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WASHAKIE ON TARGET FOR ANOTHER TILT AT INTERDOMINION GLORY
Queensland trainer-reinsman John McCarthy has high hopes Washakie will qualify for the final of the V75 interdominion pacing championship at Gloucester Park next month for the fourth year in a row after driving the eight-year-old to a thrilling last-stride victory in the $40,000 Global Insurance Broking Governor’s Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
McCarthy declared that Washakie was spot on for the rich championship series after the gelding raced wide early and then worked hard outside the pacemaker Has The Answers before getting up in the final stride to gain the verdict by a nose.
“It was a great race,” McCarthy said. “Has The Answers went super tonight and this little bloke has gone great. He’s had to sit outside him (Has The Answers) and we’ve come home in about 57sec. I was really pleased; he always keeps trying.
“Washakie likes the longer trips and 2100m is probably a little short for him. It takes a while for him to get going. He won’t race next week and his next start will be in the first set of interdominion heats the following week.”
Washakie, who stands just 15.1 hands, has qualified for the past three interdominion championship grand finals, finishing sixth in Brisbane in 2009, eighth in Sydney in 2010 and tenth in Auckland last April.
He was a warm 7/4 on favourite on Friday night and he settled at the rear after starting from the outside barrier in a field of only seven runners.
Sunsets West led early from barrier two, with both Lively Highlander (barrier four) and Has The Answers (five) revealing sparkling early speed. Kim Prentice sent Lively Highlander to the front after 200m before Has The Answers (Kyle Harper) burst into the lead 200m later.
McCarthy started a three-wide run with Washakie 650m after the start and the gelding moved into the breeze after a lap had been covered. Harper was able to slacken the tempo and Has The Answers (second favourite at 13/4) was able to coast through each of the first two 400m sections of the final mile in 30.2sec.
The pace went on in the final circuit and Has The Answers sprinted the next two quarters in 28.6sec. and 28.3sec. and appeared likely to win as he held Washakie at bay all the way down the home straight. But Washakie revealed wonderful fighting qualities to get up in the final stride.
Lombo Pocket Watch (5/2 to 4/1) fought on gamely to be 5m away in third place. He raced wide early and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back. This was the first time in WA harness racing history that equine millionaires had filled the first three placings in a race at Gloucester Park.
Washakie rated 1.56.2 and took his prizemoney to $1,332,345 from 41 wins and 27 placings from 111 starts. He earned $90,462 from 11 wins from 32 starts in New Zealand before being purchased for $100,000 by WA businessmen Kevin Jeavons, Gino Monarco and Lindsay Severn.
LIGHTNING RAIDER WARMS UP IN IMPRESSIVE STYLE
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Lightning Raider warmed up for the V75 interdominion pacing championship series in impressive fashion when he worked hard without cover before finishing powerfully to win the 2506m Global Insurance Broking Chinese New Year Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Colin Brown was content to allow the 10/9 on favourite to race outside the pacemaker Armbro of Wagin for most of the journey before sending the Christian Cullen gelding to a narrow lead 220m from home. Lightning Raider went on to score by a neck from the fast-finishing Franco Renegade (7/2), with Aussie Reactor (7/2) finishing determinedly into third place.
“He was travelling pretty good turning for home and when I asked him (for an effort) he found the line well,” Brown said.
Rob Gartrell, who races Lightning Raider in partnership with his father Kevin, brother John, trainer Greg Bond, Craig Hampson and Andrew Foster, said: “It’s great to get a strong run under his belt. It’s very difficult to win races at Gloucester Park sitting in the breeze against good company over 2500m.
“He showed a lot of courage and John and Luke McCarthy and Greg and Skye Bond have done a great job getting the horse to where he is at. Hopefully he can get some nice draws and be very competitive in the interdominions.
“We purchased him from New Zealand in the middle of last year and the horse spent some time in Sydney before coming across here.”
The McCarthys gave Lightning Raider 15 starts in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria for five wins and four placings and the gelding now has had three starts in WA for a win and a fast-finishing third to Im Themightyquinn in the WA Pacing Cup. Lightning Raider’s record now stands at 71 starts for 16 wins, 17 placings and stakes of $268,557. He won at ten of his 53 starts in New Zealand.
Before arriving in WA, Lightning Raider won the group 3 Four and Five-Year-Old Championship at Albion Park on July (when he beat brilliant pacers Courage To Rule and Lanercost), he finished a half-length second to Bitobliss in the Kilmore Cup in October and then won the group 3 Shirley Turnbull Memorial at Bathurst late in December.
