15 June 2020 | Ken Casellas
Jett Star shows he’s ready
After Jett Star arrived in WA from New Zealand early in March champion trainers and leading owners Greg and Skye Bond seriously considered abandoning plans for the powerful colt to contest the rich feature events for two-year-olds this season.
But now they are delighted that they changed their minds and are celebrating Jett Star’s superb victory in the $100,000 group 1 Pearl Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Star reinsman and Bond stable foreman Ryan Warwick admitted after driving Jett Star to a most impressive victory that the colt originally gave the perception that he wasn’t ready to start his racing career.
“He gave the impression that he made it look hard and wasn’t ready mentally,” Warwick said. “We weren’t going to race him as a two-year-old at all simply because he was such a big horse who hung his neck low and stuck his head out. He could run the time and do it nicely, but he made it all look hard work.
“However, we gave him three trials at Byford in April, and he got through them really easily. So, we gave him a start at Pinjarra (on May 4) and that was going to be the measuring stick to determine what we were going to do with him.
“He went well (being restrained from a wide barrier to the rear and then going forward to work in the breeze before winning easily by three lengths from stablemate Unconditional) and so we kept him ticking along at home.
“Now, I guess we’ll sit down the next week or two to see if we go to the Golden Slipper (the $125,000 classic on July 10) or put him away. He’ll tell us. It was a pretty hard run tonight. He rated 1.56 and came home pretty quickly (with final quarters of 28.1sec. and 27.5sec.).
“He had Lavra Joe (the pacemaker) beaten a fair way out; so, I was pretty chuffed. Now we’ll see what it has taken out of him. He’s pretty good and bounces back (after his races) and eats a lot of food.
“Tonight, he showed how he makes it look hard, getting to the front (about 250m from home) and not drawing away until late. It’s just because he doesn’t know what to do. However, it’s hard to say that he’s not ready mentally after what he’s just done. I know he’s going to be a lot better three-year-old and we’ve just got to manage him properly so that we can maximize him as a three-year-old.”
Warwick said that he was not concerned when Jett Star drew barrier No. 12 (the outside of the back line of three runners) in the 2130m classic. “I thought it was perfect because I like him better from behind, and I didn’t want to be tempted to get into any sort of speed battle,” Warwick said.
“When I saw the lead time (a quick 36.5sec.) I was pretty chuffed. And when Kim Prentice came out (with Carabao about 1200m from home) I pulled out (three wide from eighth position) and just the way Jett Star felt I knew it would take a good horse to beat him.”
Jett Star, second favourite at $5.30, charged away from Lavra Joe, the $1.95 favourite, in the final stages to win by a length to take his record to four starts for four wins and $74,568 in prizemoney. The Bryan Cousins-trained Carabao finished four lengths behind Lavra Joe in third place, with The Good Life (Aiden de Campo) running on from eighth at the bell to be an encouraging fourth.
Jett Star, by champion sire Bettors Fire, is the second foal out of Steel The Light, who earned $40,806 from seven wins and nine placings from 32 starts in New Zealand and one placing from five Australian starts.
This gave the Bonds their first success in the Pearl and Warwick his second win in the classic — after scoring with Barjohbil in 2006. For Chris Lewis, who had won the Pearl five times, the defeat of Lavra Joe gave him his eighth second placing in the feature event for two-year-olds.
The Bonds named Jett Star after their son Jett, who is enjoying competing in pony trot events along with his sister Allira, after whom the Bonds’ three-year-old Bettors Delight filly Weewah was named. When she was little Allira couldn’t quite pronounce Allira and called herself Weewah, who is proving a handy performer with eight wins, six placings and $36,818 from her 20 starts.
King’s 29 years between drinks
It’s been a long time between drinks for 55-year-old Englishman Peter King, whose victory with Longreach Bay in the $20,000 Westsired Pace for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night was his second metropolitan success as a trainer — after preparing his only previous city winner — Our Master Jamie at Gloucester Park on February 15, 1991.
Longreach Bay, prepared by King at Coolup, was the $6 second favourite who was driven by Maddison Brown for a smart all-the-way victory at a 1.56.1 rate over 2130m. The Renaissance Man colt fought on gamely to win by a half-length from the fast-finishing Keptain Courageous ($14), with the $1.80 favourite Aristocratic Star four lengths back in third place after working hard in the breeze throughout.
Longreach Bay was bred and is owned by King, his wife Barbara Pellick and King’s 28-year-old son Michael, and the gelding now has earned $23,510 from four wins and two thirds from nine starts.
