (the connections) were hoping for a better preparation this time than the previous one (when he won once and was placed once from six starts).”
Star Casino is by Bettors Delight and is the eighth and last foal out of the Christian Cullen mare Star Of Venus (23 starts for two wins, six placings and $20,098). Star Casino now has had 48 starts for ten wins, nine placings and stakes of $124,160.
His 33 starts in New Zealand produced five wins and six placings, and he has had 15 starts in WA for five wins and three seconds. He gave a sample of his class when he won the group 3 Four-Year-Old Championship at Gloucester Park last December when he defeated Alcopony and Hoppys Way.
Two wins in four days
Promising pacer Goodfellaz has returned to racing after a seven-month absence in splendid form for trainer Debra Lewis, winning first-up at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening and then repeating the dose three nights later with an effortless all-the-way win in the 2130m Rattlin Lilly Pace over 2130m at headquarters on Friday night.
“He’s been in the paddock for quite a while with a few aches and pains,” said champion reinsman Chris Lewis. “There’s been nothing serious; just a few little niggles. I’m happy with him so far and he should enjoy a good campaign.
“Tonight, he was able to lead, and that made it easier. He was nice and relaxed after he pulled a bit when racing in the breeze on Tuesday.”
Goodfellaz, who was bred by Mrs Lewis, was a warm $1.50 favourite who began fast from barrier five and burst straight to the front on Friday night. He was not challenged in the early stages as he ambled through the lead time in 38.3sec. and covered the opening quarters comfortably in 30.9sec. and 30.2sec. before he sprinted strongly over the final 400m sections in 28.6sec. and 27.5sec.
He rated 1.57.5 and won by more than four lengths from the $5 second fancy Sugar Apple, who finished solidly after racing three back on the pegs.
Goodfellaz is by American Ideal and is the seventh foal out of Shes Innocent (14 starts for one win, four placings and $12,460). He now has earned $127,319 from eleven wins and ten placings from 29 starts.
Shes Innocent’s first foal Restrepo was an outstanding performer in Victoria and New South Wales who was retired with a splendid record of 49 starts for 19 wins, ten placings and stakes of $527,118. His victories included group 1 events at Menangle and Ballarat just over a decade ago.
Nickys Son storms home
Veteran square gaiter Nickys Son maintained his wonderfully consistent form when he came from a seemingly hopeless position to score an easy win in the $21,000 Never Trot Lodge Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The eight-year-old who started from the inside of the back line and at the attractive odds of $15.40, raced in ninth position, four back on the pegs and was hemmed in on the inside in second last place 400m from home.
However, Chris Lewis was able to get Nickys Son into the clear 100m later and the WA-bred gelding stormed home to hit the front at the 50m mark and win by a length from the pacemaker and $1.90 favourite Hold That Gold.
Lewis never gave up hope of obtaining a clear run in the final circuit. “Down the back I thought it would unfold,” he said. “It doesn’t always work out that way, but it looked like it was going to unfold just right with the horse in the one-out line dropping back, and once we got clear Nickys Son motored home and won comfortably.”
Nickys Son, who is trained by Michael Munro, now has raced 54 times for eleven wins, 19 placings and $89,321. Munro celebrated the victory at Bunbury on Saturday night when he trained and drove Queenie Daisy to win a 2100m event for three-year-old fillies.
Montana Glory is on the way up
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Montana Glory strengthened her prospects of developing into a major player in the rich feature events for mares later this year when she gave a superb performance to win the 2130m Al Pal Bell Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was her third win from four starts in her current preparation, and her trainer Mike Reed and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko are looking forward with much anticipation to Montana Glory contesting the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 8 and the $150,000 Mares Classic on November 15.
Montana Glory was the $1.20 favourite from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night, and she was not extended in setting the pace and beating $23 chance La Vista by almost four lengths, rating 1.57.5 after a slow lead time of 38.5sec. and opening quarters of 31.1sec. and 29.9sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 27.6sec.
“This was a perfect race for her, not having to fight for the early lead with the No. 1 horse (Maddy Maddy) not having a lot of gate speed,” said Suvaljko. “And she is running through the line hard.”
Montana Glory is improving in leaps and bounds and she now has had 25 starts for six wins, 12 placings and $103,174. Her 18 WA starts have resulted in five wins and eight placings.
She is by Always B Miki and is the first foal out of Mach Three mare Pacific Glory, whose elder half-brother Hug The Wind amassed $561,426 in stakes from 17 wins and 41 placings from 100 starts. Hug The Wind won eight times in New Zealand and was successful twice in Australia before being sent to the United States where he won another seven times.
Hug The Wind showed his class when he finished a half-head second to Ideal For Real in the New South Wales Derby at Menangle in March 2015.
