05 September 2022 | Ken Casellas
Plutonium continues to surprise
Plutonium, a lightly-raced and much-travelled six-year-old, maintained his terrific form in his comeback campaign — and continued to surprise his trainer Michael Young — when he scored a narrow victory in the $50,000 Binshaw Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven by Emily Suvaljko and starting at $6.80, Plutonium began from out wide at barrier seven and quickly dashed forward, three wide, to work hard in the breeze outside the pacemaker Talks Up A Storm before getting to a narrow lead on the home turn and beating Talks Up A Storm by a head, rating a slick 1.55.8 over the 2130m.
The New Zealand-bred Plutonium now has had five starts for four wins and a third placing since resuming after an injury-enforced absence of 13 months.
The Auckland Reactor gelding bowed his nearside tendon in mid-July of last year, and Young said that he marvelled at the pacer’s resilience in performing so strongly after damaging his tendon.
“I wouldn’t have believed it a few months ago that Plutonium would be a winner again, let alone a winner of a group 2 event,” said Young. “There is still a little banana bow on his leg, but it doesn’t seem to worry him. I simply can’t believe he is going as well as he is.”
Plutonium’s victory gave Young the first leg of a winning treble, with the stable scoring impressive wins later in the program with Always Fast and Beefour Bacardi.
This was Young’s second treble, following the wins of Nevermindthechaos, Doc Holliday and Vespa on April 8 this year, and it continued the remarkable rise of the 33-year-old trainer, who is in second place on the WA trainers’ premiership table with 63 winners and 64 placings from 217 starters — behind Greg and Skye Bond, who have had 396 starters for 131 wins and 122 placings.
This was also Young’s second group 2 success, coming after Doc Holliday’s victory in the Four And Five-Year-Old Championship on April 8.
Plutonium won only once from nine starts in New Zealand before racing three times for three wins in Victoria and five times in South Australia for two wins and two placings. His WA record of 20 starts for six wins and six placings has boosted his career record to 37 starts for 12 wins, six seconds and two thirds for $125,384 in prizemoney.
American Monarch is bred to succeed
Promising pacer American Monarch is following in the footsteps of her dam Prix De Whitby and maternal granddam Whitbys Merit as a smart two-year-old performer.
Trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, American Monarch, the $2 favourite, broke through for her first victory when she set the pace and beat the fast-finishing Lucienne ($6.50) in the $20,250 Bill Horn, James Brennan Award Winner Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“American Monarch tries very hard and is a pretty well-rounded horse for a two-year-old,” said de Campo. “And she is probably better with a sit than being in front.”
American Monarch, who was purchased for $38,000 at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, has now earned $30,560 from one win and four placings from seven starts.
Her dam Prix De Whitby (by American stallion Life Sign) won three times as a two-year-old before being retired with earnings of $30,934 from those three wins and four placings from 12 starts.
Prix De Whitby’s dam Whitbys Merit raced only 14 times for ten wins, two placings and stakes of $168,598. As a two-year-old in 1993 Whitbys Merit won the group 1 Pearl Classic, the group 1 Golden Slipper and the group 2 Champagne Stakes.
Brown praises Diego’s toughness
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Diego is racing at the peak of his powers for champion trainer Gary Hall snr, and driver Maddison Brown praised the gelding’s toughness after his narrow victory in the $30,000 Bill The Better Butcher Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Diego, the $2.70 second fancy, began speedily from the No. 2 barrier and easily held out the $2.25 favourite Lavra Joe, who went forward strongly from barrier four.
After a fast lead time of 35.9sec. Lavra Joe overraced in the breeze and the opening quarters of the final mile were particularly fast — 28.5sec. and 27.6sec.
After a 28.8sec. third 400m section Lavra Joe began to feel the pressure and dropped back to finish last in the field of eight, leaving Diego the task of withstanding a powerful late challenge from star four-year-old stablemate Jumpingjackmac, who enjoyed a perfect sit behind the pacemaker all the way.
Diego dug deep to beat Jumpingjackmac by a head, rating 1.53.5 over the 2130m journey when the final quarter was run in 29.4sec.
Brown admitted that she was worried about Diego’s winning prospects following the fast early pace. “I didn’t want to go that quickly,” she said. “Lavra Joe was hitting his wheels; he was pulling and dictating the speed.
“Diego is known as a very good sit-sprint horse, but he did a really good job to hold out Jumpingjackmac when he (Diego) had every right to run second. This showed how tough Diego is.”
