27 April 2023 | Ken Casellas
Milestone looms for Bonds
Fears that brilliant pacer Ten To The Dozen would be unable to contest the $400,000 APG Gold Bullion final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Menangle on Saturday night have been allayed, and champion WA trainers Greg and Skye Bond are thrilled that their colt will be able to run in the big race.
Earlier in the week the Bonds were informed that because of extra freight there would be insufficient room for Ten To The Dozen to travel by plane to Sydney on Wednesday night.
But that problem has been solved and Ten To The Dozen, a brilliant winner at his past four starts, has drawn favourably at barrier three in the rich Sydney feature in which he will be driven by star Sydney reinsman Luke McCarthy.
Because of the grave doubt about Ten To The Dozen being able to fly to Sydney, he was also an acceptor for the $50,000 Allwood Stud Farm Champagne Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night. His scratching from that race has resulted in the emergency runner, his stablemate Prince Of Pain gaining a start and will be driven by Deni Roberts.
A win by Ten To The Dozen in Sydney could be extremely significant — it could well give the Bonds plenty to celebrate in achieving a memorable milestone, the 2000TH winner for the training partnership.
When Roberts drove Sista Sammy to a superb all-the-way victory in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening it gave the Bond training partnership its sixth winner from its past seven starters. It also took the combination’s training record to 1998 wins from 8134 starters — a remarkable average of 25 per cent winners — to go with 2247 placegetters at an average of 28 per cent.
The Bonds have high hopes of chalking up winner No. 1999 with smart three-year-old Fess Up in the opening event on Friday night, the 2130m Allwood Stud Devoted To Breeding Excellence Pace. Fess Up, who will be driven by Roberts from barrier five, has resumed after a spell in fine style with three easy wins from three starts over the past month.
Apart from Fess Up, the Bonds also will be looking for strong efforts from Jett Star and stablemate Roll Up in race eight. Jett Star, who has finished second at his past two outings, is perfectly drawn at barrier No. 1 and should provide strong opposition for El Chema, Faster Than Dad and Ima Fivestar General.
The Bonds, who have won 16 group 1 events, 31 group 2 features and 35 at group 3 level, have made a flying start to the 2023 season, and with 61 winners and 51 placegetters from 191 starters, they hold a lead of 30 over Michael Young on the trainers’ premiership table.
In the APG WA Gold Bullion final last Friday night Ten To The Dozen charged straight to the front from the outside barrier in the field of four and gave a superb frontrunning performance to win by a length and a half from Manhattan Moon, who trailed him all the way. The final 400m was covered in a sparkling 27.1sec.
Manhattan Moon, trained by Justin Prentice, will start from barrier three on Friday night and should again be prominent. Gary Hall jnr has given punters an important lead by choosing to drive Manhattan Moon in preference to Byford trainer Ron Huston’s promising gelding Rocknroll Train, who will start from the No. 2 barrier, with his stablemate Bet The House at barrier one.
Hall drove Rocknroll Train at his debut at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when the gelding began speedily from barrier four, dashed to the front after 70m and then set a solid pace and won narrowly from the fast-finishing I Cross My Heart, with a final quarter of 27.4sec.
Rocknroll Train will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko on Friday night, and Huston has engaged Chris Lewis to handle Bet The House.
Fess Up finished powerfully from the rear to win, first-up, over 2185m at Pinjarra before leading and winning at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at his next two starts. His clash with the likely pacemaker Sorridere, Im The Black Flash and Star Lavra should provide much excitement.
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo has Sorridere in peak form. He led and won by almost three lengths from Slamma Alabama over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. That followed sound seconds to Mister Ridgewell at Bunbury and Fess Up at Pinjarra at his two previous outings.
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr holds a good hand, with Im The Black Flash (Hall jnr) and Star Lavra (Stuart McDonald) likely to make strong bids for victory.
Im The Black Flash, who will start from the outside in the field of six, started from the back line and was sixth early before finishing strongly from the one-out, one-back position to win by four lengths from Allwood Mach over 2100m at Bunbury on Wednesday of last week. That was his fourth win from eight starts.