Sugar Street ends a drought
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Sugar Street ended a 20-month drought and a losing sequence of 16 when he bounced back to form with an impressive victory in the 2130m We Love Our Members Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Sugar Street, a $13.20 chance, was restrained from barrier five by Chris Voak while the polemarker Let It Linga ($4.40) resisted an early challenge for the lead from the $2.05 favourite Lombo Mitchinson, who was forced to race without cover.
Voak was content for Sugar Street to enjoy an ideal passage in sixth place in the one-out, two-back position. Finally, Lombo Mitchinson was able to dash to the front with 450m to travel.
Dark Eyes, a $7 chance, had a perfect trip, one-out and one-back, before Shannon Suvaljko sent him to the front, out three wide, 220m from home. But he was unable to hold out Sugar Street, who took the lead in the final 50m and beat him by a half-length, rating 1.57.3.
This was Sugar Street’s fourth start after a spell, and his win came as no surprise after three promising efforts — third placings behind Good Times Ahead and behind Chivalry and Soho Dow Jones, and an excellent fourth behind Twobob Cracker after covering a lot of extra ground.
“Sugar Street is heading in the right direction,” said Voak. “He ran through the line very well.”
Sugar Street, trained in Busselton by Barry Howlett, is by Bettors Delight and is the third foal out of Christian Cullen mare Tuapeka Maddy, who managed one win in a minor race in New Zealand from eleven starts.
Sugar Street is a half-brother to former outstanding pacer Culpeka, who was trained by Howlett before a leg injury ended his career after his nine WA starts produced six wins and two thirds which boosted his career record to 28 starts for ten wins, six placings and $161,397.
Crowd Control enjoys a new role
Crowd Control, a noted frontrunner, was seen in a different role at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he worked hard in the breeze before scoring an easy victory in the $21,000 Adopt A Camel Pace over 2130m.
Trained by Kim Prentice and driven assertively by Mitch Miller, Crowd Control, the $4.10 third favourite, settled at the rear before Miller dashed him forward after 700m to move to the breeze 1200m from home while $9 chance Loucid Dreams was setting the pace.
Crowd Control surged to the front with 130m to travel and went on to win, with the ear plugs still in, by almost three lengths from Loucid Dreams, rating 1.58.3 after a final 400m of 27.9sec.
“This is the first campaign that we have worked him like a good horse,” said Miller. “He has really taken it in his stride and has developed a level of confidence.”
Crowd Control is on target to develop into a candidate for the rich events for four-year-olds in November and December. He has earned $151,403 from ten wins and 21 placings from 42 starts.
By American sire Control The Moment, Crowd Control is the third foal out of Barnett Hanover mare Just Visiting, who had 25 starts for two wins (at Bunbury in 2015) and two thirds for stakes of $10,398.
Talks Up A Storm lives up to his name
The aptly-named WA-bred six-year-old Talks Up A Storm has lived up to his name for much if his career, and he continues to delight his trainer Murray Lindau with his excellent efforts on the track.
By American sire Artspeak and out of the New Zealand-bred mare Typhoon Tan, Talks Up A Storm is the first pacer to have earned in excess of $300,000 for Lindau.
Driven by Kyle Harper, Talks Up A Storm, the $4.60 third favourite, gave a dashing frontrunning display to win the $31,000 The Lady Camel Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night to take his career record to 72 starts for 18 wins, 19 placings and stakes of $319,292.
“He is the first horse I’ve trained to have earned $300,000,” said a proud Lindau, whose previous best earner was Chiaroscuro, who amassed $231,127 from 17 wins and 28 placings from 85 starts. Chiaroscuro was retired after Harper had driven him to victory over Vampiro at Gloucester Park on July 16, 2021.
“Talks Up A Storm was a storm in a teacup as a baby,” said the 70-year-old Lindau. “He was all over the shop, going at a hundred miles an hour and leaving me wondering how I could get it all under control.
“Typhoon Tan had a character which said she would do just what she wanted to. Talks Up A Storm had a similar character, but he is now becoming a much better racehorse.”
Talks Up A Storm is the first foal out of Typhoon Tan, who raced three times in New Zealand as a two-year-old for two second placings before continuing her career in WA, ending with earnings of $141,722 from 14 wins and 24 placings from 74 starts.
Talks Up A Storm made a wonderful start to his career when, on debut, he won the group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park in February 2020.
On Friday night, Talks Up A Storm began brilliantly from out wide at barrier six to burst to the front, and then after modest opening quarters of 31.2sec. and 29.6sec. he sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.1sec. and 27.7sec. to win by just under a length from the $3.20 favourite The Miki Taker, who fought on doggedly after racing in the breeze all the way. Sangue Reale ($11) finished strongly from sixth at the bell to be third.