He is out of the Armbro Operative mare Back In The Black, who had 43 starts for seven wins, 18 placings and $58,780 in stakes. The Kings and Pellick paid $4500 to buy Back In The Black when she was in foal to Advance Attack in 2014.
The mare then produced a tiny filly named Cott Beach, a champion juvenile who was retired after earning $275,902 from 15 wins and 14 placings from 41 starts. Her victories included the group 2 Champagne Classic, the group 3 Westsired Pace and the group 1 Westbred Classic as a two-year-old, followed by a second placing to Jac Mac in the Golden Slipper in 2017 and a third behind King of Swing in the WA Derby in April 2018.
Longreach Bay is the next of Back In The Black’s progeny, and if he pulls up well after his win on Friday night, he will contest the rich Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings next Friday night.
Peter King, who trained and drove winners with trotters and pacers on grass tracks in England, has just returned to the ranks of trainers after spending about ten years travelling around Australia and the world with his wife Barbara, a champion international marathon swimmer, and then working hard at his current job as a planner at Alcoa.
He has taken over the preparation of Longreach Bay for the gelding’s past three starts — for a seventh placing and a win at Bunbury last month before Friday night’s victory.
“Gary Elson trained Cott Beach for us and he has also trained Longreach Bay and has played a big part in getting him to where he is at now,” King said.
King, who comes from Essex, became involved in harness racing when he was 16 and owned and drove winners in England at Reningham Raceway and in Birmingham. He migrated to Australia in 1987 with the specific objective of improving his knowledge of harness racing.
“I worked for Trevor Warwick for four and a half years and gained a licence to train and drive.” King bred Kings Tricks (by American sire Just Ever Thankful out of the Racy Prince mare Sahara So Long) and at his first drive in a race in WA he finished second with Kings Tricks (behind Crash City Revhead) in a three-year-old event at Busselton on December 27, 1994.
His first Australian winner was Kings Trick, whom he drove to victory over Hard Copy (Grant Williams) at Collie on April 29, 1995. King drove Kings Tricks at 70 of his 130 starts for five wins, three at Collie and one each at Bridgetown and Busselton.
His WA driving career ended with eight wins and 30 placings from 213 drives. He also trained nine winners from 232 starters, with his only city success being with Our Master Jamie in a 1700m $10,000 event at Gloucester Park on February 15, 1991.
“John Yovich and Trevor Warwick owned Kings Tricks and after he had won at Richmond Raceway on February 8, 1991, they gave him to me,” King said. “A week later Our Master Jamie, driven by Malcolm Collins, won at Gloucester Park, which was my only success as a trainer at Gloucester Park until Longreach Bay’s win on Friday night.”
Before Longreach Bay’s two recent victories King’s previous training success was with Chalet Dancer, who was driven by namesake Chris King for his victory over Rhetts Magic in a C4 2567m event at Bridgetown on February 27, 1999.
Gear change lifts Fifty Five Reborn
Ace trainer-reinsman Colin Brown admitted that he had erred in racing Fifty Five Reborn with hood type blinkers when she had disappointed in being unplaced at her two starts before contesting the $20,000 Westsired Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He discarded the hood type blinkers and replaced them with pull-down blinkers for her appearance on Friday night when she was a hot $1.36 favourite who began strongly from the No. 4 barrier, dashed to an early lead, set the pace and won by more than a length from the $4.40 second fancy Star Fromthepalace at a 1.57.1 rate over 2130m.
“Fifty Five Reborn was off the bit and not travelling in her races, so I put hood type blinkers on her, trying to make her a racehorse,” Brown explained. “But this fired her up and at her previous start when the winner Blockjorg rated 1.55.5, she was pulling her head off in the breeze before fading to finish last.
“Sometimes you make a mistake, trying to make them a racehorse when they already are. Tonight, I got the plugs out, but didn’t need to pull the pull-downs. She’s a tough little filly and is not one-paced.”
Brown said that he did not start Fifty Five Reborn for four weeks before Friday night’s race, explaining: “It’s winter and we have our hardest tracks in winter, not that she has leg issues, but I like to look after my babies who have a bit of ability. So, I space their runs.
“And another reason why she didn’t have a run for four weeks was because I was (and still am) planning to run her in the Westbred event next Friday night, meaning that she would be racing two weeks in a row.”
