10 November 2022 | Ken Casellas
Magnificent Storm ready to atone
Star pacer Magnificent Storm is poised to make amends for his surprise defeat last week by winning the group 1 $100,000 Barbagallo James Brennan Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night and becoming only the third multiple winner in this feature event.
Magnificent Storm made most of the running in last year’s Brennan Memorial and held on to beat Vampiro by a head.
The only pacers to have won the Brennan Memorial more than once in the 55-year history of the race have been Village Kid and Shattering Class.
Village Kid won in 1986, 1987 and 1990, and Shattering Class won in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Magnificent Storm was a hot $1.40 favourite in a 2536m Free-For-All last Friday night when he started from the outside barrier (No. 9) and failed to settle and overraced. He dashed forward from seventh soon after the start and raced in the breeze, with Hurricane Harley setting the pace.
He took the lead 550m from home but wilted in the final stages to finish fourth behind Patronus Star, Cordero and Mighty Conqueror. This week the Ray Williams-trained Magnificent Storm will start from the No. 5 barrier on the front line and his driver Aldo Cortopassi will determine his tactics as the race unfolds.
Cortopassi, who drove Just Jasper to victory in the 2008 Brennan Memorial, is quite likely to drive Magnificent Storm with a sit, considering the excellent gate speed to his inside with Stroke Of Luck (barrier one), To Fast To Serious (three) and Hampton Banner (four) all possessing abundant early speed.
Stroke Of Luck’s two most recent victories have been when he has set the pace; To Fast To Serious has led at seven of his 17 wins; and Hampton Banner has won nine times when leading at Gloucester Park.
Chris Lewis, who drives Hampton Banner, has won the Brennan Memorial a record eight times.
To Fast To Serious, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, looms large as a serious rival to Magnificent Storm. It is an intriguing situation, with Cortopassi having driven To Fast To Serious to 16 of his 17 wins, and it is also interesting to note that To Fast To Serious has won only once over 2536m (the distance of Friday night’s race) from eight appearances over that journey.
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond have been prominent in the past few years in the Brennan Memorial, having scored with Vampiro in 2018 when he defeated his stablemate Our Jimmy Johnstone, who won the race the following year when he beat stablemate El Jacko. And then Vampiro was beaten into second place in a tight photo finish by Magnificent Storm last year.
The Bonds will be pinning their faith in Patronus Star, who will be driven by Deni Roberts from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line. Patronus Star was most impressive last Friday night when, at his first outing for 15 weeks he charged home from last to score a decisive victory over Cordero at a 1.57.3 rate over 2536m.
Cordero, trained by Trevor Wright and to be driven by Kyle Harper, is favourably drawn at barrier two on Friday night, and will have admirers after his fine effort last week when he surged home from eighth at the bell to finish second to Patronus Star.
Serpentine trainer Gary Hall snr, who has won the Brennan Memorial with Alzona (2011), Waylade (2016) and Chicago Bull (2017), will be represented by Diego (barrier nine) and backline runners Gambit and Wildwest.
Gary Hall jnr will handle Wildwest, Maddison Brown will be in the sulky behind Diego and Stuart McDonald will drive Gambit.
Young seeks first group 1 victory
Rising star trainer Michael Young makes no secret that he considers Eighteen Carat the best pacing mare in Western Australia, and he has high hopes the five-year-old will give him his first group 1 victory by proving too smart for her rivals in the $100,000 Barbagallo Norms Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“This will be the first decent crack I’ve had at winning a group 1 race,” he said.
Eighteen Carat, to be driven, as usual, by Gary Hall jnr, has drawn rather awkwardly out wide at barrier seven. But the New Zealand-bred five-year-old who has won at six of her past eight starts, has the ability to overcome this disadvantage.
After Eighteen Carat had set the pace and strolled to victory over Bettor Get It On and Booraa last Friday night Hall said: “She is one of the few mares capable of winning from any barrier.”
It is most unlikely that Eighteen Carat will be able to burst straight to the front, considering that there many of her rivals possess excellent gate speed, particularly the mares drawn barriers one, two, three, four and five.
Purest Silk (barrier one) has led and won at Pinjarra (twice) and at Gloucester Park and Bunbury; Fifty Five Reborn (barrier two) has led and won ten times; Miss Limelight (barrier three) has won four times after setting the pace; Vivere Damore (barrier four) is an all-the-way winner six times: and Star Of Diamonds (barrier five) has won five times after leading.
However, perhaps the greatest danger to Eighteen Carat will be the Jocelyn Young-trained and driven The Amber Hare, who will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, immediately behind the fast-starting Fifty Five Reborn.
The Amber Hare is in sparkling form and looks set to fight out the finish. She warmed up for this week’s race with a brilliant victory at a 1.56.7 rate over 2130m last Friday week when she started from the outside of the back line and surged forward to take up the running on her way to winning easily from the WA Oaks winner Taking The Miki.
Booraa, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, ran a splendid trial for this week’s event when she raced three back on the pegs before sprinting home strongly to finish third behind Eighteen Carat last week.
The Bond stable has been prominent in the recent Norms Daughter Classic events with Ryan Warwick driving Our Alfie Romeo from barrier one to an all-the-way victory over Arma Indie in 2019 before Our Alfie Romeo finished second to stablemate Wainui Creek in 2020. And then Wainui Creek led from the No. 1 barrier and finished third behind Born To Boogie and Balcatherine last November.
Born To Boogie, trained by Ross Olivieri and to be driven by Chris Lewis, faces a stern test this week after drawing the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line. She resumed after a spell last Friday night when she started from the inside of the back line and trailed the pacemaker Eighteen Carat before being hampered for room until late when a close-up seventh behind that mare.