Diego is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the fourth and last foal out of Christian Cullen mare Sakura, who managed one third placing from her three starts. Diego, who had 17 starts in New Zealand for three wins and five placings, now has earned $273,359 from 17 wins and 18 placings from 67 starts.
Livy Jay breaks through
Livy Jay, sold for $25,000 at the 2018 APG Perth yearling sale, broke through for her first metropolitan-class success when trainer Dylan Egerton-Green drove her to an all-the-way victory in the Bill Horn GPHR Life Member Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Livy Jay, a $4.80 chance, defied a mid-race challenge from Paroquet and went on to defeat $6 chance Miss Lamarr, who trailed the pacemaker throughout. Paroquet faded to seventh, and the $$2.70 favourite In The Spotlight finished last in the field of nine.
In The Spotlight started from the outside barrier and raced at the rear before starting a three-wide move at the bell. But she ruined her chances by hanging in during the final circuit.
Livy Jay is by American sire Sportswriter and she is bred to be a good winner, with her dam Flylika Bird Lombo (by Jet Laag) earning $53,975 from seven wins and eight placings from 35 starts.
Livy Jay, who now has earned $71,739 from eight wins and 19 placings from 48 starts, is a half-sister to Lady De La Renta, who boasts a splendid record of 75 starts for 28 wins, 20 placings and $412,619 in prizemoney. Lady De La Renta’s 14 wins from 41 starts in Western Australia includes her victory in the group 2 Diamond Classic for three-year-old fillies in May 2018. She now has won another 14 times in America.
Flylika Bird Lombo is a half-sister to ten winners, including Lombo Skyrider, who raced 321 times for 63 wins, 84 placings and stakes of $841,611.
Nuclear Poker overcomes setbacks
Seven-year-old WA-bred pacer Nuclear Poker has overcome setbacks during his career and is racing in good style for Waroona trainer Nigel Johns.
He was an outsider at $32.40 when Hayden Charles, handling the gelding for the first time, drove him to an all-the-way win in the 2536m Vale Bill Horn Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Nuclear Poker has overcome problems with sore feet and hitting a knee, as well as a serious attack of colic and he was making his 104TH appearance in a race when he began from the prized No. 1 barrier and was able to beat out the polemarker Woodleigh Ragnar ($5.50) and the $4.20 favourite Disco Under Fire.
Rebel With A Grin ($20) moved to the breeze in the first lap, leaving Woodleigh Ragnar with a perfect sit behind the pacemaker, and leaving Disco Under Fire in sixth position in the one-wide line and following Spy Major, in the one-out, one-back position.
Woodleigh Ragnar got into the clear in the late stages and ran home strongly to finish second, a head behind Nuclear Poker, who rated 2.1.5. Crowded Reactor ($34), trained and driven by Johns, raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs before finishing solidly on the inside to be third.
Charles was the 20TH driver to have handled the New South Wales-bred Nuclear Poker, who was purchased for $25,000 at the 2016 Gloucester Standardbreds yearling sale. He is raced by Stephanie Smith and has now earned $65,290 from nine wins and nine placings.
His dam All in Baby had 103 starts for 12 wins, 24 placings and $164,507. Herr most notable win was in the Empress Stakes at Gloucester Park in April 2012. Johns has been able to solve Nuclear Poker’s problem of hitting a knee, and experiments with shoeing and the use of special pads underneath the gelding’s shoes have proved beneficial.
Flying start gives Mirragon the edge
A brilliant beginning by Mirragon proved the decisive factor in the Victorian-bred five-year-old’s victory at $4.90 in the 2536m Village Kid Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Mirragon, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by her husband Chris, flew out from barrier four and crossed to the front from the $1.90 favourite Shadow Roll, who was driven hard from the No. 1 barrier by Dylan Egerton-Green, but was unable to hold out from Mirragon.
Mirragon, who is also a dashing sit-sprinter, set a solid pace and made life tough for his rivals by covering the final three 400m sections in 28.4sec., 28.4sec. and 28.9sec. He fought on gamely to win by a half neck from $3.70 chance Doc Holliday, who at his first appearance for four months, impressed in running home strongly from fifth (on the pegs) at the bell.
Mirragon was an early developer who, at his fourth start (when prepared by Emma Stewart), won the group 2 Vicbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings over 1720m at Melton in May 2019, rating 1.57.
