17 October 2022 | Ken Casellas
Olivieri’s dramatic Oaks triumph
Forty years ago, Ross Olivieri achieved his first group 1 success when he trained and drove Tebaldi to victory the 1982 New South Wales Oaks at Harold Park, and a year later he prepared Gliding Princess for her win in the NSW Oaks.
Since those heady days the 68-year-old Olivieri has nurtured an ambition to win the WA Oaks. But he has been thwarted many times — until he broke through the seemingly impenetrable barrier when Chris Voak drove Taking The Miki to a thrilling victory in a dramatic blanket finish to the $150,000 The Trots WA Oaks at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This gave Olivieri his 30TH group 1 winner in a distinguished career in which he has been WA’s premier trainer eight times.
“I’ve had a few Oaks pass me by,” he said after Taking The Miki, a $10.20 chance, had burst her way between horses in the final stages to beat Little Darling ($6.50) by a half-head, with $26 chance Acharne Girl a head away in third place.
In 1985 Olivieri sold Countess Gina on behalf of owner Michael Edgley just before the WA Oaks, in which Fred Kersley jnr trained and drove that filly to victory over Penny Opera. Then ten years later Parthenon, trained and driven by Trevor Warwick, won the WA Oaks after the filly had been trained by Olivieri until a disagreement with owner Roy Annear resulted in a stable change in the lead-up to the classic.
Olivieri then had the disappointment of preparing three second placegetters in the Oaks this century — with Hindu Sitara finishing a half-length behind Miss Holmes in 2004, Arctic Fire finishing second to Millwood Meg in 2010, and Double Expresso finishing a head second to Sports Package in 2020.
“Voaky has been trying to win a group 1 race for me for many years, and he has done so at last — and he’s absolutely thrilled,” said Olivieri, who will retire as a trainer at the end of this year before continuing to assist his wife Jemma Hayman, who will take the reins as the stable’s trainer.
Olivieri and Voak had planned to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier by winning the start and setting the pace. But Taking The Miki was burnt off by $23 chance Sovrana, who began brilliantly from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and dashed straight to the front.
“I thought it was a 50-50 chance of this happening, and if Aiden (de Campo) pressed the button coming out of the gate, we couldn’t hold Sovrana out,” said Olivieri. “I said to Voaky if that happens, don’t panic because you will get a nice run behind the leader.”
Im Themightylucy, the $3.90 second favourite, locked wheels with Dontbesillychilli soon after the start and lost valuable ground. Im Themightylucy dropped back to second last in the field of twelve before Gary Hall jnr dashed the small filly forward after 400m to move to the breeze.
Wonderful To Fly, the $2.65 favourite, raced wide early and then settled down at the rear before Shane Young sent her forward to race outside the frontrunning Sovrana with 1350m to travel.
At the bell Little Darling had been shuffled back to tenth. She surged forward, out wide, in the final circuit and loomed as the likely winner on the home turn. But she failed to hold out Taking The Miki, who was eased off the pegs by Voak 300m from home and sprinted strongly to get to the front in the final couple of strides.
Wonderful To Fly, a winner of 21 races, faded to finish tenth. A post-race veterinary examination revealed that the filly was lame in both forelegs.
Taking The Miki is by American sire Always B Miki and is the first foal out of Bettors Delight mare All American Dream, who had 63 starts on South-West and Great Southern tracks for four wins — two at Busselton and two at Bunbury — for earnings of $23,908.
Taking The Miki was purchased for $26,000 at the 2020 Perth APG yearling sale and is raced by Jemma Hayman, Steve Burnside, Garry McRae, Bernie Eales, Debbie Putland, Bill Brandsma and Ted and Margaret Russell. She has raced 23 times for six wins, nine seconds and two thirds for stakes of $198,180.
“Apart from her three runs before the Oaks (when finishing seventh, fifth and sixth) Taking the Miki did not miss saluting the judge at her previous 19 starts,” said Olivieri. “She was the fastest two-year-old filly last year, and the fastest of all time at Gloucester Park, when she rated 1.54.2 in winning the 1730m group 2 Gold Bullion final in April of last year.
“We have had an injury and illness interruption with her, niggling little things that prevented us from having the right preparation into the Oaks. She got sick and had hock problems, and we have got her right just in time.
“We might have a throw at the stumps for the WA Derby next month. It depends on whether she keeps improving.”
Magnificent Storm is just too good
Glamour pacer Magnificent Storm maintained his irrepressible form when he overcame the disadvantage of the outside barrier (No. 9) in the 2130m Dot Williams Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he again proved too fast, too strong and too talented for his rivals.
Veteran Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams was delighted at the victory in the $30,000 event which carried his wife’s name.
