10 March 2022 | Ken Casellas
Miller aims for first group victory
Mitch Miller is enjoying a breakout season and is sitting in fourth position on the West Australian drivers’ premiership table with 27 winners after first ten weeks of the year — and he is excited at the prospect of landing his first winner of a group feature event when he drives Flametree in the $30,000 Trotsynd Gold Bracelet for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Flametree, prepared at Busselton by her part-owner Barry Howlett, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier in the group 3 Gold Bracelet over 1730m, and Miller is planning to use Flametree’s gate speed in a bid for an all-the-victory.
The 27-year-old Miller is driving with considerable skill and confidence, and he has handled Flametree in all of her four career starts for a debut win in Albany on February 4, followed by a third, a sixth and a second placing, all at Gloucester Park.
“Her past couple of runs have been very good (sixth behind Cabsav in the Sales Classic and second to Wanea last Friday night) because she has been coming from a long way back,” said Miller. “Her manners have been improving every week.
“Her manners were the best they’ve ever been last week, and even though she was beaten, she fought on real tough. Barry changed her shoes before last Friday’s race, and she went a lot better. Before that she was cross firing a bit and was racing greenly, like some two-year-olds do.
“They ran good time last week and her effort was full of credit. And last Friday was the best she has left the gate. I think from one this week she should have enough speed to hold up and go pretty close.”
Miller has driven in fifty group events for four placings in group two events and two placings in group 3 races.
Flametree, purchased for $40,000 at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, is by American sire Huntsville and is out of former top-flight mare Party Date. Flametree is a half-sister to eight winners, including Pierre Whitby, an all-the-way winner at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
One of Flametree’s main rivals looms large as August Moon, who will be driven by her trainer Luke Edwards from the No. 2 barrier. August Moon was a $41 outsider when she raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before finishing strongly to be a half-length second to Cabsav in the group 1 Sales Classic last Friday week.
Sweet Vivienne, Fly To Fame and American Monarch also will have admirers, with ace reinsman Kim Prentice looking forward to a strong showing from the Paula Petricevich-trained Sweet Vivienne, who led early (from barrier six) and then trailed the pacemaker and eventual winner Wanea before finishing a sound fourth last Friday night.
“I think that the run last week would have topped her off, and she should go a lot better this week,” said Prentice.
The Peter Anderson-trained Fly To Fame caught the eye when she raced in sixth place before finishing fast, three wide, to be third behind Wanea and Flametree last Friday night.
“We’re not helped by barrier eight this week,” said reinsman Chris Lewis. “But it was quite a nice run by Fly To Fame last week. We will just tuck away, and, hopefully, there’s a good pace, and we will be getting home if there is,” he said.
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo is pleased with the progress of American Monarch, who is awkwardly drawn at barrier six. American Monarch raced without a trail at her debut when a fighting second to Temukas Girl in a heat of the Sales Classic (in which Flametree finished third) and then finished fourth, less than a length behind the winner Cabsav in the Sales Classic final.
“She was a bit unlucky in the big race at her last start when she didn’t get out until late,” said de Campo.
Draw favours The Miki Taker
Impressive last-start winners The Miki Taker and Swingband look set for a fierce battle when they clash in the group 3 $40,000 Caduceus Club Classic over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Miki Taker has drawn favourably at the No. 2 barrier, with Swingband drawing the No. 4 barrier.
Talented trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo is delighted at The Miki Taker’s barrier, saying: “It’s a good barrier for him, with Swingband at four, and I hope to use the good barrier to advantage, with the plan being to jump to the front and set the pace with The Miki Taker.”
The Miki Taker sustained his excellent form and notched his sixth win when he started from barrier seven, raced without cover for the first lap and then set the pace before winning by a head from stablemate Rock On Top over 2130m last Friday night.
Rock On Top came from sixth at the bell to pass The Miki Taker and lead by a half-length 380m from home last Friday night before The Miki Taker dug deep to regain the lead and score a narrow victory at a smart rate of 1.55.6 after covering the final 400m section in 28.2sec. and 28.3sec.
“The Miki Taker has pulled up really well after his win, and I expect him to improve on that run,” said de Campo. “It was his first run for two weeks and he was a bit lazy. He tends to race sharper week-in, week-out.”
Swingband, trained by Ryan Bell and to be driven by Michael Grantham, won for the fifth time from ten starts when he was last in a field of twelve at the bell before finishing powerfully from tenth at the 600m and going five wide on the turn on his way to defeating Soho Santorini by two lengths, rating 1.57.4. Swingband was timed to run his final 800m in 55.5sec. and the last 400m in 28.4sec.
A week earlier Swingband raced in the breeze for much of the 2130m trip when a fighting second, a length behind the pacemaker Floewriter, who sprinted over the final 400m in 26.9sec. The Miki Taker was a nose behind Swingband in third place. He was extremely unlucky, being hopeless blocked for a run in the final stages of the race.
