05 October 2020 | Ken Casellas
Halls notch fifth Stratton Cup
Champion trainer Gary Hall snr and star reinsman Gary Hall jnr combined to notch their fifth success in the $50,000 J. P. Stratton Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night when superstar pacer Chicago Bull outclassed his rivals in the 2130m group 2 event.
Chicago Bull, the $1.20 favourite, began speedily from the No. 4 barrier and was not extended in setting the pace and coasting to victory by one and a half lengths over arch rival Shockwave ($7.50), with The Bird Dance ($134) in third place.
Chicago Bull simply meandered in the early stages and posted a dawdling lead time of 39.1sec. and modest opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.5sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 26.9sec. and 27.9sec. to record a mile rate of 1.56.1.
“On paper, it looked like the race was going to be run that way,” said Hall jnr. “We will take all the soft runs we can get, leading up to the big ones (Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup). He didn’t give the others a chance, which you would expect.
“I was still a bit nervous in front. Lately, I reckon he’s been better racing outside the leader, rather than in front. He has been more switched on in the breeze.
“When I saw that Shockwave had settled in the one-out, one-back position, it was the only spot I didn’t want him to be in. But I still thought that we had the better end of the deal (in front). Shockwave went enormous, again, and like Bully, you expect him to go like that.
“I’m not sure that with Bully leading like that, that there’s a horse who is capable of beating him.; he’s got so much speed.”
Chicago Bull, who also won the 2018 Stratton Cup, is edging closer to the $2 million mark in earnings. He now has amassed $1,970,531 from 56 wins and 23 placings from 85 starts.
Rock Me Over, a super bargain
Serpentine trainer Matt Scott, Tony Maguire and his son Ian made an extremely wise decision early last year when they outlaid $6000 to purchase Rock Me Over, who is proving to be an outstanding bargain.
Rock Me Over, a five-year-old West Australian-bred pacer, maintained his consistent form when Chris Voak drove him to victory over Delightfulreaction and Destined To Rule in the 2130m Retravision Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This took the gelding’s record for his new owners to 58 starts for seven wins, 21 placings and stakes of $138,436, boosting his career record to 104 starts for 18 wins, 34 placings and prizemoney of $263,993.
He is a half-brother to one of the State’s best pacers Handsandwheels, who has earned $666,739 from 28 wins and 26 placings from 83 starts. He is also closely related to former Sydney pacing star Suave Stuey Lombo ($110 starts for 33 wins, 23 placings and $587,032).
Rock Me Over, favourite at $3.40 from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night, was beaten for early pace by $4.80 chance Thereugo, who burst straight to the front from the outside (No. 7) on the front line. He settled in the ideal one-out, one-back position, but surprisingly was left in the breeze when Thereugo surrendered the lead to $51 chance Mattjestic Star after 400m.
Voak dashed Rock Me Over to the front 420m from home and the gelding responded grandly to Voak’s hard driving to hold the fast-finishing pair of Delightfulreaction and Destined To Rule at bay. The winner rated 1.56.4.
Mister Bushido ($5) was poised to fight out the finish after enjoying a perfect sit in the one-out, one-back position. But Mister Bushido was severely checked when he locked sulky wheels with Thereugo with 500m to travel.
“I thought Rock Me Over was beaten at the top of the straight,” said Voak. “And then he pricked his ears, and I thought ‘you little so-and-so’ as he signalled that he had a bit more to offer. He then held on determinedly and had a neck to spare on the line.
“I think the key was not using him early. Tonight, I did no work out of the gate, and after the (solid) sectionals that were run he did a good job to hold off the late sprint of Delightfulreaction.”
Justasec flies under the radar
Smart New Zealand-bred pacer Justasec is just one of many outstanding three and four-year-old pacers prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond. But, for an unaccountable reason, he has lacked the profile of several of his more glamorous stablemates of the same age groups.
He has avoided much of the limelight shared by stablemates Patronus Star, Howard Hughes, Parmesan, Taroona Bromac, Poisedtopounce, Ana Afreet (before being sold to America) and others.