But as yet no decision has been made regarding whether Magnificent Storm will be sent to Victoria to contest the Interdominion championship series in November and December.
However, it is my strong gut feeling that Magnificent Storm will not run in the Inters, with the New Zealand-bred five-year-old being set an ambitious program of contesting the $300,000 Fremantle Cup on January 13, the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on January 27 and the $1 million Nullarbor Slot Race in April.
Most punters considered that Jumpingjackmac would beat Magnificent Storm, purely because the talented four-year-old went into the 2130m event with the significant advantage of starting from the No. 1 barrier. Jumpingjackmac was the $1.75 favourite, with Magnificent Storm remarkably good value at $3.80.
As expected, Gary Hall jnr sent Jumpingjackmac straight to the front, while Magnificent Storm was trapped three wide for the first 300m before Aldo Cortopassi restrained the gelding and was able to slot him into the one-out, three back position in seventh place.
After a solid lead time of 36.4sec. Jumpingjackmac had the luxury of coasting through the opening quarter of the final mile in a modest 31.7sec.
Cortopassi was quick to weigh up the situation and he dashed Magnificent Storm forward, three wide, 1350m from home to surge into the breeze and apply pressure on the pacemaker. After 400m sections of 29sec. and 28sec. Magnificent Storm took a narrow lead with 220m to travel and went on to beat Jumpingjackmac by just over a half-length, rating 1.56.3, following a final quarter of 28.7sec.
“I went forward at the start, but it was a bit hot early, and I took hold,” said Cortopassi. “There was a hole to fall into, so we dropped in there and settled. Then, as soon as he had settled, we were off because we couldn’t afford to let Junior (Hall jnr) to get away with too much, and we had to get up there pretty early.
“I said to the boys before the race that we had to put pressure on Jumpingjackmac, but not too much pressure because there were nice sprint horses in behind us.
“So, we had to be wary of not going too hard or going too soft. Magnificent Storm was switched on tonight, and when he’s like that he is just a beast. I consider that this was one of his better runs. To do multiple things in a race, in a Free-For-All, was very good. From the 1400m he was running the whole way.”
Magnificent Storm now has raced 33 times for 25 wins, four placings and stakes of $491,642.
Hall’s winning handful
Two hours after Acharne Girl had finished a splendid third in the WA Oaks at Gloucester Park on Friday night her four-year-old full-brother Faster Than Dad finished fast to snatch victory in the Trots WA Pace to give champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr his fifth winner on the night.
“I’m rapt to get five; it doesn’t happen very often,” said Hall who had the $3.30 third fancy travelling well behind the pacemaker and $3.30 second favourite Little Bit Of Fun before getting off the pegs and into the clear 270m from home.
Faster Than Dad, trained by Michael George, was switched three wide approaching the home turn and he sprinted strongly to get up and beat Little Bit Of Fun by a half-length, rating 1.58.1 over 2130m.
“Faster Than Dad put the writing on the wall last week (when a fast-finishing half-head second to Kimble),” said Hall. “I was a bit worried down the back tonight when I could see that the run was coming. But I was travelling a bit too strong, and I thought that sometimes when a horse travels that strongly he doesn’t get out and go bang. But he got out and let down really good.”
Faster Than Dad is by former star pacer Alta Christiano and is the third foal out of Bettors Delight mare Slick Bird, who earned $89,999 from ten wins and nine placings from 34 starts. The highlight of Slick Bird’s career was her third placing behind Artemis Belle in the 2011 WA Oaks.
Faster Than Dad has had 22 starts for seven wins, four placings and $42,037. He was prepared by Gary Hall snr for his first 20 starts for six wins and three placings. George has trained the gelding for a win and a second from two starts.
George also has enjoyed considerable success with Faster Than Dad’s full-brother While They Pray, who has raced 39 times for 16 wins, 12 placings and $170,788. Slick Bird’s first foal Slick Artist raced 93 times for 18 wins, 29 placings and $256,184. Her biggest success was in the group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic in February 2018.
Young lauds Hall’s drive
Trainer Michael Young’s purple patch continued at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he landed a treble with Doc Holliday, The Mustang and Alcippes Delight.
He was generous in his praise of champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr when he lauded him for his skill in the sulky to guide $5.40 chance Alcippes Delight to a runaway victory in the 2130m The Nullarbor Slot Applications Close Pace.
“All we can put that one down to is a masterclass drive; it was ten out of ten,” said Young. “Junior got off the pegs (after racing behind the pacemaker Blaze Coops) about the 1200m, and then sat there and locked Ryan (Warwick) up and stacked them all up. It was great awareness.”