Chris Lewis has given punters a good lead by opting to drive Jackpot Joe (barrier five) in preference to Mister Montblanc (barrier three).
Jackpot Joe, a winner at five of his ten starts for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, when fourth behind The Miki Taker last Friday night when having his first start for a month.
“Jackpot Joe needed the run last week, and, hopefully, he will improve on that,” said Lewis. “It’s a difficult race, and he will need a bit of luck.”
Soho Santorini, trained and driven by Kim Prentice, warmed up for this week’s race with a solid second to Swingband last Friday week. But his prospects have been affected by a wide barrier, out at No. 8.
“The wide draw is definitely no help,” said Prentice. “I’ll go back and take short cuts. Soho Santorini has ability, but the draw makes it hard. We’ll duck and weave.”
Spy Major set for two in four days
The much-travelled New South Wales-bred five-year-old Spy Major has flourished since entering the Hopeland stables of Debra Lewis in December, and he has bright prospects of scoring twice in a week when he starts from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m The Caduceus Club Come Up And Join Us Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Spy Major impressed at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening when Chris Lewis drove him to an all-the-way victory, rating 1.57.8 over 2536m, despite hanging out for most of the way. He maintained a solid pace and dashed over the final four 400m sections in 29.7sec., 29.3sec., 28.7sec. and 29.2sec.
“He’s done pretty nicely,” said champion reinsman Chris Lewis. “This will be a step up for him, but from barrier two he should get a nice run. I expect Crocodile Kid (with a losing sequence of 17 and placed once from his past 16 starts) to be happy to take a trail (from the No. 1 barrier) and then we’ll work from there.
“Spy Major is not just a frontrunner. Two starts ago he did breeze and ran a nice third, only two- and a-bit metres from the winner (Apologize). So, he’s got a bit of versatility.”
Spy Major arrived in Western Australia last year after having won at three of his 31 starts for trainer John McCarthy in New South Wales, being unplaced at one appearance in Queensland winning once from five Victorian starts.
Adding interest to Friday night’s race will be the return to racing of the smart but lightly-raced seven-year-old Rockaball, who will having his first start for three months. The New Zealand-bred gelding, who will be driven by Micheal Ferguson for owner-trainer Caris Hamilton-Smith, will start from barrier No. 5.
Rockaball has had only 38 starts for ten wins and seven placings. His latest success was two starts ago when he settled down in twelfth and last position before dashing forward, three wide, after 600m and then working in the breeze on his way to an impressive victory over the pacemaker Joe With The Flow and Rupert Of Lincoln.
Valentines Brook (inside of the back line) and Doc Holliday (barrier two the back line) are racing with plenty of enthusiasm and are sure to appreciate a drop in class.
Hittheroadjack set to atone
Promising New Zealand-bred pacer Hittheroadjack will create considerable interest when he starts from the front line in a $20,250 stand over 2503m, The Caduceus Club Members Stakes, at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be the five-year-old’s second appearance at Gloucester Park — after he was the $1.08 favourite when he set a dawdling pace in a 2130m mobile event on September 28 and broke into a fierce gallop when in front 220m from home and dropped back to finish last behind Newsy.
That disappointing performance followed Hittheroadjack’s easy wins at Kellerberrin at his first two starts in Western Australia. Since his Gloucester Park failure Hittheroadjack, who is trained by Greg and Skye Bond, has had six starts at Pinjarra for four wins and two placings.
Three of those starts at Pinjarra were in stands for two wins (one after slewing sideways at the start and the other after racing in the breeze). His other start in a stand was when he suffered a gear malfunction, causing him to break and then recovering to finish third behind Gayle Force.
Hittheroadjack will be driven on Friday night by Dylan Egerton-Green, and the gelding’s stablemate Lawrence (Ryan Warwick) looks his most serious rival.
Lawrence, the lone backmarker off 30m, is an experienced and capable standing-start performer. Two starts ago he began off the 60m mark and finished strongly to be a head second to Hittheroadjack, who started off 30m.
Then at his next and most recent start Lawrence, in a 2185m mobile event at Pinjarra last Monday week dashed forward in the middle stages to set the pace on his way to victory over Mister Bushido, with a final quarter of 27.2sec.
The Bond stable also has bright prospects of ending Friday night’s program with a win. The stable will be represented by smart four-year-olds Jett Star (barrier one) and Give Us A Wave (barrier three) in the 2130m gloucesterpark.com.au Pace.
Warwick will drive Jett Star, and Deni Roberts will be in the sulky behind Give Us A Wave. Jett Star has warmed up for this assignment with easy trial wins over 2150m at Byford on the past two Sundays. He will be fancied to set the pace and prove too strong for Give Us A Wave, who will be having his second start after a spell, following a fading first-up ninth behind Strike Team at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon after racing without cover.
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