Star Lavra followed strong wins at Gloucester Park with a close second to the frontrunning Rocket City last Friday night when he had a tough run in the breeze.
Ten To The Dozen is certain to meet with plenty of opposition on Saturday night, with the Emma Stewart-trained Stormryder a leading hope after effortless wins at his two race starts — by 12 lengths at Maryborough on April 10 and by four lengths at Melton a week later when he dashed over the final 400m in 27.1sec. and rated 1.56.7 over 1720m.
Other leading candidates include Soho Spectre (bred and owned by West Australian Rob Watson) who has won at four of his five starts, and Ravishing Sloy, a winner at two of his four starts, including a victory at a 1.55.1 rate at Menangle.
Youngest mare is fancied
Four-year-old Taking The Miki is the youngest mare in the $30,000 Allwood Stud Farm Race For Roses at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and star reinsman Chris Voak is bubbling with confidence.
Taking The Miki, trained by Jemma Hayman, will start from the inside of the 10m line in the 2503m stand, and Voak said: “All she needs to do is step and then she would be able to work her way to the front. If that happens, I think she would be mighty hard to beat.
“She got away at her first start in a stand (three starts ago when she led and won easily from American Bullitt and Acuto) and then at her second run in a stand in the Easter Cup the following week she bubbled out, when she didn’t have hopple shorteners.
“So, we learnt a lesson and we will have the pins back in this week, and I’m sure she will go well.”
In the Easter Cup Taking The Miki settled down in eleventh position before she surged forward to the breeze after a lap and then gained a good passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing solidly to be third behind Hector and Street Hawk.
Taking The Miki then ran in a 2130m mobile event last Friday week when she raced three wide early and then in the breeze before taking the lead 450m from home and winning easily from Shehadi. “It was a brave effort,” said Voak. “And this week she has drawn better than her main rivals Three Rumours and Simply Shaz.”
Three Rumours, to be driven by Chris Lewis for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, will start from 10m, and the Peter Anderson-trained Simply Shaz (Trent Wheeler) is the sole runner off 20m, with the Howlett-trained My Prayer (Mitch Miller) the solitary runner off the 30m back mark.
Three Rumours and Simply Shaz maintained their recent good form last Friday night when they finished fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Eighteen Carat in a 2130m mobile event. My Prayer galloped from the 20m mark in the Race For Roses 12 months ago before running home gamely from last at the bell to finish third behind Purest Silk and Vivere Damore.
Voak is also confident of strong efforts from Carabao (off the 10m mark in the 2503m Keep Up To Date On The Allwood Stud Website Handicap) and Onesmartfella (from the outside Barrier in the field of seven in the Allwood Stud For All Your Breeding Requirements Pace).
“With his closing speed I think Carabao should be a major player,” said Voak. “He has a good 55sec. half in him. I did a bit of work to get to the lead with him at his latest start (when a half-head second to Ideal Tomado in a 2100m mobile event at Bunbury).
“Onesmartfella has to be respected from the bad draw. It’s a slight drop in class after his second to Ima Fivestar General last week when he hit the front in the home straight and then peaked a bit.”
A test for Watts Up Sunshine
Former Victorian pacer Watts Up Sunshine made an impressive WA debut on Tuesday of last week when he set the pace and outclassed his rivals in a 2536m event at Gloucester Park.
The Sunshine Beach five-year-old faces a tougher assignment when he starts from barrier three in the 2130m Fly Like An Eagle Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with reinsman Gary Hall jnr saying: “This is a stronger field, and it will be interesting to see how he goes from behind if he can’t get the lead.
“He got away with a bit last week (with opening quarters of the final mile in 33sec. and 30.5sec.). He is fast out but there is good pace to his inside on Friday night.”
Watts Up Sunshine, who is trained by Michael Young, impressed when he dashed over the final 400m sections last week in 28.6sec. and 28.4sec. and won by three and a half lengths from Duty Bound and Stamford.
