By Adam Hamilton
IF there were any lingering queries about glamour four-year-old Chicago Bull they are gone now.
Gary Hall Sr’s latest star was simply breathtaking beating some quality open-aged rivals in slick time at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
He is very clearly the horse to beat in the 4YO Triple Crown during the upcoming Perth Inter Dominion series.
It was a game of cat-and-mouse early between Chicago Bull and his main danger, John Of Arc, back in the field, but things changed when Gary Hall Jr unleashed the favourite around the field to take the front.
John Of Arc kept the pressure on throughout, but Chicago Bull was always cruising and left his rivals standing on the final bend to win by 10.2m in a flying 1min54.8sec mile rate for 2130m.
He’s now won 12 of his past 13 starts.
The fast-class race on the night went to the in-form Our Jericho for trainer Ross Olivieri and driver Chris Alford from the pole.
Lewis used the draw to lead and Our Jericho won well from the talented Delightful Offer in a marginally quicker time than Chicago Bull at 1min54.6sec.
It was also great to see classy Swedish-bred trotter Cardigan Boko returned to his best form at just his second run back from 11 months on the sidelines with injury.
The Neven Botica-owned Cardigan Boko put a gap in his rivals winning by 25.7m and running s brisk 1min58.7sec mile rate for 2130m.
THE signs are good with gifted pacer Bling It On.
The former superstar juvenile has been on a form rollercoaster ride since dipping into open-class racing.
He finished last year in good style, but was winless in nine starts between January 23 and June 18, this year.
Connections conceded he simply wasn’t firing and sent him for a spell after a lacklustre fifth at menangle on June 18.]
So it was fantastic to see the now six-year-old sparkle in a Menangle trial last Tuesday.
Bling It On won by 12.4m in a 1min52.1sec mile and showed all his trademark brilliance with a 26.4sec closing quarter.
Another to impress at the same trials was Shane and Lauren Tritton’s former exciting juvenile Salty Robyn, who won by 25m in a 1min52.4sec mile.
CLASSY mare Whereibylong added another feature win to her fantastic record at Melton last Friday night.
The Emma Stewart-trained six-year-old has boasts a better than 50 per cent winning strike rate and is edging towards $450,000 in earnings.
Whereibylong returned from a month let-up and won narrowly impressively with a 1min53.8sec mile rate in the Group 3 Tailamade Lombo.
Driver Chris Alford worked to the front from outside the front row, maintained a solid tempo and 54.6 and 27.2sec to beat the improving Lance Justice mare Hu Hu R U by a neck.
The other head-spinning win of the night came from Lee Evison’s former exciting youngster Mister Wickham, who produced a career-best win in race five.
Driven confidently by Greg Sugars, Mister Wickham made a midrace move to sit parked in very quick times and still easily held-off classy mare Miley Rose in a scorching 1min54.4sec mile rate for the longer 2240m trip.
On the same night, former Kiwi trotter Conon Bridge made it four wins from five runs since switching to Brent Lilley’s barn after the Breeders Crown.
The four-year-old was given a gun-run by Anthony Butt, but did carry a flat tyre and still post a solid 1min58sec mile rate for 1720m.
TRAINER Kevin Pizzuto will be watching the next update of Perth Imter Dominion rankings very closely.
Pizzuto is keen to take his emerging pacer Blow A Cloud to the series, but only if he’s safely inside the cut-off for a start in the heats.
That’s going to prove a challenge given Blow A Cloud was way down at 92 in the second rankings list.
Since then the son of Real Desire has won in a sizzling 1min50.7sec at Menangle and run a huge second from the back row after covering plenty of ground last Saturday night.
The race was won by the talented Shannonsablast, who was competitive through the heats of last year’s Inter Dominion in Perth.
HE might not be a Grand Circuit horse anymore, but veteran Queensland pacer Avonnova is still a great money-spinner.
A hardluck story in last year’s Perth Inter Dominion, the now 10-year-old led throughout to beat stablemate Ideal Scott in the free-for-all at Albion Park last Saturday night.
Avonnova, who was claimed for $20,000 by trainer Ian Gurney almost three years ago, has won 48 races with another 46 placings from his 150 starts and earned $845,125.
FOR most people, Swan Hill Cup was all about the stunning Cup win by Hectorjayjay.
But for the popular and talented horseman Graham McDermott is was one of the best nights of his career.
McDermott won a feature double with Majestic Ess Jay in the Trotters’ Cup and Lucky Lombo in the Swan Hill Mile.
Lucky Lombo is building a terrific record with 10 wins from just 18 starts.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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