03 April 2023 | Ken Casellas
Simply Shaz ignites palpitations aplenty
Ever since I covered the 1956 August Cup meeting at Gloucester Park as a 19-year-old, freshly anointed as the chief harness writer for The West Australian newspaper, I have thoroughly enjoyed describing the emotions and portraying the excitement and joy of owners, trainers and drivers.
I was fortunate when my first pacer, Yuna Boy, trained by Joe Petricevich and driven by Leo Keys, led all the way and won on debut at the old York track in 1965. Yuna Boy went on to win nine races, and since then I have raced many dozens of pacers with varying degrees of success.
On Friday night at Gloucester Park I experienced the thrill of winning a major feature event — and was left with the daunting task of interviewing myself after Trent Wheeler had driven Simply Shaz to a splendid victory in the $75,000 Direct Trades Supply Empress Stakes.
The euphoria that part-owner — and first-time owner — Daniel Catalano and I shared after the photo finish revealed that Simply Shaz, a $11.10 chance had held on by a head to beat the $2.90 second favourite Wonderful To Fly was shattered and our spirits took a substantial dive when course commentator Richard Bell sounded the warning siren to indicate that a protest had been lodged by Shane Young, driver of Wonderful To Fly.
The heart palpitations that I experienced when watching Simply Shaz gallantly defying late challenges for ascendancy returned two-fold, like an icy blast.
My feverish thoughts of what I was preparing to say after Gloucester Park president John Burt had conducted the presentation ceremony flew out of the window. Daniel, the president and I waited for what seemed an eternity before the announcement came to inform us all that the protest was unsuccessful.
By this time the runners were on the track for the following event, leaving no time for a presentation. But Dan and I were able to celebrate, and so, too, were trainer and part-owner Peter Anderson and our co-owners Ross Waddell and Max Hall.
“I bought Simply Shaz in New Zealand for $50,000 landed because she is very well bred,” said Anderson. Simply Shaz, a big five-year-old mare by American Ideal, has shown steady improvement since arriving in Western Australia in December 2020.
Her 53 WA starts have produced 14 wins, 13 placings and stakes of $134,059. She is proving to be an iron horse, having raced almost week-in, week-out, with 44 starts over the past 14 months.
“This busy program is something I have done a lot,” said Anderson. “I have a system I use, similar to the system I employed with pacers like Mighty Flying Thomas, Bronze Seeker and Allwoods Rocknroll, who thrived on a busy schedule of racing. It is a little system that works, and it is the race runs that keeps the horses fit.”
Simply Shaz is not recognised as having good gate speed, but in recent weeks she has improved dramatically, and Wheeler was determined to take full advantage of the No. 1 barrier on Friday night.
Simply Shaz won the start and Wheeler had to fend off $41 chance My Prayer in the early stages, and then $8.50 chance Three Rumours issued a spirited challenge after a lap.
“I wasn’t worried when challenged by My Prayer even when she got her head in front of us,” said Wheeler. “And when Chris Lewis challenged with Three Rumours I was not about to relinquish the lead, particularly as Three Rumours had raced three wide for the first lap.
“Overall, we got things pretty comfortable, so I was happy to hold the front.”
Wheeler said that he had chatted with Lindsay Harper before Friday night’s race because Harper had driven Simply Shaz the previous Friday night when the mare had finished third behind Wonderful To Fly and Nevermindthechaos.
“Lindsay had driven Simply Shaz a few times while I was driving her stablemates at Albany,” he said. “He told me that I would be better off having Simply Shaz on the gate, rather than chasing the gate.” This was good advice, with Simply Shaz revealing excellent gate speed and being able to get to the front without undue pressure.
Wonderful To Fly trailed Simply Shaz throughout and was hampered for room in the final circuit before getting clear in the closing stages. Nevermindthechaos was dogged by bad luck after starting from the outside (barrier nine) on the front line.
Nevermindthechaos settled at the rear and she met with interference and broke into a gallop racing out of the front straight the second time. She lost several lengths before Gary Hall jnr quickly dashed her forward to move to the breeze.
She was still second on the home turn, but was making no serious impression on Simply Shaz in the straight before she met with interference in the closing stages, causing Hall to be dislodged from the sulky.
While Simply Shaz provided a great thrill for first-time owners Daniel Catalano and Max Hall, her win on Friday night gave me one of my most important victories in the sport I love, vying with The Real Ideal’s group 1 victory in the Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and gelding in July 2016 and group 3 wins with Move Over’s win in the 2011 Higgins Memorial, Medley Moose’s win in the 2014 Kalgoorlie Cup and Bronze Seeker’s win in the 2014 Albany Cup.