Prince Of Pleasure set for seven in a row
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Prince Of Pleasure is one of the State’s best up-and-coming pacers and he should notch his seventh win in a row in the space of 28 months by proving the master of his eleven rivals in the opening event, the 1730m Barbagallo Luxury Cars Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His winning streak began at his final appearance in New Zealand, in a 2200m mobile event at Alexandra Park on July 1, 2020, when he began from the outside barrier in a field of seven and raced in last position until he revealed a dazzling burst of speed to come from last at the 800m to surge to the front 150m later on his way to winning easily from the pacemaker Marathon Man after sprinting over the final 400m sections in 27.7sec. and 27.4sec.
Prince Of Pleasure arrived in Western Australia early in October 2020, but he bowed both tendons and was off the scene until he resumed racing at Gloucester Park on January 28 this year when he dashed to an early lead and won by three lengths from Valbonne, rating 1.56.5 over 2130m.
However, leg problems saw him sidelined until he reappeared at Gloucester Park on October 11 when he scored a comfortable win over 2130m.
Since then, he has raced at Pinjarra on the past three Mondays for easy victories. On Monday this week he sat behind the pacemaker The Stars Above and beat that pacer by three lengths, rating 1.52.9 over 1684m. A week earlier he rated 1.53.3 when he won easily from the talented El Chema.
Prince Of Pleasure, who will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, is one of nine horses prepared by trainer Gary Hall snr who will be in action on Friday night. The best of the other eight Hall runners appear to be Finvarra in race four and High price in race seven.
Finvarra has resumed after a spell in fine form. He followed his first-up head second to Markham Eyre with wins over Know When To Run and Armas Einstein. He will start from barrier six in a field of eight and will be driven by Stuart McDonald.
Hall jnr had the choice of five drives in this event, and he has given punters an important lead by choosing to handle the Michael Young-trained The Mustang, who will start from the outside barrier.
The Mustang has led and won at his first three starts in Western Australia, including his first run in the State when he revealed sparkling gate speed to lead from barrier seven before setting the pace and winning from The Kraken and Doc Holliday over 2130m on October 7.
Three-year-old High Price is poorly drawn at barrier eight in the seventh event, the 2536m Barbagallo Ferrari Pace, but he has the ability to overcome this disadvantage.
Punters also will give serious consideration to Soho Dow Jones (barrier nine), Rockmyster (inside of the back line) and the Ryan Bell-trained pair of Speedwagon and Swagger Man.
Soho Dow Jones, to be driven by Mitch Miller for trainer Kim Prentice, has had 20 starts for seven wins and six placings. He was a winner by six lengths from Vintage Blu, rating 1.57 over 2130m, three starts ago, and at his latest appearance he impressed greatly when he raced wide early and then had a tough run in the breeze before finishing doggedly into third place behind Been Scootin.
Dylan Egerton-Green trains and drives Rockmyster, who caught the eye when he finished powerfully from ninth at the bell to be third behind Been Scootin last Friday week.
Fanci A Dance is on song
Fanci A Dance, a hardy rising ten-year-old, is still racing with commendable spirit for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, and he gets an ideal opportunity to chalk up another victory when he begins from barrier three in the Barbagallo Land Rover Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Rock N Roll Heaven gelding has won only once from his past 23 starts but his placings at each of his past three starts have been excellent and he is sure to be prominent again on Friday night when Chris Voak is expected to have him in a forward position throughout the 2536m journey.
Fanci A Dance started from the back line in a 2130m event last Friday week when he raced three wide without cover for almost the entire race and still fought on grimly to finish third behind Whatabro and Doc Holliday.
Fanci A Dance, bred by Howlett and his son Jimmy, has been a grand competitor who now boasts a record of 81 starts for 14 wins, 28 placings and stakes of $164,017.
He will clash with smart five-year-old Ideal Agent, who will start from the No. 5 barrier and is sure to prove hard to beat, with his past 24 starts producing nine wins, eight seconds and three thirds for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and star reinsman Ryan Warwick.
Ideal Agent was slightly disappointing last Friday night when he settled in eighth position, worked forward after 400m and then raced in the breeze before battling on into second place behind the pacemaker Euphoria. He is sure to be improved by the effort.
Bracken Sky (barrier one) and Doc Holliday (two) will have many admirers. The Debbie Padberg-trained Bracken Sky (Shannon Suvaljko) will be making his first appearance since he started from the No. 1 barrier and set the pace and won from Ideal Charm at a 1.58.7 rate over 2130m on August 12. Suvaljko is expected to attempt another all-the-way win.
Doc Holliday, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, is sure to appreciate his most favourable draw since he started from the No. 2 barrier 18 starts ago and finished second to Ideal Agent last March.
Shannon Suvaljko has several good drives at the meeting and punters will be keen to support him when he handles the Mike Reed-trained pair of Blitzembye in race two and Ragazzo Mach in race nine.
Blitzembye will start from the inside of the back line in the 2130m Barbagallo Leaders In Motoring Excellence Pace, and if Suvaljko is able to get him into the clear he will be capable of finishing with a flourish. He started from 20m in a 2503m stand last Friday night and was tenth at the bell before surging home, out four wide, to finish third behind Robbie Rocket and Aussie Scooter.
Ragazzo Mach was most impressive last Friday week when he met with a check, broke and lost about six lengths soon after the start and was tenth and last at the bell before charging home, five wide, to finish third behind Rascal and Tensing Bromac.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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