PROMISING POLAK LOOMS AS A WA DERBY PROSPECT
Promising pacer Polak served notice that he would be a strong contender for the $200,000 Sky Channel WA Derby on April 20 when he unwound a powerful burst from the rear to win the 1700m Duratec Pace from 11/4 on favourite Vital Equalizer at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Mike Reed-trained Polak started from the outside of the back line and his price eased from 4/1 to 7/1 second favouritism.
Mark Reed was content to allow Polak to race at the rear while Colin Brown had Vital Equalizer bowling along in front, with Soho Daytona in the breeze.
Reed started a three-wide run 750m from home and Polak sustained a spirited burst to get his nose in front with 120m to travel. Vital Equalizer fought back with grim determination, but Polak prevailed to win by a nose at a 1.58.3 rate.
“I thought we would struggle to get over the favourite,” Reed said. “But when I let him rip down the back he really travelled up strongly and the leader looked like he was under a bit of pressure. To win was a pleasant surprise.”
Polak, a winner of four races as a two-year-old, now has won twice from four starts as a three-year-old to take his record to 16 starts for six wins, six placings and stakes of $58,096.
His dam Capture A Million was retired after having 19 starts for two wins (at Narrogin and Pinjarra) and 11 placings as a two and three-year-old in 2001-02. Polak is a full-brother to Schinzig Buller, who is recovering from a serious leg injury after earning $287,564 from 11 wins and 12 placings from 39 starts.
Schinzig Buller’s wins included the group 2 WA Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park in February 2007, the group 1 Golden Nugget (beating Mysta Magical Mach and Im Themightyquinn) in November 2008 and the group 3 Narrogin Cup in November 2009.
KAMWOOD GIRL GIVES BRENNAN A REASON TO SMILE
Michael Brennan, long-serving stable foreman for leading trainer Gary Hall sen., was suitably chuffed when Kamwood Girl charged home from the rear to win the Guardian Underwriting Services Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was in charge of Hall’s five runners at the meeting while the master trainer was in Victoria to watch his son Gary Hall jun. in action at Friday night’s meeting at Mildura (where he drove a double) and to attend the Victorian yearling sales.
It was a nostalgic moment for the 36-year-old Brennan when 20-year-old Chris Butt brought 7/1 shot Kamwood Girl with a powerful three-wide burst from ninth at the bell to beat the pacemaker and 5/2 second favourite Dontgetmeruffled by almost a length.
Brennan has decided to branch out on his own as a trainer at Upper Swan and 25-year-old Ryan Bell will soon join the Hall camp as stable foreman.
“The time is right to have a go as a trainer out by myself,” said Brennan, whose team will include 2011 Easter Cup winner Anvils Big Punt, Pancho Maguire and The Dog Soldier. Anvils Big Punt is recovering well from a fractured cannon bone (received when kicked by another horse).
The Queensland-born Brennan represented Australia in 134 international hockey matches as a midfielder and was a member of the team which won the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the side which won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
The New Zealand-bred Kamwood Girl ended a losing sequence of 14 on Friday night and gave Butt the record of four drives for two wins behind the mare, who has earned $88,154 from ten wins and 18 placings from 50 starts. She managed one placing from six starts in New Zealand before continuing her career in WA.
She moved to an M2 mark after winning at Gloucester Park last May before dropping back to an M1 assessment when her losing sequence reached ten. She is now back as an M2-class pacer.
Disco Sulinka (9/1), who raced in the breeze in the middle stages, looked likely to win when she took a narrow lead on the home turn. But she wilted slightly and Dontgetmeruffled fought back tenaciously to regain the lead close to home before being swamped by Kamwood Girl.
Last-start winner Another One For Me, backed from 5/2 to favouritism at 2/1, started from the outside of the front line and was restrained to the rear. She was still in last position 400m from home before she unleashed a dazzling late burst, five wide, to come from eighth at the 100m mark to be a nose behind Dontgetmeruffled in third place.
“We were probably one spot further back than I wanted to be coming in for the bell,” Butt said. “But she did a good lob to pick them up. She’s won most of her races when leading, but she has done well coming from behind tonight. There could be a couple more wins in her.”