I have enjoyed my 340-odd wins as an owner and part-owner, with my favourite horses being Lisharry (16 wins), Corza Commotion (nine), Mighty Flying Thomas (18), Bronze Seeker (17), Rocky Marciano (16), Questionable Gesture (seven), Mexicano (11), Smooth Jasper (nine) — and Simply Shaz (14).
Magnificent Storm at his peak
Managing part-owner Rob Tomlinson was lavish in his praise of Magnificent Storm after the six-year-old star had scored a superb victory in the DTS All Your Civil And Construction Supply Needs Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“You could see how devastating he was tonight,” said Tomlinson. “Aldo (driver Aldo Cortopassi) said he felt enormous, and that run should top him right off for the Nullarbor Slot race on Friday week. He will go straight to the Nullarbor now, and won’t need to race next Friday night.
“It was good that we finally got the opportunity not to be the one doing all the work. The 2536m of the Nullarbor will be no problem for the horse. Ray (trainer Ray Williams) has him in the best condition he’s been in for quite a while.”
Magnificent Storm was the $4.10 second favourite from the outside barrier in the quality field of eight, and Cortopassi did not bustle him early. He settled down at the rear while the $3.30 favourite Mighty Ronaldo scorched through the lead time in 34.8sec. as he resisted a strong challenge from $7 chance Steel The Show, who led by a length after 100m but was unable to cross to the front.
Eventually the pace slackened, with opening quarters of 30.8sec. and 29.2sec. Magnificent Storm was sixth at the bell, one-out and two-back, and Cortopassi bided his time before he sent the New Zealand-bred champion pacer forward, with a three-wide burst 430m from home.
Magnificent Storm surged to the front on the home turn and coasted to victory, beating the fast-finish Lavra Joe ($5.50) by a length, rating 1.54.5 over the 2130m.
Lavra Joe was most impressive. He raced three wide early and was restrained to the rear. He was last with 350m to travel before he went six wide on the home turn and sprinted powerfully. Whatabro ($91) raced three back on the pegs before unwinding a spirited late burst to finish an eye-catching third.
Steel The Show was a sound fourth after racing in the breeze all the way, while Mighty Ronaldo wilted to fifth after overracing in front.
Williams was delighted at Magnificent Storm’s performance, saying: “Aldo said he was just jogging and was always going to win. He has pulled up extremely well, and his heart (rate) was low.
“The main thing is keeping him the way he is now. He is very good in his head. I’ll probably give him a track run next Saturday.”
Water Lou remains unbeaten
Supporters of star juvenile Water Lou survived some anxious moments before the $1.04 favourite defied a serious late challenge from the $11 second fancy Xceptional Arma to win the $29,400 Direct Trades Supply Gold Bracelet at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Water Lou, driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Stephen Reed, began from barrier two and took the lead after 150m before setting an extremely slow early pace with a lead time of 40.2sec. and an opening 400m section of 33.1sec.
Water Lou then covered the next two quarters in 29.1sec. and 28.4sec. before weakening over the final stages and responding to Suvaljko’s urgings to beat Xceptional Arma by a head when the final 400m took 30.3sec.
This fighting win was Water Lou’s fifth from her five starts, and it boosted her earnings to $93,591. She and the Colin Brown-trained Xceptional Arma look set for further exciting duels in upcoming feature events for two-year-old fillies.
Cordero sprints home
Veteran pacer Cordero was battling to keep up when the $1.80 favourite Classic Choice was bowling along in front in the first lap of the Call DTS Now Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Cordero, a $4.90 chance from the prized No. 1 barrier, was left a good four lengths behind the overracing Classic Choice in the first lap before he finally got serious in the final circuit when he produced a smart sprint to overhaul Classic Choice 70m from the post and win by a length and a half after a final 800m of 56.4sec.
“Cordero doesn’t look like he’s travelling or is interested when there is nothing outside of him,” explained driver Deni Roberts. “When he gets a runner on his outside, he picks up the bit, and when you angle him out he can let down with a good little sprint.”
It was when Ima Fivestar General was eased from his position three back on the pegs in third place 900m from home and moved alongside Cordero that Cordero became interested and he knuckled down to the task in hand.
Cordero, who is owned and trained by Trevor Wright, was been a good moneyspinner, with his 101 starts producing 12 wins and 24 placings for stakes of $150,456.
