Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr left Gloucester Park on Tuesday night pondering the extremely difficult decision he faces next week when he must make a choice between Never Ending and Valedictorian as his drive in the $100,000 Group 1 Pearl Classic for two-year-olds on Friday week.
Hall and trainer Justin Prentice combined to win the three qualifying heats on Tuesday evening with Never Ending, Valedictorian and Rolling Fire. Valedictorian covered the 2130m in 2min.35.8sec. (a rate of 1.57.7) and Never Ending and Rolling Fire each recorded a gross time of 2.35.9 and a rate of 1.57.8.
Hall admitted that his choice would lie between Never Ending and Valedictorian. “I didn’t pull the plugs on either horse, and if they both draw to start in the middle of the line, at four, five or six, and the front wasn’t there (for the taking) it will be a very hard choice,” he said.
“I doubt whether either one could come around the other and beat him. Even with a better draw in the final I don’t think that Rolling Fire could beat Valedictorian or Never Ending.
“Never Ending went great, but Valedictorian was huge; he did it so easily.”
Never Ending started from the back line in his heat and Hall eased him off the pegs immediately after the start. He settled down in seventh position before Hall sent him forward, three wide, to move to the breeze outside Soho Firestone. Then Never Ending burst to the front 850m from home and dashed away to win by 10m from Soho Firestone.
Valedictorian raced in the one-out, one-back position in the second qualifying heat before he sprinted fast to overhaul the pacemaker Crowd Control 220m from home and coast to victory by 5m over that gelding.
Hall then produced a magical drive to land Rolling Fire a superb winner over Dourado. Rolling Fire settled in eighth position in the one-wide line in the field of nine, and he was still eighth at the bell before Hall followed Rocket City’s three-wide run with 600m to travel.
“Rocket City left me for dead a bit, and I then went back to his inside (in the one-wide line),” said Hall. “Soon after that the horse three back on the pegs (Road Star) dropped out and I was able to get on to the back of Fess Up, who was going forward (in the one-wide line).
“I could’ve gone wide (approaching the home turn), but at that stage I was only looking at finishing second or third to qualify for the final. I also noticed that Hotly Pursued (the leader) was running up the track, so I got back to the inside.”
Hotly Pursued drifted out in the home straight and Hall was able to send Rolling Fire through on his inside to dash to the front 60m from the finish.