Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Coolup trainer Michael Brennan is setting talented young pacers My Hammer Down and Xpress Party for the $200,000 New South Wales Derby at Menangle on March 8 after they fought out the finish of the $23,000 Summer Series 0-2 Win final at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Xpress Party, the $1.05 favourite, set the pace and was beaten by short half-head in the final stride by the $6.80 second fancy My Hammer Down, who trailed his stablemate all the way before he sprinted fast in the final stages.
“I have a good opinion of both of them, and they will head to Sydney in a fortnight to contest the Derby qualifying heats on March 1,” said Brennan.
“They are both really talented, and I’m hoping that Gary Hall Jnr will drive them in the heats. The big fellow (Xpress Party) got a bit lost up the straight tonight. His run might look disappointing on paper, but he just got lost. That was only his eighth start in a race.
“Xpress Party is much better chasing (than leading), and both he and My Hammer Down will like Menangle, a bigger track, because they like chasing.”
Xpress Party, driven by Hall, easily won the start from the No. 1 barrier. This was his second appearance after his first-up win (following a four-month absence) at Gloucester Park ten nights earlier when he began from barrier eight and sustained a powerful three-wide burst from seventh with 900m to travel to get to the front 450m later and win convincingly from Kinsaabi.
My Hammer Down, driven by Chris Voak, was having his seventh start in a race, and his thrilling victory completed a hat-trick after easy wins at Bunbury and Northam.
“Getting a good trip was the key tonight,” said Voak. “He closed down strongly after I gave him a couple of cracks with the whip.”
My Hammer Down was bred in New Zealand where his only appearance there was last June when, as a two-year-old, he finished with a powerful burst to defeat two five-year-olds and rated 1.57 over the 1609m journey.
My Hammer Down is by American sire Always B Miki and is the 14TH foal out of Operative Asset, whose 11TH foal is Rockmyster, who is trained by Dylan Egerton-Green and has a record of 44 starts for twelve wins, ten placings and $140,024. My Hammer Down has earned $32,822 from four wins and one placing from seven starts.
Xpress Party was bred in New South Wales. He is a colt by Art Major and is the fifth foal out of Christian Cullen mare Christian Party, who raced 20 times for one win, seven placings and $14,049. He was sold for $60,000 at the 2023 Sydney Nutrien yearling sale and he now has had eight starts for two wins, four placings and $20,872.
My Hammer Down and Xpress Party gave a sample of their ability on Friday night when they were the only three-year-olds in the 2130m event in which they completely outclassed their nine older and more experienced rivals. The Brennan stablemates rated 1.58 and covered the final 400m sections in 29sec. and 28.5sec.