So, it was no real surprise that Justasec, despite his extremely impressive record, was at a handsome $9.10 quote on the tote when he contested the 2536m Westral Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven by star reinsman Ryan Warwick, the four-year-old Justasec was restrained at the start from the outside barrier in the field of seven and he relaxed at the rear before unwinding a powerful burst to get up and win by a half-head from the $1.95 favourite My Carbon Copy at a smart 1.55.9 rate.
Jimmy Jack ($2.35) set the pace but was under pressure for most of the way from the hard-pulling Rakasinc in the breeze. My Carbon Copy followed Rakasinc with a perfect passage, one-out and one-back, before he began a fast three-wide move 460m from home, a run that Warwick was quick to follow.
My Carbon Copy got to the front 300m from the post and was overhauled in the final couple of bounds to go under by a half-head.
The impressive victory improved Justasec’s record to 17 starts for 11 wins, four placings and $85,925 in stakes. After a win and a second from two New Zealand starts, Justasec has won at ten of his 15 WA starts.
“His record is really good, and maybe he has dodged the limelight is because he didn’t run in any of the good (feature) races,” Warwick said. “He has won more than he’s lost, so I don’t know why he has avoided the limelight.”
The solid pace of Friday night’s event set the scene for a swooper, with Warwick saying: “The ingredients were there and all I had to do was to make sure they worked. He is pretty adaptable and can do it either way.
“He got lucky tonight when he got over My Carbon Copy, which is pretty good because he had the best run in the race. When a horse keeps winning it’s a good habit.”
Soho Hamilton fires up
Up-and-coming young pacer Soho Hamilton fought on grandly to hold on and score a narrow victory in the 2130m Catalano Truck And Equipment Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night after he fired up and raced keenly in the lead.
Trainer-reinsman Kim Prentice urged the three-year-old forward from barrier five to burst to an early lead. The gelding then raced fiercely under a tight hold from his driver. He led clearly on the home turn before holding on grimly to win by a half-head from $31 outsider Middlepage, with Hotfoot It ($7) flying home from the rear to be a nose away in third place.
Soho Hamilton, an all-the-way winner over Radiant Amber in the $30,000 Warwick Pace the previous week, looked a shade disappointing in winning by such a small margin, but Prentice was not particularly concerned.
“I am very happy with the run and his gate speed was very good,” Prentice said. “It was just because he was overracing and I was trying to hold him back, and when you hold a horse back so much, trying to hold the other one (the $1.90 favourite Little Bitof Fun) in, was the problem.
“He was wanting to get going and I could’ve got going down the back and run home in 56sec. But when you hold on to a horse that tight for so long and then you say ‘let’s get going’ he would be kind of jack of it.
“I really think that had there been another 400m, he would’ve run away from them (the opposition). Just after the line he got his breath back and got going again.
“First-up (two starts earlier) I restrained him off the gate and he was nice and settled back in the field, but at his next two starts I’ve used him off the gate and he has wanted to grab hold and rocknroll.”
The Last Drop squeezes out narrow win
Young Banjup trainer Josh Dunn celebrated his birthday last Wednesday, but was still working as a truck driver late on Friday afternoon and missed watching his horse The Last Drop score a narrow victory in the 2536m Etch Coatings Pace at Gloucester Park.
He and his partner Kristy Sheehy race The Last Drop on lease from breeder Bob Fowler, and Kristy filled in as deputy trainer on Friday when Shannon Suvaljko guided The Last Drop, a $29.40 outsider, to a half-head victory over Triroyale Brigade, with the flying Blue Blazer an eye-catching head away in third place.
Triroyale (Robbie Williams) began fast, three wide, from barrier six, but was unable to cross The Last Drop, who mustered good speed from the No. 3 barrier.
Triroyale then worked hard in the breeze and fought on with great determination. He will pay to follow.
“It was a bit surprising that The Last Drop won over 2500m,” said Sheehy. “I think he is better suited over 2100m. He is a lovely horse to train; we had a little bit of trouble with his feet, and that’s now sorted out.
“He went the best sectionals in the The Warwick Pace the previous week when he was held up in the late stages.” The Last Drop has had only six starts for Dunn for two wins and two thirds. He is related to former smart performers Mon Poppy Day (50 starts for 20 wins, 16 placings and $318,558) and Parthenon.