Hall has given punters good lead by choosing to handle Watts Up Sunshine ahead of stablemate Kimble who he has driven at seven of his past eight starts.
Hall has several good drives at Friday night’s meeting, saying that his best winning prospect was the Young-trained mare Eighteen Carat, who will start from the No. 1 barrier in the $23,750 Memorial Day Stakes over 2130m.
Eighteen Carat notched her ninth win from her past 15 starts and her 14TH win from 53 starts when she dashed to an early lead, set the pace and easily beat Miss Boudica and Wonderful To Fly at a 1.56.5 rate over 2130m last Friday night.
She has excellent prospects of becoming the first mare to win the Memorial Day Stakes since Golden Goddess beat Scanio and Abmidas in 1997. Hall has driven the winner of this event three times, scoring with John Of Arc in 2015 and with Whozideawasthis in 2018 and 2021.
“This is a good race for a five-horse field,” said Hall. “Hopefully, Eighteen Carat can lead and win.”
Hall has chosen to drive the Young-trained Ideal Tomado ahead of stablemate Getn Wiggy Withit in the 17309m Follow The Stars Pace.
Getn Wiggy Withit, drawn the perfect No. 1 barrier, will be driven by Maddison Brown, with Ideal Tomado facing a stern test from out wide at barrier eight over the sprint trip.
“Ideal Tomado’s first-up win at Bunbury last week was good,” said Hall. “He has good gate speed but is unlikely to get to the front with so much speed to his inside.”
Ideal Tomado burst to an early lead from barrier six at Bunbury on Wednesday of last week before he was passed by a flying Carabao after about 650m. He then trailed that pacer before finishing solidly along the sprint lane to clinch victory by a head.
Getn Wiggy Withit reappeared after a four-month absence last Friday night when he impressed in finishing with a powerful burst from the rear to be fourth behind Faster Than Dad over 2130m.
Ideal Tomado and Getn Wiggy Withit are sure to receive plenty of opposition from Goodfellaz, The Miki Taker, Illawong Mustang and Alcopony.
What a combination
Madeliene Young and veteran pacer Mister Ardee have formed an outstanding combination in recent years, and Young celebrated her 200TH driving success when she guided the 11-year-old gelding to an easy victory over Dardy Boy in a 2536m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
The Zealand-bred Mister Ardee now has raced 236 times for 32 wins, 39 seconds and 27 thirds for earnings of $361,939. He was having his 99TH start for Young as his trainer, for six wins and 21 placings.
The 28-year-old Young has now driven the gelding in 155 races for 18 wins, 20 seconds, 15 thirds and 18 fourths. Her first winning drive was behind Bettor Twisted, who ran home strongly to beat Snappy Rufus by a half-head in a 2150m event in Kalgoorlie on November 8, 2015, a race in which Mister Ardee finish fifth.
Young’s first drive behind Mister Ardee was at Northam on July 12, 2016, when the four-year-old was a $22.20 outsider who was tenth at the bell before charging home, out six wide, to beat Cerato by a half-length.
Mister Ardee raced nine times as a two-year-old in New Zealand for two wins and six placings, and he was successful that season at his first Australian appearance when he was driven by Young’s father Kim and was a $1.10 favourite for owner-trainer Gary Elson and beat Affluent Bell by five lengths at Gloucester Park on June 10, 2014, before finishing second to Beaudiene Boaz in the group 1 Golden Slipper the following month.
“Mister Ardee just loves racing; that’s what he lives for,” said Madeliene Young. “You give him a break, and he is waiting at the gate after two weeks to comer back in. So, now the routine is to give him a few little freshen-ups here and there, to keep him ticking over. He is sound and will keep racing until he tells us it is time to finish up.”
Young is hoping that Mister Ardee’s win on Tuesday night will be a precursor for a good night at Gloucester Park on Friday when she will drive Insta Gator in the opening event and Pivotal in the $30,000 Race For Roses.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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