Brown changes her tactics
Talented driver Maddison Brown admitted that she had learnt a valuable lesson the previous week when Arma Einstein, the $2.15 favourite, finished a well-beaten fourth behind James Butt.
“I drove him a bit ambitiously last week, so I decided to change my tactics this week,” she said after driving Arma Einstein ($4.50) to a stylish victory in the 2130m DTS Farmlock Fence Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
On the previous Friday night Brown drove Arma Einstein hard from the No. 1 barrier in an unsuccessful bid to hold the lead from the flying James Butt, and then 450m later she switched Arma Einstein off the pegs to go to the breeze before gaining the one-out, one-back sit. Arma Einstein then just battled on to finish five lengths behind James Butt.
Arma Einstein began from the No. 5 barrier on Friday night when Brown refused to get involved in any early speed battles. Arma Einstein settled down at the rear and was still eighth at the bell before Brown bided her time and switched the gelding three wide at the 300m when he sprinted fast and dashed to the front 280m later on his way to winning by a half-length from the $3 favourite Kimble, who trailed the pacemaker Dominus Factum before finishing with a strong burst.
“It was always my plan to go back (at the start) and rely on one run,” said Brown, whose father Colin prepares Arma Einstein at his Banjup property.
Five-year-old Arma Einstein has earned $214,701 from 15 wins and 35 placings from 79 starts.
Suvaljko’s wise choice
Byford trainer Callan Suvaljko had three runners in the DTS Kelvin Road Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he made a wise choice in engaging Gary Hall jnr to handle ten-year-old gelding Tuas Delight who had managed one placing from his previous 13 starts.
Suvaljko had driven Tuas Delight at 29 of his previous 30 starts for two wins but he opted to handle stablemate Street Appeal, who had been unplaced at his six starts for Suvaljko after arriving from Queensland. He engaged Kyle Harper to drive Our Star Watch, who went into the race having been unplaced at his previous 22 starts.
“I thought Tuas Delight was the best chance of my three runners after he had led and finished second to Middlepage two starts ago,” said Suvaljko.
“I drove Street Appeal because he is the hardest one of the three to handle. He is a nut case and he likes to charge the gate, and when he does he lifts his head over the top of the barrier arm.”
Hall delivered the goods with Tuas Delight, a $6.90 chance, keeping the gelding at the rear before sending him forward, out three wide, with 950m to travel. Tuas Delight sustained his finishing burst, coming from fourth on the home turn to get up and snatch a last-stride victory in a three-way photo finish.
He gained the verdict by a head from the pacemaker and $3.50 second favourite Disco Under Fire, with Gran Chico ($3.80) a head away in third place.
Gran Chico raced in the breeze for much of the way before getting to the front 300m from home. Ten-year-old Disco Under Fire regained the lead in the home straight but just failed to hold out Tuas Delight.
Tuas Delight, who damaged a tendon in August 2021 and was off the scene for eleven months, has had 164 starts for 16 wins, 31 placings and $196,601 in prizemoney.
El Chema comes from last
New Zealand-bred five-year-old El Chema gave a sample of his class when he was last in a field of six at the 250m mark before storming home to score an effortless victory in the 1730m DTS Stay Safe PPE Products Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A stylish free-legged pacer, El Chema had won impressively in fast time at his two previous outings, but he was a $5 chance, mainly because he had drawn the outside barrier.
He had won when leading and also after racing in the breeze at his two previous starts, with driver Emily Suvaljko saying that the Justin Prentice-trained gelding was a talented sit-sprinter.
“His main asset is his speed,” said Suvaljko. “At his previous couple of starts he had drawn favourably and therefore he had to stay ahead of his main rivals. I wanted to sit him up this week.
“I was thinking three the fence was a good spot, but he pulled quite hard out of the gate, so I elected to stay in the moving line. They weren’t going super hard but I knew he had the speed to overcome them. In the Golden Nugget last December I went to the fence, and that was when he galloped. So, I was quite prepared to stay in the one-wide line tonight.”
Polemarker Jett Star, the $2.60 favourite, set the pace, with his stablemate Dont Bother Me None in the breeze. Jett Star had no answer when El Chema charged to the front in the final 60m and raced away to win by two lengths from Jett Star.
El Chema rated 1.55.1 and now boasts a fine record of 30 starts for 12 wins and 11 placings for $107,116 in prizemoney.
Raven Banner bred to shine
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Raven Banner, who gave punters a flying start at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he set the pace and won the opening event, the 1730m Direct Trades Supply We’ve Got Shedloads Pace, is bred to be a good winner.
