By Adam Hamilton
COULD comeback pacer Restrepo be Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin’s best Perth Inter Dominion chance?
Most thought the former star, who hasn’t raced for 21 months, was third or fourth stringer behind the likes of Yankee Rockstar, Guaranteed and Ideal For Real.
With Ideal For Real scratched and Yankee Rockstar and Guaranteed going fairly but not superbly first-up, Restrepo is right back on the radar.
And the old guy certainly set tongues-wagging with the blistering trial win – leaving horses like Guaranteed and Major Crocker in his wake – at Melton last Tuesday.
The son of Art Major was scratched from a planned first-up run earlier this month with a hoof abscess, but now looks raring to go.
Chris Alford took the reins in the trial and was clearly there to give Restrepo a serious hitout.
He pushed forward from a wide draw and worked hard to find the lead after 500m, but then just kept running.
When you expected Major Crocker and Guaranteed to challenge on the final bend, Restrepo booted away to win by 11m in a blistering 1min52.5sec mile rate for 1720m, capped by closing splits of 55.1 and 27.9sec.
Major Crocker, who be driven by Jimmy Rattray in Perth, held-on quite well for second, while Guaranteed made a sustained run from near last in the 10-horse field for third, but was 15m from Restrepo.
IT was a night of near misses for top trainer Gary Hall Sr and his stable stars at Gloucester Park last Friday.
Beaudiene Boaz, still WA’s best home town hope in Inter Dominion markets, looked the winner halfway down the straight in the free-for-all, but couldn’t get past talented mare Tricky Styx.
Tricky Styx did produce a career-best performance in a slick 1min54.2sec mile rate and Beaudiene Boaz did all the work and missed by just a head.
The concern is Beaudiene Boaz, who was almost unbeatable this time last year, has won just once in his past seven starts.
A bigger shock came when Hall Sr’s buzz four-year-old Chicago Bull couldn’t get past the leader and only danger, Franco Rayner, in the $25,000 Preuc Chevalier Classic (2130m).
Like Beaudiene Boaz, Chicago Bull looked the winner halfway down the straight, but Franco Rayner lifted to win by a half-head in a 1min56.2sec mile rate for 2130m.
It was magical family moment for trainer Colin Brown and daughter, Madison, who drove Franco Rayner.
The other race with Inter Dominion flavour on the night was the opening event where the gifted but injury-plagued Joan Of Arc won powerfully in what will be a strong form race.
Joan Of Arc, humbled by Chicago Bull at his previous run, did plenty of work and lifted after looking beaten by the leader, Ideal Alice, to win by 2.5m in a 1min54.4sec mile rate for 2130m. The time was very similar to the free-for-all.
The eye-catching run came from third-placegetter Our Jimmy Johnstone, who sustained a three-wide run from last to finish third in closing splits of 26.8 and 28.7sec.
It was a fantastic first-up run and showed he would be competitive during the Inter Dominion with decent draws.
TOUGH NSW pacer Ultimate Art has hit peak form again ahead of a trip to Perth for the Inter Dominion.
The Michael Formosa-trained seven-year-old won a heat of the 2015 Sydney Inter Dominion then ran seventh to Beautide in the final.
His form dipped a little so Formosa sent him to Queensland for an extended campaign with trainer Shannon Price earlier this year and it worked wonders.
Since returning to Formosa in NSW, Ultimate Art has improved with each run and last Sunday’s Menangle victory was up with the best of his career.
Hot favourite Lombo Kotakinabalu returned from a minor setback and found the lead without spending too much petrol in a 27.4sec opening split, then Formosa made a move around the field to parked.
Ultimate Art really drilled Lombo Kotakinabalu from the 800m to 400m in a 26.7sec split and then outstayed him in a 27.2sec closing quarter to win by 1.6m.
That’s a 53.9sec last half and a 1min50.4sec mile.
“He’s right where I want him. He’s so tough,” Formosa said.
Trainer Shane Tritton wasn’t disappointed with Lombo Kotakinabalu, who he thinks is a Miracle Mile horse.
“He had the one trial, but we knew he’d improve on whatever he did today. He went down fighting and now it’s just a matter of getting some more racing into him in the lead-up to the good races,” he said.
Tritton’s stable star Arms Of An Angel is close to a return.
“There’s a chance she will run next weekend, otherwise it will be the week after that,” he said.
BRENT Lilley won the feature trot at Melton last Saturday night, but not with the horse most expected.
Lilley’s champion trotter Keystone Del dominated betting, but had to be content with a well-beaten second to his stablemate Maori Time in the Group 3 Derby Royale free-for-all.
Geoff Webster drove Maori Time a couple of times in mid-2013 and was reunited with the classy mare last Saturday. It proved an inspired move by Lilley.
Maori Time whizzed to the front from gate four was always cruising before slipping away on her rivals rounding the home bend and winning by 7.9m in a slick 1min58.1sec mile rate for 2240m.
It was the seven-year-old’s 18th win from 46 starts and edged her close to $300,000 in earnings.
Keystone Del settled near last, moved around to sit parked at the bell, but never looked like catching the leader.
SUPERSTAR pacer Our Waikiki Beach had a fantastic 2015/16 season in NSW, but did he deserve the NSW Horse of the Year title ahead of his stablemate Have Faith In Me?
The title is decided by votes from the NSW media and 63 per cent of them picked Our Waikiki Beach.
Yes Our Waikiki Beach raced more often with his nine NSW starts netting eight wins, but I believe Have Faith In Me had a much bigger impact.
Have Faith In Me raced four times and in NSW and won them all at Menangle, including the Group 1 Chariots Of Fire and that breathtaking, record-breaking 1min47.5sec Miracle Mile win.
The only Group race Our Waikiki Beach contested in NSW last season was the Derby, which he won well.
There are bigger issues in the sport, but this is another example why today’s dwindling pool of genuine harness racing media should not be the jury for such prestigious awards.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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