Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green had a special motivation to win the opening event, the $21,000 Merry Christmas Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was driving three-year-old colt Im Lightning Banner, a $13 chance from the No. 5 barrier, who mustered excellent early speed to dash to the front after 150m and then set a solid pace before holding to win by a neck from the $6 third favourite Thenu Came Along, rating 1.57.1 after final quarters of 28sec. and 28.4sec.
It was a nostalgic victory, coming after Im Lightning Banner’s half-brother Typhoon Banner had also begun from the No. 5 barrier and had won the inaugural $250,000 MGM Grand Prix last Monday at Yonkers in New York, 11,600km from Perth.
He led early and then trailed the pacemaker Coaches Corner before finishing strongly to beat that pacer by three-quarters of a length.
Typhoon Banner, who revelled on the heavy track and in driving rain, went to America in June 2023 after Egerton-Green had trained and driven him in a successful career in West Australia, with his 52 starts producing 14 wins and 17 placings. His final Australian appearance was in the inaugural Nullarbor in April 2023 when he finished fifth behind Betterzippit.
Typhoon Banner has now won 25 races for earnings of $466,735. His full-brother Cyclone Banner won 13 times in WA between 2019 and 2021 before travelling to the United States where he continued his winning ways before being retired with earnings of $419,281 from 40 wins and 43 placings from 150 starts.
Im Lightning Banner, who is by Sweet Lou and is the ninth foal out of the unraced McArdle mare When You’re Hot, looks set for a bountiful career. He has raced 17 times for five wins, five placings and $43,227. His win on Friday night came at his third appearance at Gloucester Park, following two wins at Northam and two at Pinjarra earlier in the year.
There was plenty of early action in Friday night’s race, with the $3.20 favourite Jimmy Rocks going forward from barrier three and was challenging the polemarker and $91 outsider Drive Line when he paced roughly and broke into a bad gallop 150m after the start.
It appeared that Jimmy Rocks was going to hold out Im Lightning Banner before he galloped. Egerton-Green then was able to send Im Lightning Banner to the front as Jimmy Rocks dropped back to last in the field of eleven.
“I have a big opinion of Im Lightning Banner,” said Egerton-Green. “I have been trying to settle him off the gate, and credit to him he came back to me good tonight.
“A few horses came around during the race and Im Lightning Banner did it all on the bridle and wasn’t too silly. During his first few preparations he was pretty untractable, and you never knew what you were going to get out there in a race. But he is now maturing well.”