Raven Banner’s full-brother Trojan Banner earned $245,852 from 25 wins and 21 placings from 98 starts, and his half-brother Crusader Banner raced 49 times for 14 wins, 13 placings and $157,222, with 13 of his wins coming in WA, including the group 3 2015 Porter Memorial.
Raven Banner’s dam Caitlin Banner had 27 starts for two wins, 11 placings and $26,585, while her half-brother Mainland Banner was a star, with his 22 starts producing 17 wins and three seconds for earnings of $684,579.
Raven Banner now has raced 38 times for eight wins, 14 placings and $102,384. After six wins from 31 New Zealand starts the son of Bettors Delight has had seven starts in Western Australia for two wins and three placings.
The Greg and Skye Bond-trained gelding was a hot $1.20 favourite from the No. 1 barrier on Friday night when Deni Roberts drove him to an all-the-way victory over Faster Than Dad, a $13 chance who was tenth and last at the 350m mark before going five wide on the home turn and flying home to get within a half-length of the winner.
“I think Raven Banner might be coming to the end of his prep,” said Roberts. “When he comes back next time he will be a better horse.”
First win for $130,000 colt
Star Lavra, a $130,000 purchase at the 2021 APG Perth yearling sale, gave a glimpse of his potential at his third appearance in a race when he broke through for his first win at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The burly Captaintreacherous colt, trained by Gary Hall snr and driven by Stuart McDonald, was the $3.70 second favourite in the field of six when he began smartly from the No. 1 barrier and after a slow lead time of 38.7sec. and ambling opening quarter of 32.1sec. he increased the tempo with quarters of 29.8sec., 28.5sec. and 27.6sec. to win by 2m from stablemate Hes Never Been Beta ($7.50), with another stablemate and $1.60 favourite Im The Black Flash two lengths farther back in third place.
The Hall stable’s fourth runner Franco Mecca ($34) finished fourth behind Star Lavra, who rated 1.58.4 over the 2130m journey.
Hes Never Been Beta did a good job to finish second after racing without cover over the final 1200m. Im The Black Flash, a winner at three of his six starts, began from the No. 5 barrier and raced in fifth spot in the Indian file affair for the first 900m before gaining a good sit in the one-out, one-back position. He battled on gamely.
“I didn’t want to run that slow in the first lap,” said McDonald. “With the horses behind him being restrained, he switched right off. So, I wasn’t looking at going so slowly, but I got away with it. He won well and was holding the other horses easily enough. However, as a racehorse he has a lot to learn.”
Star Lavra is a half-brother to outstanding five-year-old Lavra Joe, a winner of 29 races and $530,819 in prizemoney. He gives every impression of developing into a leading candidate for this season’s rich three-year-old classics, particularly the $200,000 WA Derby on November 3.
Stands on Taking The Miki’s agenda
Smart mare Taking the Miki passed her first test in a standing-start event with flying colours when she began swiftly in the 2503m DTYS Web www.dtswa.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A $3.60 chance and driven confidently by Chris Voak, Taking The Miki relished her frontrunning role and was not fully extended in winning by two lengths from $10 chance American Bullitt after final 400m sections of 28.9sec. and 28.2sec.
It was a notable victory for the four-year-old Taking the Miki, the youngest runner and only mare in the race.
Jemma Hayman, the trainer and part-owner of Taking the Miki, was delighted with the win and said that she would be considering running her in the $50,000 Easter Cup next Friday night and the $30,000 Race For Roses three weeks later. Both are 2503m feature events from a standing start.
“We will have a look at the Easter Cup and the Race For Roses, which is one of my favourite events and one I’d love to win,” she said.
“Taking The Miki got away good tonight, and I think she will get away even better next time. She is still a bit green and is not sure what she is doing. She will get better with experience.”
Hayman said that Taking The Miki did not have a perfect preparation for the WA Oaks last October when she won by a half-head from Little Darling. Two starts after that she finished third behind Tricky Miki in the WA Derby.
“Now everything is going sweetly , and we’re excited,” she said. “She had a few little soundness issues before the Oaks we had to work through, just little niggles here and there. The main thing that we discovered was that she was kicking the walls of her stable, resulting in her jarring up. Now, she is thriving on being trained out of the paddock.”
Taking the Miki, a $26,000 purchase at the 2020 Perth APG Yearling sale, has earned $234,483 from seven wins and 13 placings from 29 starts.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