Mon Poppy Day’s victories included the 1996 WA and Tasmanian Derbies, the 1996 Golden Nugget, the 1997 Christmas Gift and the 1998 Mount Eden Sprint. Parthenon’s best win was in the 1995 WA Oaks.
Dunn has two pacers in work — The Last Drop and Chase The Feeling (a country-class Gloucester Park winner last March). His previous metropolitan-class winner was 11-year-old Oneonthewood, who beat Burning Shadow and Jimmy Mack in a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park last January.
Cant Refuse is Cups bound
Seasoned open-class performer Cant Refuse made a successful return to racing after a three-month absence when he raced wide early and dashed to the front after 650m before scoring an easy victory in the 2536m Vili’s Family Bakery Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Handled by his new trainer, 20-year-old Corey Peterson, Cant Refuse, favourite at $1.40, dashed over the final 400m in 28.7sec. on his way to beating the fast-finishing Sightseeing Anvil by a length, with Henwood Bay ($6.50) two lengths father back in third place.
Peterson said that the Eastern States owners were keen for the pacer to perform strongly in a bid to qualify for starts in the rich Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup late in the year.
The New Zealand-bred Cant Refuse now has raced 82 times for 15 wins, 24 placings and stakes of $269,333.
Queen Shenandoah is on song
Smart five-year-old Queen Shenandoah gave further proof that she will be a force in the rich Mares Classic in the summer when she surged home with a three-wide burst from ninth at the bell to win the 2536m Simmonds Steel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Queen Shenandoah, a $4.90 chance trained by Ross Olivieri, was driven with confidence by Chris Voak. She covered the final quarters in 28.3sec. and 28.8sec. to win by a head from Jack William ($3.80) at a 1.58.7 rate. Polemarker McArdles Gem, favourite at $3.20, set the pace and was kept under pressure for much of the way by the breeze horse Jack William, who eventually hit the front 300m from home.
“She is definitely a player for the big race for mares,” said Voak. “She is a far better horse than she was last summer. That was when she was on her first campaign in WA after arriving from South Australia, and I think she was a tired horse.
“She is not exclusively a sit-sprinter. She has good speed and can lead in her races.
“This week I expected her to improve on her second to Talkerup a week earlier. This was her third run in a row (on three consecutive Friday nights). She was good last week, but obviously was a lot fitter tonight. I drove her accordingly and she showed a good fighting spirit.”
Queen Shenandoah’s win improved her record to 52 starts for 12 wins, 17 placings and stakes of $147,395.
Princess Mila impresses
“Running 56.6sec. for the final 800m is a pretty good for a trotter,” declared reinsman Gary Hall jnr after he had driven Princess Mila to a most impressive victory in the 2536m Choices Flooring Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Princess Mila, prepared by Gary Hall snr and hot favourite at $1.70, was smartest into stride from barrier four and she relished her pacemaking role which resulted in 13-metre victory over Dark Secret.
An expected battle between Princess Mila and Mr Sundon ($2.80) failed to eventuate when Mr Sundon raced in last position in the field of six and broke into a gallop when not threatening any danger in fourth position 220m from home.
“She will have some good battles with Mr Sundon along the way,” said Hall jnr. Princess Mila is very fast and she showed with her first-up run at Pinjarra (when second to Dark Secret) that she is tough as well.”
Radiant Amber gets the job done
A fast-finishing second to talented three-year-old Soho Hamilton last Friday week was the pointer to an early win from the Ryan Bell-trained Radiant Amber.
From barrier three in the 2130m Allwood Stud Farm Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, Radiant Amber was good value at $7.40 — and Aiden de Campo rewarded the four-year-old mare’s admirers with a confident, well-rated drive that saw Radiant Amber set the pace and defy a late challenge from the $3.10 favourite Leap Of Faith to win by a half-length.
Radiant Amber, raced by Tiffany Sharpe, is enjoying a good career, with 42 starts producing seven wins, 13 placings and $64,004 in prizemoney.
By Betterthancheddar, Radiant Amber is out of Elsu Sheila, who earned $67,458 from nine wins (three at Gloucester Park, three at Pinjarra, two at Bunbury and one at Northam) from 48 starts.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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