Hall was content to remain in the breeze in the final lap, thus keeping the $1.55 favourite Unconditional (driven by Warwick) under lock and key on the pegs, before dashing Alcippes Delight away from her rivals approaching the home turn and racing away to beat $101 outsider Sameplace Sametime by three lengths, with All The Bells ($6) a half-length farther back in third place, ahead of Unconditional, who was blocked for a run until the final stages.
Alcippes Delight, a winner at two of her ten New Zealand starts, has raced ten times for Young in Western Australia for five wins and three placings. “Maybe I’ll give Alcippes Delight a little freshen up and try to get her in the upcoming feature events for mares,” said Young.
Doc Holliday is a reluctant winner
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Doc Holliday is a perplexing pacer with a casual attitude who refuses to do his best at the business end of his races.
He was the $5 second favourite who ended a six-month drought and broke a losing sequence of eleven when he scrambled to a half-head victory over the pacemaker The Kraken ($8) in the 2130m You Too Mate Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Doc Holliday, driven by Gary Hall jnr, dashed forward from the rear to move into the breeze 1200m from home. The Kraken was safely holding him at bay until the final few strides when Doc Holliday finally lifted his rating and got up to win by a couple of centimetres.
“Doc Holliday really didn’t want to win,” said trainer Michael Young. “He didn’t want to pick up the leader, and it wasn’t until Whatabro came to his outside and pushed him on. Negotiations are taking place for him to be sold to America.”
Hall agreed with Young, saying: “Doc Holliday didn’t want to win. He was hard work; he’s that sort of horse. At the 400m I had the leader beat. Without doubt, he was going way better than The Kraken, and at the end if a horse hadn’t come down the outside he wouldn’t have got past the leader.”
Doc Holliday, a winner of three races in New Zealand, has had 28 starts in WA for eight wins and ten placings to take his record to 52 starts for eleven wins, 17 placings and stakes of $149,973.
Rascal is a major headache
Rascal is a West Australian-bred four-year-old pacer blessed with considerable ability. But he has proved a major headache throughout his career for Byford trainer Katja Warwick who bred and races the gelding with Tom Erceg.
Rascal refuses to pace smoothly and his habit of hanging in badly has driven Warwick to her wit’s end, trying, unsuccessfully, to correct his serious fault of hanging, so much so that the gelding has to be driven on one rein to prevent him from veering in and encroaching inside the pegs or hanging inwards and causing interference to runners on his inside.
Warwick has experimented with a variety of bits, without success, and she has also failed to cure the gelding’s hanging problem with several gearing apparatus, including the use of a lugging pole.
“We have tried everything, but to no avail,” said Warwick. “That’s just him; he hangs in all the time. However, he’s got speed and strength.” It is his natural ability that has enabled him to race 19 times for nine wins, six placings and $66,218 in prizemoney.
Rascal is by American stallion Captaintreacherous and is the first foal out of the Rich And Spoilt mare Straittothehilton, who was part-owned and trained by Warwick for his 68-start career of ten wins, 22 placings and $157,415. Her biggest success was in the group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies in June 2014.
Injury ends Smart Watch’s Derby hopes
Star reinsman Gary Hall was concerned when outstanding colt Smart Watch hung badly before scoring a narrow victory in the $20,250 Vale Beth Richardson Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His worst fears were realised on Saturday morning when trainer Gary Hall snr discovered that Smart Watch had bowed a tendon, an injury which will prevent him from contesting the $200,000 WA Derby on November 4.
Smart Watch had been a leading contender for the Derby after winning at his first three starts in Western Australia after arriving from New Zealand where he raced five times for a win and two placings.
“The leader (Swagger Man) tried to make it real hard for Smart Watch (by setting a fast pace),” said Hall jnr. Smart Watch was hanging down on the bends, but still went super. I thought he was the winner a fair way out, but he still had to find ‘it’ late.”
Smart Watch, the $1.40 favourite from barrier two on the back line, settled down in seventh position in the one-wide line before Hall sent him forward, three wide, 1100m from home to move into the breeze. He finally got to the front with 300m to travel and won by a half neck from $21 chance Linebacker, rating 1.56.7 over 2130m.
High Price, the $6.50 third fancy and a stablemate of Smart Watch, raced wide early and in the breeze for a while before gaining a sit in the one-out, one-back position. He finished solidly into third place, with Swagger Man ($5.50) wilting late to finish tenth.
Machnificent overcomes setback
Promising four-year-old Machnificent made a triumphant return to racing — after recovering from a greasy heel infection — when he finished with a powerful burst to score an impressive victory in the $23,750 $1 Million Nullarbor Slot Race In April Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Part-owner and Byford trainer Katja Warwick was extremely happy that Machnificent was able to perform so strongly at his first appearance for six weeks, and she declared: “He’s aiming towards the summer and the feature events for four-year-olds.”
