Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr notched his 100TH winner for the year when he drove Bromwich to an effortless victory in the Talking Trots Podcast Trot at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
This completed a treble after Hall had won with Juggernaut and Henrik Larsson earlier in the night — and the 40-year-old maestro is confident of maintaining his wonderful form in the sulky by winning the $30,000 Harry Capararo Four and Five-Year-Old Westbred Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night with Acharne Girl.
“She is probably my best drive on the night,” said Hall, who has driven more than a hundred winners each year in 19 consecutive seasons.
Acharne Girl is favourably drawn at barrier two in Friday night’s 2130m feature event in which she will be popular with punters after winning at her first two appearances following a spell. She began from the No. 5 barrier in a field of seven at Pinjarra on Monday when she was restrained to the rear at the start.
Lukes Mistake was setting a fast pace, and Hall switched Acharne Girl three wide 500m after the start of the 1684m event, and the four-year-old raced without cover before moving to three back on the pegs in the back straight in the final circuit.
Acharne Girl went three wide on the home turn and finished strongly to get up in the final couple of strides to beat Jackie Daniels by a half neck, rating 1.55.8, with final 400m sections of 27.7sec. and 28.6sec.
“She went really good,” said Hall. “She won narrowly and beat Jackie Daniels who had enjoyed a perfect run behind the leader. We will come out and try to lead on Friday night.”
Acharne Girl, who finished third behind Taking the Miki and Little Darling in the group 1 WA Oaks last October, resumed racing last Monday week when she was not extended in setting the pace and winning by four lengths from Radiant Bay over 2185m.
One of her most serious rivals is likely to be the polemarker Shehadi, who will be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Luke Edwards. Shehadi impressed three starts ago when she was eighth at the bell before finishing fast to win easily from Maddy Rocks.
A week after that Shehadi ran home strongly to finish second to Soho Dow Jones before she contested a standing-start event last Friday night when she shied at a barrier strand at the start and broke into a gallop before making up ground to finish seventh behind Middlepage.
Banjup trainer Dylan Egerton-Green is looking for strong efforts from his two runners — four-year-olds Allaboutlegs (barrier five) and Champagne Everyone (barrier seven). He will drive Champagne Everyone, who will be making her first appearance after a six-month absence.
Allaboutlegs, to be handled by Aiden De Campo, resumed after a spell when she set the pace and won easily over 2242m at Narrogin last Friday week.
Dontbesillychilli, a winner of eight races for Bunbury trainer Sarah Wall, has been placed at three of her past four starts and must come under consideration. She will be driven by Nathan Turvey from barrier six.
Dontbesillychilli raced four back on the pegs in an Indian file 2130m event last Friday week before finishing with a spirited burst out wide to be third behind Whos The Dad and Carabao.