06 January 2022 | Ken Casellas
Reed is out to turn the tables
Ideal Agent caused a major upset last week when he revealed brilliant speed to beat the highly-regarded Ragazzo Mach by seven lengths. But talented reinsman Mark Reed is full of confidence that Ragazzo Mach can turn the tables on Ideal Agent when they clash in the second qualifying heat of the Intersport Slater Gartrell Nights of Thunder at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ragazzo Mach was forced to work hard without cover after starting from the No. 6 barrier last week, while Ideal Agent was untroubled to lead from barrier two.
This week Ragazzo Mach will start from the No. 4 barrier, with Ideal Agent at barrier six.
“I’m confident that we can turn the tables this week,” said Reed. “Ideal Agent was awesome — out of this world last week — and I was disappointed at being beaten.
“But once I had time to think about it and have a look at the sectionals it was hard to be disappointed. Ragazzo Mach has pulled up really well and I expect him to benefit greatly from last week’s run.
“It was almost three weeks between runs for Ragazzo Mach, and he had also missed a few hoppled runs with the track being closed over Christmas. Drawing inside Ideal Agent this week is a massive advantage. So, I’m definitely going into the race very confident.
“We will be pressing forward and searching for either the front or the breeze, where he could control the race from there. We have to run a bit of time to qualify for the final, so we won’t be mucking around. We’ll be coming out with roller skates on.”
There are nine runners in each of the two 1730m heats on Friday night, with the nine fastest pacers qualifying for the $50,000 final on Friday week.
The New Zealand-bred Ideal Agent has been driven by Ryan Warwick in all of his seven West Australian starts for four wins, two seconds and a seventh placing. Warwick has a family commitment on Friday night and will not drive at the meeting.
Dylan Egerton-Green has been engaged by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond to drive Ideal Agent. “It’s a nice pick-up drive and I think Ideal Agent will hold his own very well,” said Egerton-Green. It’s a tricky draw, so I’ve got to play my part.”
Gary Hall snr has two runners in the race, with The Ideal Touch to be handled by Gary Hall jnr from barrier five, and last-start winner Heez Our Perseus to be driven by Maddison Brown from out wide at barrier eight.
Hall opts for Mighty Ronaldo
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr faced a dilemma when crack four-year-olds Mighty Ronaldo and Jumpingjackmac were named to clash in the first heat of the Etch Coatings Nights of Thunder at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
With memories still burning bright of how he chose to handle Jumpingjackmac, prepared by his father Gary Hall snr, in preference to the Justin Prentice-trained Mighty Ronaldo in the WA Derby last April, Hall jnr opted to drive Mighty Ronaldo.
Mighty Ronaldo will be making his first appearance since he was driven by Hall and hampered by a punctured sulky tyre before finishing third behind Lavra Joe in the Pearl Classic for three-year-olds last May.
Two starts before that Hall drove Jumpingjackmac in preference to Mighty Ronaldo in the WA Derby in which Prentice brought Mighty Ronaldo home with a powerful burst to defeat Jumpingjackmac.
Hall has a high opinion of both Mighty Ronaldo and Jumpingjackmac. He has driven Mighty Ronaldo 13 times for two wins and seven placings. He has handled Jumpingjackmac 15 times for nine of the gelding’s ten wins from 18 starts.
Aiden de Campo has been engaged to drive Jumpingjackmac for the first time. Jumpingjackmac was far from disgraced last Friday week when he made his first appearance in open-class Free-For-All company when he began from barrier five, was last at the bell and raced wide in the final circuit before finishing sixth behind Minstrel.
“Jumpingjackmac will certainly be competitive on Friday night,” said Hall. “Mighty Ronaldo has the advantage of a more favourable barrier.”
Both Mighty Ronaldo and Jumpinjackmac are likely to have to cover extra ground, with Lindsay Harper keen to take advantage of Bettorstartdreaming’s ideal draw at barrier one. The New Zealand-bred Bettorstartdreaming’s four West Australian wins have all been achieved when he has set the pace.