Fifty Five Reborn is the first foal out of the Bettors Delight mare Arma Fifty Five, who is certainly far from being a favourite of Brown.
“To put it mildly, I have a low opinion of Arma Fifty Five,” Brown said. “I trained her, and she never started in a race. She used to chase her tail all day in the yard, squealing, bucking, kicking and carrying on. And when you took her to the track, she wouldn’t run.”
However, she has proved her worth as a brood mare, with Fifty Five Reborn earning $72,392 from six wins and two seconds from 15 starts.
Cyclone Banner on the way up
Aldo Cortopassi described Cyclone Banner as a perfect gentleman who is improving with racing after driving him to an impressive victory over Master Publisher in the 2536m Welcome Back Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Cyclone Banner, third fancy at $5.50, raced three wide early and then in the breeze for almost a lap before obtaining an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before sprinting home strongly to defeat Master Publisher ($3.30) by just over a half-length at a 1.59.1 rate.
Boom Time, the $2.60 favourite, set the pace before wilting to finish fourth.
“I was not worried when we were left in the breeze,” Cortopassi said. “I was quite happy to come out and park outside the leader, and if we got cover it would be good. But if not, I wouldn’t have been too stressed.
“I was confident he would run a big race. His first-up run (when he led and won from Kilowatt Kid at a 1.55.9 rate over 2130m) was super, and I probably under-drove him a bit at his next start (when third behind Sightseeing Anvil), probably because he had drawn wide (barrier six) after he had had a gut buster first-up.”
Cyclone Banner, who is prepared at Mt Helena by Ray Williams, won at two of his six New Zealand starts and now has raced 18 times in Western Australia for eight wins and five placings.
“Ray has a good team in work and Cyclone Banner is a lovely little pony, just a gentleman who wants to go out there and do everything for you,” Cortopassi said. “He makes my job easy. After pulling the plugs he always digs deep, and I always thought he had the measure of Master Publisher tonight.
“He has come back better this preparation. He has always been fast, and now he’s got a bit stronger. He won most of his early races because of his sheer speed. Now I haven’t been driving for that speed early.”
Too easy for Robbie Easton
New Zealand-bred four-year-old Robbie Easton won the 2536m Retravision Pace by just over a length from the pacemaker Jilliby Jake at Gloucester Park on Friday night — but the margin could have been far greater, according to champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr.
Robbie Easton, prepared by Gary Hall snr and favourite at $1.90, was not bustled from the outside barrier (No. 9) and settled in twelfth and last position before surging forward, three wide, to move to the breeze after just over a lap.
He coasted on the outside of the frontrunning Jilliby Jake and strolled to the front 100m from the post, with a final 400m section in a slick 27.7sec.
“This was probably the easiest I’ve won a race for a long time,” said Hall jnr. “Hopefully, he’ll go on with it from here. He’s always been a bit stupid, and this could hold him back from getting to the top level.
“He’s a bit of a mental case; he acts like a baby and has never really matured. Once he’s on the track you can’t turn him around. It stirs him up and then you have got to get the clerk to hold him until the score-up. However, he’s got the ability to develop into a major Cups hope.”
Robbie Easton, a gelding by Washington VC, is the fourth foal and the only one of six foals out of the unraced Sokys Atom mare Robsue to have raced. He did not race in New Zealand and his 32 starts in WA have produced ten wins, 11 placings and $90,004 in prizemoney.
Tuas Delight gets the right run
Honest performer Tuas Delight failed to win from 15 starts in New Zealand before winning four races at Penrith from seven starts in New South Wales and then heading west where he has proved to be a handy pacer for star Serpentine trainer Gary Hall snr.
The seven-year-old lined up for his 66TH start in WA when he was favourite at $2.60 for the 2536m TABtouch Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. Patiently driven by Gary Hall jnr, Tuas Delight flew home to snatch a neck victory from McArdles Gem to notch his sixth victory in the State and take his career record to 88 starts for ten wins, 17 placings and $103,876 in stakes.
From barrier two, Tuas Delight raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, with Pradas Ideal Dahling setting the pace from the early leader McArdles Gem and with Mattjestic Star pulling hard in the breeze.
McArdles Gem got to the lead in the final stages, but was unable to hold out the fast-finishing Tuas Delight, who was hemmed in on the pegs 450m from home before getting clear and flashing home to get up in the final couple of strides.
“Tuas Delight needs luck to win a race, and he got the run tonight,” said Hall jnr. “We were probably lucky that we didn’t lead because if we had we probably wouldn’t have won, with the horse overracing in the breeze.