He raced 33 times in Victoria for seven wins and ten placings before being sold to Luke Montgomery and Mark Lewis to race in WA where his 31 starts have produced eight wins and eight placings. His win on Friday night boosted his earnings to $235,375.
Mirragon, by Art Major, is the first foal out of the Mach Three mare The Waratah, who had 50 starts for six wins, 13 placings and $40,861. The Warath’s half-sister Lady Waratah amassed $564,770 from 20 wins and eight placings from 36 starts, which included four group 1 successes as a two and three-year-old.
Beefour Bacardi is the best
Victorian-bred six-year-old Beefour Bacardi enhanced his claims as the State’s best trotter when he gave a bold frontrunning display to win the 2536m Bill Horn HRA Distinguished Service Award Winner Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Beefour Bacardi, the $1.40 favourite, revealed dazzling gate speed from the outside barrier in the field of six to burst straight to the front, thus leaving the talented five-year-old Patched ($2.05) with the task of following his arch rival.
Gary Hall jnr gave Beefour Bacardi an easy time in the early stages, and the gelding simply ambled through the opening quarters of the final mile in 33.5sec. and 32.3sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.7sec. and 28.9sec.
Patched ran home strongly to finish only a half-length behind Beefour Bacardi, who recorded a modest 2.4.6 rate. Beefour Bacardi completed a winning treble for trainer Michael Young, who has started the gelding 19 times in WA for 14 wins and two second placings.
“His gate speed helped a lot,” said Young. “It gave us a little bit of an advantage over Patched. Beefour Bacardi may have only another few starts in WA, and maybe his owners would like to set him for the Trotters Interdominion championship series in Victoria later this year.”
The Ideal Touch shines first-up
Leg problems have hampered the career of five-year-old The Ideal Touch, who reappeared after an absence of eight months when he lined up at barrier No. 6 in the 2130m Black Irish Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Produced in fine fettle by champion trainer Gary Hall snr, The Ideal Touch scored an impressive first-up victory and looks set for a profitable campaign.
The Ideal Touch, third favourite at $5.20, moved to the breeze soon after the start before gaining the favourable one-out, one-back trail and then finishing strongly to win by a head from the pacemaker and $3 favourite Jaspervellabeach, with $3.80 chance Pocket The Cash finishing third after enjoying the trail behind the leader all the way.
The Ideal Touch, a big rangy pacer, was driven by Stuart McDonald, with Gary Hall jnr choosing to handle last-start winner Euphoria, a $12 chance from the outside barrier in the field of nine.
Euphoria surged forward to race in the breeze after 500m, and he wilted to finish in fifth place.
McDonald said that everything fell perfectly into place for him after The Ideal Touch settled in the breeze soon after the start before gaining an ideal passage, in the one-out, one-back position.
“I expected that there would have been a lot of early speed,” said McDonald. “But Jaspervellabeach crossed quite quickly which took the early speed out of the race. So, I decided to work forward, and Junior (Gary Hall jnr) had the same plan as me. Things worked out well for me, getting to the breeze first and then getting the one-one spot.
“There wasn’t a lot of pressure early, and it was just a matter whether we could catch the leader.” The Ideal Touch started a three-wide move 400m from home and took a narrow lead with 50m to travel.
The Ideal Touch won once from four New Zealand starts, and he now has raced just 24 times for nine wins, seven placings and $97,468 in prizemoney. He is by American Ideal and is the fourth foal out of the Mach Three mare Touch Of Rose, who raced 43 times for four wins, 13 placings and $69,756.
Lazy Always Fast is not always so
Enigmatic stallion Always Fast certainly does not always live up to his name, and his new trainer Michael Young derides him, saying: “He has horrific racing manners, and he just doesn’t try unless he leads.”
Always Fast was the $1.50 favourite from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Condolences To the Horn Family Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he was on his best behaviour with Gary Hall jnr driving him to an effortless all-the-way victory.
“At his first three runs for me he has beaten home just one horse (with two 12th and last placings and an eighth in a field of nine),” said Young. “And tonight, he goes around at $1.50 and wins easily. He has won 12 races and he has led in all but one of them.
“He is a lazy horse, and unless he leads, he doesn’t try a yard. He is a very frustrating horse to train and he’s going to be a hair-puller.”
The Victorian-bred Always Fast, a six-year-old quiet stallion, set a solid pace on Friday night and coasted to a two-length win over $14 chance Rock me Over, rating 1.57.2. This improved his record to 55 starts for 12 wins, 17 placings and $178,815.