Typhoon Banner (barrier six) and Machnificent (seven) will have admirers. Typhoon Banner is a model of consistency and trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green said: “He’s a nice, honest horse and, hopefully, he can run another good race.”
Shannon Suvaljko, who will drive Machnificent for trainer Katja Warwick, predicted that the four-year-old who has won at two of his past three starts, would sprint home powerfully, saying: “He has had a freshen-up and he loves the mile. He will be coming home strongly.”
Magnificent Storm seeks sixth group success
Rising superstar Magnificent Storm has the speed, strength and versatility to notch his sixth victory in a group feature event by proving the master of his 12 quality rivals in the $50,000 group 2 Pat Cranley Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Ray Williams-trained six-year-old has the class to overcome the awkward draw at barrier six in the 2130m event, which is likely to be his final appearance before tackling the $300,000 Retravision Fremantle Cup two weeks later.
Aldo Cortopassi was full of praise for the gelding’s strong victory in a 2536m Free-For-All last Friday night when he began smartly from barrier five, took the lead after 350m and then survived a spirited interrogation from Chicago Bull for much of the journey.
“These hard runs will make him better,” said Cortopassi. “It was only his third run after a break, and he is still on the way up.”
Magnificent Storm, the least experienced runner in Friday night’s race, has won at 19 of his 23 starts. He has competed in seven group features for five wins (one at group 1 level, three in group 3 races and one at his only appearance in a group 3 race), one second in a group 1 race and a third at group 2 level.
Nine-year-old champion Chicago Bull will be competing in his 100TH race and his legion of fans will be hoping he will achieve his 62ND victory in this milestone event in which he will start from the inside of the back line.
At his second start after a six-month absence, he raced without cover before fading to seventh behind Magnificent Storm last Friday night.
“At one stage it looked like he was going to be beaten by 40 metres,” said reinsman Gary Hall jnr. “But he ended up being beaten by 11 metres. Everyone has written him off, and I’d love to prove them wrong. He should be sprinting home, provided he gets a clear run.”
Chicago Bull is one of four runners in Friday night’s event who are prepared by Gary Hall snr, the others being Balcatherine (Aiden de Campo, barrier two), Diego (Chris Lewis, barrier seven) and Wildwest (Callan Suvaljko, barrier nine).
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond also have four runners — Patronus Star (barrier four), Vampiro (five), Minstrel (barrier two on the back line) and Mighty Conqueror (barrier three on the back line).
Dylan Egerton-Green will drive brilliant last-start winner Minstrel, Deni Roberts will handle the up-and-coming Patronus Star, Michael Grantham will be in the sulky behind hardy veteran Vampiro, and Colin Brown will drive Mighty Conqueror.
“Minstrel is racing in super form, and so is Patronus Star,” said Egerton-Green. “They are both good chances of finishing in the money.”
Perfect Major has drawn perfectly at barrier one for trainer Ross Olivieri, and reinsman Chris Voak is keen to take advantage of the draw by setting the pace.
“Perfect Major beat them (his rivals) out at the start from barrier one when he set the pace and finished third behind Minstrel and Patronus Star last Friday week,” said Voak. “I’d like to lead, and he’s not without a winning chance. He will be a lot sharper than he has been in recent starts.”
Suvaljko likes Alice Kay
Outstanding reinsman Shannon Suvaljjko has a drive in seven of the ten events at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he labels five-year-old mare Alice Kay as his best winning prospect.
Alice Kay, prepared by Byford trainer Katja Warwick, is ideally drawn at the No. 1 barrier in the 2536m Choices Flooring Pace for fillies and mares.
“She is racing really good, and when she leads, she is a different horse,” said Suvaljko. “If she can hold the lead, she will be really hard to beat. She drew barrier one nine starts ago when she led and won at a 1.57.8 rate over 2536m.
“Alice Kay doesn’t race that well in the daylight, but her run when third (behind Classic Choice) at Pinjarra on Monday this week was super. And so was her fast-finishing second to Nota Bene Denario last Friday night.”
