By Ken Casellas
Champion trainer Gary Hall sen. has not given up hope of having the brilliant but injury-plagued John of Arc fit and ready to contest the rich TABtouch interdominion championship series in November and December.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old will reappear after a three-month absence when he starts from barrier four in the 1730m Suzuki Swift Sport Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Hall has six of the nine runners in the $22,500 sprint and it is quite significant that his younger son Gary will be in the sulky behind John of Arc, thus foregoing the opportunity to drive crack four-year-old Machtu, with whom he scored a superb victory over David Hercules last Friday week.
Hall jun. has driven Machtu at each of his past 14 starts and to victory at ten of his 11 wins from 21 starts in Western Australia. Machtu is ideally drawn on Friday night at barrier two and has excellent prospects. Kim Prentice will drive Machtu.
Machtu enjoyed an ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position when a sound third behind My Hard Copy and Our Blackbird over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday night. Hall sen. said he expected Machtu to be prominent this week. “He was forced out early last week and had to do the work,” he said. “He is immature and is going to keep on improving.”
Hall explained that John of Arc had a history of leg problems, saying that the gelding had damaged his off-side front suspensory following an impressive Gloucester Park win when he worked hard out three wide and then without cover.
“Before that he had damaged tendons in two other legs,” he said. “I didn’t send him for a spell. Sending them out doesn’t help. I seem to be able to stand them up; I’ve stood up quite a few horses now, horses who have had really bad suspensory injuries, and they include Famous Alchemist, Notabadexcuse and Crusader Banner.”
He explained that Gary junior would be driving John of Arc because of his intimate knowledge of the horse and his peculiarities.
“John of Arc is not that easy to drive and I’m trying to nurse him back to some sort of health,” Hall sen. said. “John of Arc is always competitive, no matter what. He’s a pretty smart horse. Apart from Machtu and Beaudiene Boaz, he probably has as much ability, or even more, than both of them.
“If he was a sound horse the sky would be the limit for him. At this stage we’re just trying to hold him together. My Hard Copy is going pretty good, but he can’t get near Machtu or John of Arc at home. If he sits behind either one of them, they beat him easily.”
Clint Hall will again drive My Hard Copy, who has resumed after a spell in dazzling form, unleashing devastating finishing bursts from the rear to win from Crusader Banner and Our Jimmy Johnstone over 1609m at Bunbury and to defeat Our Blackbird and Machtu over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday night. My Hard Copy will start out wide at barrier eight in the field of nine.
“If they go hard, My Hard Copy will come right into the race,” Hall sen. said. “If the pace is not so hot then I suppose Machtu and John of Arc are good chances.”
Apart from John of Arc, Machtu and My Hard Copy, the Hall stable will be represented in Friday night’s event by Hokonui Ben, Soho Highroller and Zacs Nuggett.
Young trainer-reinsman Kyle Harper will produce Bettors Fire in good condition for his first-up run since finishing second to Pacific Warrior in the RWWA Cup in February. Bettors Fire sprinted over the final quarters in 27.8sec. and 28.3sec. when he won a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning at a 1.56.6 rate. He defeated Dynamite Dude by a head.
Adding further interest to the race will be the presence of the Stephen Reed-trained Lovers Delight, who has worked hard before winning at Bunbury at his past two starts. Lovers Delight (Chris Lewis) has won at 12 of his past 21 starts.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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