LEWIS EXCELS WITH PACEMAKING MON GEE
A masterly frontrunning drive by Chris Lewis enabled 6/1 chance Mon Gee to cause a minor upset by winning the 2503m Ertech Pace from Im Percy The Punter (4/1, 3/1), Little Sonny Bill (5/1) and Mysta Magical Mach (2/1) at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And Mon Gee, a WA-bred seven-year-old, is proving a wonderful bargain for prominent owner Paul Poli, who outlaid $14,000 to claim the gelding last April. Since then Mon Gee has had 14 starts for five wins, three placings and stakes of $56,144 to take his career record to 95 starts for 18 wins, 18 placings and $203,636.
Mon Gee won the start from Im Percy The Punter and Lewis was intent on setting a solid pace in a bid to keep class runner Mysta Magical Mach, the lone backmarker off 40m, at the rear of the field.
Lewis rated Mon Gee, trained by Peter Tilbrook, to perfection and the gelding covered the final four 400m sections of the final mile in 29.8sec., 29.6sec., 28.9sec. and 29.2 sec. Mysta Magical Mach was eighth at the bell and did well to fight on doggedly into fourth place. Im Percy The Punter did a fine job to finish second after working hard in the breeze all the way.
“That’s the way Mon Gee likes to run and tonight with Mysta Magical Mach in the race we had to run reasonable time,” Lewis said. “Otherwise he was going to get led into the race.”
Lewis also drove Mon Gee’s dam Merlene Muffett during her 30-start career of seven wins and ten placings for stakes of $53,289. He was successful with Merlene Muffett twice, at Bunbury and Gloucester Park in 1998.
Merlene Muffett’s half-brother Rombo Rambo had 102 starts for 19 wins and 26 placings for earnings of $152,754. Mon Gee is also related to former iron horse Of Auld Aberdeen, who had 279 starts for 40 wins, 63 placings and $235,201.
SORE ARMA HARRIS GETS THE JOB DONE
Punters who supported 11/2 chance Arma Harris were rather fortunate to collect when the eight-year-old pulled up extremely sore after holding on to win the 2506m Global Insurance Broking Claiming Pace by a neck from stablemate Bubbles And Bling (11/2) and Rudiani (11/2) at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Arma Harris strained his near fore fetlock and showed admirable courage to finish the race.
Arma Harris, driven by Morgan Woodley, gave Byford trainer Peter Tilbrook the second leg of a double, after succeeding with Mon Gee earlier in the ten-event program.
The New South Wales-bred Arma Harris was making his 25th appearance in a claimer for his three wins and six placings in this company. He now has had 48 starts in WA for 13 wins for an overall record of 99 starts for 22 wins, 27 placings and stakes of $196,495.
He is the only foal out of Pilularis to have raced. Pilularis had only three starts, for a win at Albury and a second at Wagga early in 2000. Victorian-bred Pintara Carramar, the dam of Pilularis, earned $103,110 from her 14 wins and 18 placings from 51 starts. She finished second to Whitby Heritage in the $50,000 Ladyship Mile at Harold Park in November 1990.
Polemarker On All Fours was favourite at 10/9 on and he let his backers down badly, fading to last after setting the pace. Arma Harris worked hard three wide for the first 650m before getting to the breeze and he put paid to On All Fours when Woodley got him to the lead 620m from home.
Bubbles And Bling ran on gamely from sixth in the one-wide line at the bell to be second and give Tilbrook the quinella, just a week after Tilbrook landed the trifecta in the claimer with Tee Pee Village, McGintysgoat and Alby Albert.
On All Fours got down on his bumpers during the race and reinsman Callan Suvaljko informed the stewards that the gelding was not suited by having three starts in the space of eight days.
BRUCE ALMIGHTY ENDS A LOSING SEQUENCE OF 15
Waroona trainer-reinsman Bob Mellsop described Bruce Almighty as “not all that brave” and was quite happy to keep the New Zealand-bred gelding at the rear of the field before asking him for a spirited effort in the final lap of the 2506m Formaction Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Bruce Almighty enjoyed racing at the rear and he responded by unwinding a powerful finishing burst to win from Zenthura and What God Knows to end a losing sequence of 15.
Punters were not concerned at the gelding’s losing run and Bruce Almighty firmed from 9/4 to favourtitism at 7/4, with Zenthura, a last-start winner over Bruce Almighty at Narrogin, easing from 11/4 to 11/2.
Outofgas led for the first 400m before Cool Adda took up the running, with Matt White slotting Zenthura into the one-out, one-back position.
When Darren Kerr sent Aldebaran Swannee forward, three wide, approaching the bell Zenthura was caught in a pocket in the one-wide line. Bruce Almighty was last at the bell when Mellsop took him three wide to follow Ronan Maguire, who was trailing Aldebaran Swannee.