An interesting runner in Friday night’s race is the seven-year-old New Zealand-bred mare Purest Silk, who will be having her first start since April 2020 when she led and finished third behind Balcatherine over 2130m at Gloucester Park. She led and won at Pinjarra week earlier – her tenth win at her 25TH start in WA.
Purest Silk, previously trained by Barry Howlett, is now being prepared by Dylan Egerton-Green, who said: “I’m pretty happy with her. She is working well and should run a good, honest race.”
Purest Silk will start from barrier six, and other mares in the race who are sure to be fancied include Mandy Joan (barrier two and placed behind Savvy Bromac and Nota Bene Denario at her past two starts), American Arma, Newsy, Run For Mercy and Misstiano.
Suvaljko also is confident of a strong performance from the Michael Young-trained Orlando Blue, who is favourably drawn at barrier one in the Direct Trades Supply Pace over 2536m.
Orlando Blue is a smart frontrunner who has made most of the running in winning at his past three starts — at Northam, Gloucester Park and Bunbury.
“He is not a weak horse and will go well over 2536m,” said Suvaljko. “He beat Finvarra (rating 1.55.1 over 2130m) two starts ago.”
Orlando Blue’s major rival looms large as the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Dont Bother Me None, who will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green from barrier No. 5.
Dont Bother Me None, a winner at ten of his 15 starts, has not appeared since he broke into a gallop when third on the home turn and dropped back to finish a distant sixth behind Captured Delight at Pinjarra on November 8.
He set the pace and won, hard held by Ryan Warwick, in a four-horse 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning, rating 1.58.9, with final quarters of 29.6sec. and 28.7sec.
“Dont Bother Me None is a quality animal who should run a good race,” said reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green.
Orlando Blue and Dont Bother Me None will not have matters all their own way, with Pradason (barrier four) and Star of Willoughby (three) racing with admirable enthusiasm.
Egerton-Green’s busy night
Talented young reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green is preparing for a busy time at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he will drive in the first nine events on the ten-event program.
“I have got a handy book of drives, and they should all hold their own,” he said.
He says that one of his best chances is Shadow Roll, a New Zealand-bred six-year-old he prepares at Banjup.
Shadow Roll, who will start from barrier four, has a losing sequence of nine which includes five second placings. “He is going well, and it is probably best to forget his latest run when they went silly (with a scorching lead time of 35.4sec. and second and third quarters of 28.3sec. and 28.5sec.),” he explained.
“I give him a great chance this week.” Two starts ago, Shadow Roll set a solid pace and finished second to Rupert of Lincoln, and two starts before that he led and finished a half-head second to Alta Intrigue.
Egerton-Green is also looking forward to strong performances from other members of his team, Maungatahi (race one), Typhoon Banner (race two) and Purest Silk (race eight).
Maungatahi is in sparkling form, with his past four starts producing a fast-finishing victory at Pinjarra and three close seconds, including his eye-catching run behind Floewriter over 1730m last Friday night when he surged home from seventh at the bell.
“He is a nice horse, it is a nice field, and he should hold his own,” said Egerton-Green. “He is learning with every race and is getting better and better. He should get a nice trip from barrier two on the back line.”
Maungatahi will clash with some smart three-year-olds, including Machs Bettor, Paul Edward, Jackpot Joe, Floewriter, Tricky Miki and Swingband.
Machs Better, trained and driven by Ryan Bell, is ideally drawn at barrier two, and if he reproduces his effort of two starts ago when he led and won easily from Noted and Griffin Lodge, rating 1.55.6 over130m, he will take a power of beating.
He appeared at Bunbury last Friday night when he raced three back on the pegs and battled on to finish third behind Jackpot Joe, who raced three wide for the first 600m and then set a modest pace before sprinting over the final 400m in 26.8sec.
The Justin Prentice-trained Tricky Miki will have an army of supporters at his first appearance since he scored a convincing win in the group 1 Golden Slipper, rating1.57.7 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on July 11.
That was Tricky Miky’s second win from four starts, and he looks set for a fine career. He will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from the outside barrier (three) on the back line.
“It’s a bad draw, obviously,” said Hall. “But he is a good horse. I will probably drive him conservatively.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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