18 January 2018 | Ken Casellas
Not even drawing the despised outside barrier at No. 9 has dented the confidence of the remarkable, high-achieving and record-breaking duo of champion trainer Gary Hall Snr and his son, superstar reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, who are pinning their faith in star five-year-old Chicago Bull in the $450,000 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I’m still pretty confident, despite the draw,” said Hall Jnr who won the Group 1 WA Pacing Cup with Chicago Bull 12 months ago to give him his seventh success in the State’s premier pacing event.
Hall Snr, aiming for an unprecedented eighth consecutive victory in the Pacing Cup and his 12th in the past 16 years, conceded that Chicago Bull faced an acid test from the outside barrier. However, he declared that Chicago Bull was at his peak and should prove very hard to beat.
He said that the barrier draw had thrown the big race, to be run over the marathon trip of 2936m, into the melting pot.
“All the favoured horses will have to do some work,” he said. “But I still think that Chicago Bull will be the one to beat. He has pulled up in fantastic shape after his third in last week’s Fremantle Cup.”
Hall Snr also has an outstanding second string in Friday night’s Cup in the evergreen eight-year-old My Hard Copy, who thundered home to snatch victory from Lazarus and Chicago Bull in last week’s 2536m Fremantle Cup.
My Hard Copy was driven by Hall’s son Clint, who was also in the sulky when My Hard Copy flew home to win successive Pacing Cups in 2015 and 2016. Clint Hall also drove Hokonui Ben to victory in the 2014 Cup.
Another win by My Hard Copy following last week’s Fremantle Cup victory would help to heal the disappointment of owners Steve Chapman, his wife Tina and their daughter Danielle, who were dismayed last year when their outstanding young pacers El Barcelona (15 starts, five wins, seven placings and stakes of $66,300) and The Pima Indian (nine starts for six wins, one placing and $28,359) died.
The Chapmans also were resigned 18 months ago that My Hard Copy’s career had ended after he was unplaced in the Miracle Mile at Menangle in February that year and subsequently suffered a serious concussion injury to a foreleg. This required intricate surgery and kept him out of action for 13 months.
He has made a full recovery and is racing in the best form of his career of 80 starts for 24 wins, 22 placings and earnings of $1,203,550.
My Hard Copy, a noted sit-sprinter, will start from the inside of the back line and Clint Hall is sure to give the stallion a reasonably soft run before aiming to get him off the pegs and into a position to unwind a characteristic sizzling finishing burst.
Hall Jnr said that drawing the outside barrier with Chicago Bull was a cruel blow. “But with the scratching of Ultimate Machete and Lazarus we’re in with a big chance,” he said. “That’s tragic for the race, but good for everyone else, I suppose.”
“Chicago Bull was mighty last week in the Fremantle Cup and I consider it was his career-best run. He did something (racing in the breeze) that he’s not really accustomed to and finished a half-length from the winner. He’s flying at the moment and is a better and more mature horse than he was 12 months ago when he won the Fremantle and WA Pacing Cups.”
Hall said that it was extremely difficult to predict how the race would be run and which horse would lead and who would be in the breeze. “If there is plenty of speed on early it will help Chicago Bull,” he said.
Kim Prentice, who will drive Soho Tribeca, conceded that drawing out wide at barrier eight had not enhanced the five-year-old’s prospects. But he said that the stallion had worked in fine style on Tuesday morning and was primed to run a big race on Friday night.
“There is a fair bit of speed on the front line and they’re all likely to come out in a bid to find a spot,” he said. “We’ll definitely be having a look out of the gate (echoing the sentiments of owner Rob Watson, who said that going back at the start would be suicidal).
“I think that trying to zap them would be silly, but I wouldn’t mind the front if it is available, or the breeze if that is available. It is an advantage drawing inside Chicago Bull. The horse who gets the most luck and with the best run will win.”
“If we had My Hard Copy’s run in the Fremantle Cup last week and were able to pull out when we wanted to, Soho Tribeca would have finished better than fifth. I tried to go outside of Clint (My Hard Copy), but when he came out my horse threw his head in the air and lost a couple of lengths.”
“Soho Tribeca was doing his best work on the line and was still taking ground off the leaders. Hopefully, we won’t be off the track over the final 400m.”
Soho Tribeca relishes long-distance events and he was most impressive in the Pacing Cup 12 months ago when he started from the outside of the back line and was tenth in the middle stages before sustaining powerful three-wide burst over the final 1050m to finish third, a half-length behind the winner Chicago Bull.
In last year’s Cup Chicago Bull started out wide at barrier eight and was last after a lap before Hall Jnr dashed him forward and into the breeze (outside the pacemaker Beaudiene Boaz). Chicago Bull sped over the final quarters in 27.9sec. and 28.3sec. and hit the front 250m from the finish.
Chris Lewis, who has made more appearances (35) in a Pacing Cup than any other driver, has won the big race five times with Village Kid (1986, 1988 and 198), Hilarion Star (1994) and Saab (1999) and he is confident that the Ross Olivieri trained Motu Premier is capable of finishing in the first three from his favourable No. 2 barrier.
“Motu Premier is not impossible and is definitely in the mix,” Lewis said. “He can definitely run 1-2-3, given the right run. He doesn’t have exceptional gate speed and the aim is to stay in contact with the leaders, as close as we can.”
Motu Premier was a 100/1 chance when he started from the outside of the back line in last week’s Fremantle Cup. He raced on the pegs at the rear and was hampered for room in the last lap when tenth behind My Hard Copy. He impressed the previous week when he started from barrier eight and was eighth at the bell before finishing with a powerful burst to be second to Lazarus over 2536m.
“It was a very good run,” Lewis said. “He can sprint home extremely good and I think you saw that in a 2130m heat of the Inters when he came from eighth at the bell to finish fourth behind Lennytheshark, with the final quarters off the front in 27.3sec. and 26.8sec.
”Forget about his run last week when he was held up. He had a bit there to give.”
Trainer Michael Brennan and driver Michael Grantham are delighted that The Bucket List will start from the coveted No. 1 barrier. “He’s got good gate speed and will come out in a bid for the lead,” Grantham said. “And from there I will just assess our options.”
The Skye Bond trained Galactic Star is favourably drawn at barrier three and should be prominent. He possesses sparkling gate speed, but Ryan Warwick may opt to take a sit with the five-year-old, with part-owner Rob Gartrell saying at the barrier draw that “three back on the fence will be good for him and he is certainly a place chance.
Champion New Zealand trainer-reinsman Mark Purdon had to withdraw star pacers Lazarus and Ultimate Machete, but he has hopes with his millionaire performer, six-year-old Have Faith In Me, who will start from the No. 4 barrier.
Have Faith In me has been unplaced at four of his five starts in his current campaign in Perth, but he impressed greatly three starts ago when he covered extra ground and finished with great determination to be a half-length second to stablemate Lazarus in a 2536m heat of the Inter Dominion championship.
Have Faith In Me won the Great Northern Derby at Alexandra Park and the New Zealand Derby at Addington in March 2015 before he gave further proof of his great ability and staying prowess when he won the 3200m Group 1 Auckland Cup as a four-year-old, beating Hughie Green and Smolda, with a last 800m in 55.7sec. and a final 400m in 26.6sec.
Purdon could well make an attempt to set the pace with Have Faith In Me. Failing that, Purdon could be well satisfied to sit in the breeze and dictate the tempo of the Cup.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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