Bruce Almighty was ninth 450m from home when Mellsop switched four wide. The son of Courage Under Fire sprinted strongly to burst to the front at the 100m mark and win by a half-length from Zenthura, who finished determinedly.
Bruce Almighty has had 49 starts for eight wins, 16 placings and stakes of $65,088. His 34 starts for Mellsop in WA have produced seven wins and 11 placings.
GREYHAWK AND de CAMPO
Victorian-bred pacer Greyhawk and Capel teenager Aiden de Campo have formed a wonderful alliance and de Campo was thrilled when Greyhawk dead-heated for first with Franco Jazzman in the 2100m Oceaneer Marine Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
De Campo is one of 18 reinsmen to have handled Greyhawk during his 92-start career and he has, by far, the best record --- seven wins from 14 drives.
Therefore it was little wonder that the 19-year-old de Campo spoke of his affection for the gelding after the race, saying: “I like this little horse. He’s probably my favourite horse to drive.”
Greyhawk, owned by Kevin Jeavons and trained at Capel by Ryan Bell, was good value as a 13/2 chance, particularly as he had won at his two previous starts, in a claimer at Gloucester Park and in the Albany Cup.
De Campo drove Greyhawk out fast from the No. 3 barrier and the gelding raced in the breeze until Kristian Hawkins dashed Cuzin Judd forward to move alongside the pacemaker Live Or Let Die (6/1) 650m after the start.
Cuzin Judd eventually got to the front 350m from home before Greyhawk surged into the lead at the 100m mark. He held on doggedly to dead-heat with Franco Jazzman (9/1, 6/1), who appeared to get his nose in front with 50m to travel.
“I had to really burn him early and I didn’t think he would have as much of a kick as he did,” de Campo said. “To his credit he fought hard over the last 200m. He’s got a heart as big as himself and the way he’s going he could win a couple more.”
Franco Jazzman impressed in finishing strongly from sixth, three wide, at the bell. The dead-heat ended a losing sequence of nine for the Ray Williams-trained gelding, who was driven expertly by Nathan Turvey. Franco Jazzman has had 36 starts for 11 wins, 12 placings and stakes of $81,404.
MORRONE HAS IN CRUZ C
Darling Downs trainer Kristie Morrone continued her great run of success with New Zealand-bred five-year-old In Cruz Control when the gelding charged home from eighth at the bell to win the Colli Timber And Hardware Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The victory gave 19-year-old reinsman Aiden de Campo the first leg of a double. Later he succeeded with Greyhawk, who dead-heated for first with Franco Jazzman.
In Cruz Control, a winner of two races from 28 starts in New Zealand, has blossomed under Morrone’s care and has had 12 starts in WA for five wins and three placings.
In Cruz Control (6/1) started from the outside of the back line and he settled down in tenth place, with Livingisfun setting the pace from Master Metallica in the breeze.
Kim Prentice sent Master Metallica (13/2) to the front 220m from home, but he was swamped in the straight by In Cruz Control. Three Quarter Drive, favourite at 2/1, was an unlucky second. He trailed the pacemaker and was badly hampered for room in the home straight.
“I like this horse,” said de Campo. “He’s a real racehorse and he switches on when you need him to switch on. And he switches off when you need him to switch off. I reckon he will win one or two or even more in town. He keeps improving every time he goes around.”
FOOLPROOF HOWZAT
A flying start paved the way for Howzat Fire’s strong victory in the 2096m Lawsons Underwriting Australasia Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A fast-finishing winner in a mobile event a week earlier, Howzat Fire is a foolproof pacer in stands, and when Mark Reed fired him straight to the front from the No. 4 barrier, the race was virtually all over, particularly with Our Red Baron, Where And When and The Dog Soldier beginning badly.
Howzat Fire, part-owned and trained by Kevin Nolan, was not seriously challenged in front and he coasted to a 2m victory over Our Red Baron, who fought on gamely from fourth at the bell. Coringa Cory (7/4, 11/4) was an unlucky third. He trailed Howzat Fire and was blocked for a clear passage until the race was all over.
Astute punters cashed in, with Howzat Fire being supported from 5/1 to 7/2. “Once he found the top he was always going to be hard to beat,” said Reed. “The way he begins from the stand, he puts pressure on his rivals at the start. It (leading) has always been his go.”
The New Zealand-bred Howzat Fire has earned $63,961 from 11 wins and 12 placings from 64 starts.
by Ken Casellas