“The plan was to lead,” said Lindau. “That’s his biggest asset, his gate speed, and he also has options if he doesn’t lead. From out wide, he begins so much better than he does when he’s drawn close to the fence.
“I’ve got to be a bit careful with him because of his constitution which is not overly great. He put the writing on the wall the previous Friday when second to Aardiebytheseaside (following his second to Never Ending and his third behind Tenzing Bromac).”
Retirement is postponed
Plans were in place for five-year-old mare Make Your Mark to have her final start in a race at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. But when she gave a wonderful performance to finish fourth behind Seagrass it was decided to delay her retirement.
Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey then made a late nomination for Make Your Mark to run at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She was made an emergency for the 2130m Camel Time Pace — and gained a start when Disco Under Fire was scratched when he was found to be sore in the off hind leg.
With Emily Suvaljko already down to drive Seven No Trumps, Turvey engaged Gary Hall jnr to drive Make Your Mark.
Make Your Mark began from barrier seven and she raced three wide for the first 400m before moving to the breeze, with the $2.70 favourite Major Overs setting a sold pace.
Make Your Mark finished determinedly to beat Major Overs by a nose, rating 1.58.2.
“Make Your Mark was actually going to retire (to the breeding barn), and this was going to be her final run at Pinjarra on Monday,” explained Turvey. “Sarah (Wall) brought a halter to Pinjarra, preparing to take her home.
“But Make Your Mark ran so well that we changed our plans. She is also an acceptor for a race at Gloucester Park on Tuesday, and that is likely to be her swan song.
“She likes doing a heap of work in her races, and you can drive her tough. So that was the plan tonight to race without cover.”
Make Your Mark will be driven by Emily Suvaljko when she begins from barrier No. 5 in the third event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening when she will again do battle with Major Overs, who has drawn more favourably at barrier No. 3.
Make Your Mark is by Somebeachsomewhere and is the fifth foal out of Bettors Delight mare El Jay Lombo, who raced 14 times in Victoria for one win, six placings and $8000 in prizemoney. Make Your Mark’s half-brother Wesley had a highly successful career for the Wall family, earning $163,186 from 15 wins and 12 placings from 53 starts.
Skylord stakes his claim
Skylord unleashed a sizzling burst of speed to charge home from last in a field of eleven at the 120m mark in the home straight to storm to a spectacular last-stride victory in the $21,000 Happy 90TH Birthday Des Parr Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Rarely has a pacer produced such a remarkable late charge to win a race at Gloucester Park, and Skylord’s win was convincing proof that he will develop into a serious contender for the rich feature events for four-year-olds in November and December.
Skylord, racing first-up for three months for trainer-driver Jocelyn Young, was a $10 chance from out wide at barrier No. 8. He was restrained at the start and raced at the rear while the $2.05 favourite Rock Artist was setting the pace from Gully Gum ($19) in the breeze.
When $2.35 second favourite Louie Dior came from sixth at the bell to burst to the front 280m from home it appeared he would go on and win easily. Young switched Skylord six wide on the home bend and the gelding was still last with 120m to travel before flying home with a jet-propelled surge to snatch an amazing victory.
Skylord rated 1.56.9 after final 400m sections of 27.7sec. and 29sec. Young said that she had worked the gelding harder than she had in the past to get him ready for a strong first-up performance.
“I have had a few dramas with him, mostly with his feet,” she said. “I try to keep him off the track as much as I can. I gallop him in the cart in the sand at home and have been trying to get him much more forward to come to the races. And I must thank farrier Kendal Laidlaw for his work.”
Skylord is owned by Young and her younger sister Madeliene, and the gelding has earned $176,996 from ten wins and ten placings from 27 starts. He was a gift from Jocelyn and Madeliene’s late grandparents Ray and Pam Grantham.
“So, he’s very special,” said Jocelyn. “This is also a special occasion because Madeliene is celebrating her 30TH birthday in Las Vegas.”
Skylord is continuing to show the great promise he did as a two-year-old when he finished second to Never Ending in the Golden Slipper and third to Never Ending in the Westbred Classic in September 2022.
Skylord is by Fly Like An Eagle and is the third foal out of Southern Legacy, who raced 26 times for six wins, ten placings and $81,326. She finished second to the brilliant Sensational Gabby in the WA Oaks in May 2012.
Skylord’s half-brother Gardys Legacy won the group 2 Pearl for three-year-olds in May 2020, and he won at nine of his 20 WA starts before going to America where he won another eight times.
Skylord’s half-brother Southern Rock made an impressive debut when he won a race for two-year-olds at Northam on July 26 this year.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