Machnificent was affected by his greasy heel after he had finished an excellent first-up fourth behind Plutonium on September 2 — his first appearance since he ran home strongly to win the group 2 Nights Of Thunder at a 1.52.4 rate last January.
He had to be treated to bring down the swelling, and he showed no signs of the problem when Shannon Suvaljko drove him on Friday night when he was an $8.60 chance from the No. 5 barrier in the 2130m event.
Suvaljko did not bustle Machnificent early and he was content to race in fifth position, three back on the pegs while the polemarker Dominus Factum ($7.50) set a brisk pace, with Ideal Agent ($6.50) in the breeze.
The $2.60 favourite Ezana began fast from barrier three and raced three wide into third place after 200m before Aldo Cortopassi had little option 250m later but to restrain the gelding back to last.
Ryan Warwick sent Ideal Agent to the front 550m from home, and 50m later Suvaljko eased Machnificent off the inside before taking the stallion out three wide approaching the home turn. Machnificent then took the lead with 90m to travel and went on to win by just under a length from Ideal Agent, with Boom Time ($9.50) a fast-finishing third.
Machnificent rated 1.55.8 and he took his record to 40 starts for 12 wins, 12 placings and stakes of $152,880. He is by Mach Three and is the sixth foal out of the Northern Luck mare Honorable Daughter, whose career was limited to six runs as a three-year-old in 2010 for six unplaced efforts.
However, Honorable Daughter’s granddam Chaangerr produced ten winners, including Changeover (66 starts for 29 wins, 16 placings and $2,321,676), Change Stride (199 starts for 38 wins, 57 placings and $593,743) and Change Gear (138 starts for 22 wins, 29 placings and $190,884). Change Stride raced 41 times in WA between 2015 and 2017 for 15 wins before continuing his career in America.
Miller takes no prisoners
Up-and-coming reinsman Mitch Miller had only one thought in mind when he lined up at barrier No. 6 with Sweet Vivienne in the Follow The Trots WA on Facebook and Twitter Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night — and that was to take no prisoners.
His tactics were to take full advantage of Sweet Vivienne’s speed and strength, and he stuck by his aggressive plan even after the $2.45 favourite Fly To Fame burst straight to the front from barrier three and her driver Emily Suvaljko was keen to maintain this advantage.
Miller simply pressed on and eventually charged into the lead after 350m. The lead time was a fast 35.9sec. and ten Sweet Vivienne was able to relax and dawdle through the opening quarters of the final mile in 33.7sec. and 31.8sec.
Sweet Vivienne, trained by Kim Prentice and the second fancy at $3.30, then increased the tempo with final 400m sections of 29.4sec. and 29sec. and she won by 13 metres from $4.20 chance Our Lady Jen, who impressed in finishing strongly from eighth and last at the bell.
“I thought that Sweet Vivienne was the best filly in the race and we knew she had good gate speed,” said Miller. “So, I backed her in that she was the best filly who could do a bit of work. I had little doubt that Sweet Vivienne would get to the front. I simply was going to keep going until I got there.
“I didn’t care how much work I did to get to the lead because I was always going to get a breather after getting to the front. For a filly to run that lead time and still finish the way she did was full of merit. She will now go for a break and will come back bigger, better and stronger as a three-year-old.”
Sweet Vivienne, bred and part-owned by Paula Petricevich, is by American sire Sweet Lou and is the only foal out of unraced mare Quite A Sensation. Sweet Vivienne has had 11 starts for four wins, two placings and $35,146.
The Mustang has pace to burn
“How impressive was he? He’s very good and his gate speed is phenomenal,” said delighted trainer Michael Young after The Mustang had revealed sparkling speed to charge straight to the front from barrier four in the 2536m Harness The Dream Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Mustang, the $1.50 favourite, driven by Gary Hall jnr, relaxed with opening quarters of 31.3sec. and 31.1sec. before giving his rivals little chance by speeding over each of the final two 400m sections in 27.8sec. to coast to a three-length victory over the $2.90 second favourite Stamford, who battled on gamely after leading the chase all the way behind The Mustang.
“I think the track tonight is relatively slow and to run those fast final quarters was most impressive,” said Young. I couldn’t be more impressed with him.
“Stamford is no slouch out of the gate, and The Mustang crossed him before the winning post. That gate speed is going to take him a long way. He is still on a pretty low mark, and we’ve got to keep punching our way to earn our spot in the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup.”
The Mustang now has started twice in Western Australia for two effortless victories that have improved his record to 67 starts for 17 wins, 27 placings and stakes of $179,981. He is by former star New Zealand pacer Changeover, who raced 66 times for 29 wins, 16 placings and $2,321,676. The Mustang’s dam Afalcons Dash contested 37 minor events on Victorian tracks for six wins, ten placings and $23,013.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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