“Everything worked out well. We got clear just inside the 400m. I was hoping the run would’ve come earlier because he needs a long time to wind up. If he had any point-to-point speed, he would’ve won by a length instead of getting home by a narrow margin.”
The win revived memories of Hall driving Tuas Delight’s half-brother Hokuri Handrail, who won eight in a row in 2013 and after winning five times from 22 New Zealand starts and 13 wins in WA he went to America where he won another 17 times to end his career with 211 starts for 35 wins, 44 placings and $342,457 in stakes.
Change of scenery suits Mandy Joan
Promising four-year-old mare Mandy Joan is enjoying a change of environment and she ended a losing sequence of nine when she started favourite at $1.85 and did all the work in the breeze before winning by a half-head from the fast-finishing Divinia Bellezza in the 2130m Allwood Stud Farm Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was Mandy Joan’s third appearance for Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo, after the mare’s trainer David Thompson considered she was getting a bit stale at the Byford complex and thought that a change of scenery would be ideal. Thompson had done a splendid job for breeder-owner Steve Johnson, winning seven races with her.
My Prayer ($5) set the pace after a slow lead time of 38.4sec. and she disappointed her followers by wilting to fourth after Mandy Joan had taken the lead with 350m to travel. Mandy Joan held on doggedly to just stave off Divinia Bellezza, who finished strongly after enjoying a perfect rip in the one-out, one-back position.
Mandy Joan, by Art Major, is out of the Die Laughing mare Endless Journey, who managed just two placings from nine starts. Mandy Joan is a half-sister to Isaiah Artois, who won the 2014 Pearl Classic and earned $117,351 from nine wins and six placings from 26 starts. Dibaba (124 starts for five wins, 16 placings and $40,015) is also out of Endless Journey.
Tokyo Joe too good, first-up
Henley Brook trainer-reinsman Robbie Williams produced lightly-raced New Zealand-bred trotter Tokyo Joe in excellent condition for his first run for just under five months when the five-year-old won the Choices Flooring Trot over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The victory at $3 was despite Tokyo Joe galloping fiercely at the mobile start and losing six lengths before settling down in fourth position in the Indian file affair of just six runners.
Lord Liam ($2.65) reappearing after a three-month absence, was sent straight to the front by Bob Mellsop after Tokyo Joe and polemarker Gap Year galloped at the start.
Williams eased Tokyo Joe off the pegs with 950m to travel and the gelding got to the front 220m from home before staving off the fast-finishing $34 outsider One Bid Buys to score by a half-neck at a 2.3.4 rate.
Rock Tonight ($2.50) was threatening danger when in the one-out, one-back position 225m from home when he broke into a bad gallop and dropped back to finish last.
Tokyo Joe won at four of his 13 New Zealand starts and now has had ten starts in WA for four wins and four placings. This was his first appearance since finishing second to Mr Sundon in the $50,000 Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park last January.
Bettor Be Oscar’s eighth city win
Consistent West Australian-bred four-year-old Bettor Be Oscar notched his 14TH victory and his eighth at Gloucester Park when he gave a bold frontrunning display to easily beat the fast-finishing Parisian Partygirl in the 2130m Vale Barry Hayes Pace on Friday night.
Favourite at $1.20, Bettor Be Oscar, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, gave his rivals little chance by dashing over the final 400m sections in 27.8sec. and 28.4sec.
He won on debut, beating Gee Jay Kay by a head as a two-year-old over 1730m at Gloucester Park on March 13, 2018 and now boats a splendid record of 50 starts for 14 wins, 22 placings and stakes of $123,706. He has inherited much of the ability of his dam Copper Beach Girl, who raced 84 times for 14 wins, 24 placings and $156,851.
Double for Bonds and Warwick
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and star reinsman Ryan Warwick completed a double at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the richly-talented The Bird Dance outclassed his five rivals in the 2536m Worldwide Printing Pace.
This followed their notable success with Jett Star in the group 1 Pearl Classic for two-year-olds.
The Bird Dance, favourite at $1.50, bounced straight to the front from the No. 2 barrier and was not extended in winning by just under a length from Bletchley Park ($4) at a 1.58.8 rate after sparkling final quarters of 26.9sec. and 28.1sec.
The four-year-old The Bird Dance won at two of his five starts in New Zealand and has won at 13 of his 17 starts in Western Australia. He now has earned $102,266 in prizemoney.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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