Always Fast is by American sire Always A Virgin and is the fourth foal out of the Live Or Die mare All The Magic, who has produced outstanding pacers Rocknroll Magic and Ride High.
Rocknroll Magic earned $466,183 from 24 wins and 14 placings from 48 starts, and his wins included two in group 1 events, three in group 2 races and two at group 3 level.
Ride High was an outstanding performer until a tendon injury curtailed his career about two years ago when his record was 18 starts for 16 wins and one placing for stakes of $289,427.
Machs Bettor upstages his stablemate
New South Wales-bred pacer Machs Bettor has struck a purple patch, and he notched his fourth win from his five starts in his current campaign when he scored a thrilling upset victory over his brilliant stablemate Swingband in the 2130m Gary And Sue Craik Pace for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell had three runners in the $20,250 event — Machs Bettor, Swingband and Whataretheodds — and he just failed to land the trifecta, with Whataretheodds finishing a close fourth, just behind the third placegetter, Maungatahi.
Swingband, a winner of eleven races, was the $1.40 favourite from the No. 3 barrier. Machs Bettor was the third fancy at $7.40 from the No. 1 barrier, and he was the smartest to begin and led for the first 400m before Michael Grantham urged Swingband forward to take up the running.
“My plan was to lead with Machs Bettor,” said reinsman Kyle Symington. “But when Michael Grantham pulled the stick, I decided to take the sit.”
Bell, who drove Whataretheodds (who started from the inside of the back line), said: “I was pretty confident that if Machs Bettor led or sat behind Swingband he would be hard to beat. I left the tactics up to Kyle, and I think he went for the safer option.”
Swingband sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 28.1sec. but he just failed to deliver the goods, being beaten a half-head by Machs Bettor, who was eased off the pegs 230m from home and sprinted fast to gain a last-stride victory, rating 1.56.7.
Swingband and Whataretheodds will be set for the $100,000 Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings next Friday night. Machs Bettor is not eligible for this event, and his main mission this season is the $200,000 WA Derby on November 4.
Bell said that Swingband was big in condition on Friday night and that he was confident the gelding would be fitter and would run a big race next Friday night.
Machs Bettor, who has raced 16 times for five wins and two placings for stakes of $33,538, is the first foal out of the unraced mare Machthreewishes, whose full-brother San Carlo has amassed $578,800 from 30 wins and 13 placings from 67 starts.
San Carlo, who won a 2536m heat of the Interdominion championship at Gloucester Park late in 2017 when he defeated Soho Tribeca and Lennytheshark, is a Cups specialist, having won eight Cup events on Victorian country tracks between 2017 and 2019.
Eight in a row for Tenzing Bromac
Inexperienced New Zealand-bred Tenzing Bromac is carrying all before him, and he improved his record in Western Australia to eight starts for eight wins when he cruised to victory in the 1730m Bill And Norma Horn Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Star reinsman Ryan Warwick is impressed with tensing Bromac’s undoubted potential and said that the Bettors Delight gelding had the potential to develop into a contender for the rich feature events for four-year-olds in November and December.
“He has done nothing wrong yet, but because of the way he races it is hard to tell where his bottom is,” he said. “He is nice to drive but is off the bit, is lazy and never wins by a big margin. So, all that makes it hard to gauge his real ability.
“But when you look at the clock, clocks don’t lie. He has the raw ability.”
Tenzing Bromac, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, won once from two starts in New Zealand before being sold to Team Bond.
On Friday night Tenzing Bromac was the $1.50 favourite and Warwick urged him forward, out wide, from barrier five to quickly dash into the breeze outside the $2.60 second fancy Our Shelley Beach, who dashed over the opening 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 29.1sec. before he stopped badly approaching the turn into the back straight in the final lap.
Warick then dashed Tenzing Bromac to the front 600m from home and the gelding covered the final 400min 28.2sec. and won by just over a half-length from the fast-finishing Rascal, who hampered his prospects by hanging in approaching the home turn.
Our Shelley Beach dropped back to finish a distant last. It was then discovered that he had suffered from an atrial fibrillation.
Tenzing Bromac is the fifth foal out of Tallulah Bromac, an Artsplace mare who raced twice for unplaced efforts as a four-year-old at Manawatu in October 2010. Tenzing Bromac’s older full-brother Tennyson Bromac has raced 63 times for 18 wins, 19 placings and $156,196.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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