By Adam Hamilton
The glamour girl is back.
Flying mare Arms Of Angel set Menangle alight with a 1min50.6sec trial win last week and the Perth Inter Dominion remains a chance.
But trainer Shane Tritton said nothing will be decided until the five-year-old gets a couple of runs under her belt this campaign.
The first of those looks set to be the Les Chant Cup at Menangle on September 24.
“She’s come through a harder than expected trial really well,” Tritton said. “We planned to give her an easy trial, but she does what she does and had other ideas.
“I’ve got to decide now whether we give her another trial or go straight to the races.”
Asked about the Inter Dominion, Tritton said: “It’s an option, but one we don’t have to think seriously about for another month or so.
“She’s good enough, but there are also lots of other options for her, including plenty of mares races.”
Tritton also nominated his exciting comeback pacer Lombo Kotakinablu for Perth.
HIGH profile trainer-drivers Nathan Jack and Amanda Turnbull have been suspended pending the outcome of an ongoing police investigation.
Jack and Turnbull were among four participants spoken to by police during the headline-grabbing events of Breeders Crown Day at Melton.
“In accordance with the rules … HRV stewards have directed the suspension of the licences of the four relevant particpants, with immediate effect, for no longer than three months (should circumstances remain the same) while the investigation continues,” a HRV statement said last week.
HE is small, but gee he’s good.
Little Chicago Bull continues to show why he will be testing material in the “triple crown” of four-year-old features during Inter Dominion time in Perth.
Trainer Gary Hall Sr won two of the three races last year with Beaudiene Boaz and Chicago Bull looks at least as good at the same time.
Chicago Bull posted his 10th successive win when he crushed a handy field in the opening race at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
He won the race down the back the last time when driver Gary Hall Jr mauled the leader Ohoka Squire in a 27.2sec split from the 800-400m.
Chicago Bull hit the front and held-off The Arsonist to win by 3,2m in a slick 1min56sec mile rate for 2130m.
Chicago Bull hasn’t been beaten since finishing third at Gloucester Park on New Year’s Day this year.
Another star performer at last Friday night’s meeting was Greg and Skye Bond’s Ima Connoisseur, who sat parked and won brilliantly in a 1min53.4sec mile rate for 1730m.
Stablemate and former Kiwi, Risk, enjoyed the one-one trail, but was no match for the winner.
At the same meeting, Inter Dominion hopeful Bettors Fire continued his strong build-up by winning the Howard Porter Memorial in a 1min57.5sec mile rate for 2130m.
The Kyle Harper-trained gelding, who was scratched during last year’s Inter Dom with an injury, has posted two wins and a big second from his three runs this campaign.
KERRYN Manning’s former Kiwi pacer Ideal Success was thought to be one of many horses disadvantaged by Victoria ditching standing-start racing for pacers this season.
The gelding had good standing start experience in NZ and won both the Ararat and Ouyen Cups from stands not long after moving from NZ to Manning’s stable early this year.
Importantly, Ideal Success showed his versatility when he resumed from a spell and won well from the mobile in The Gammalite (2240m) at Melton last Friday night.
He’s now won five of his seven starts in Aussie.
Ideal Success led, took a trail on the zippy Stunning Grin, then used the sprint lane to win by a half-neck in a 1min56.5sec mile rate.
NSW trainer Kevin Pizutto keeps cloking up the feature wins with his Kiwi imports.
The latest came last Saturday night when Match Point, a seven-year-old son of Bettors Delight, won the Group 3 Club Menangle New Season final (1609m).
Match Point, driven by forme Queenslander Brendan Barnes, has now won three of his past four starts and found career-best form.
Another of Bettors Delight’s progeny, former glamour Kiwi filly Katy Perry, blazed the track at Menangle for Shane and Lauren Panella.
Katy Perry took 1.7sec off her lifetime best with a 10.7m win in a sizzling 1min51.1sec mile.
Lauren allowed her to roll along in front with splits of 27.1, 28.3, 27.3 and 28.4sec.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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