Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Star three-year-old Cyclone Jordy was not extended in winning the $23,000 TCS Washroom Supplies Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night to remain unbeaten at his first five starts in Western Australia.
He is the nominal favourite for the rich WA Derby later this year, but his driver Gary Hall Jnr said that the New Zealand-bred gelding, who is prepared by master trainer Gary Hall Snr, was still learning.
“I’m hoping to teach him to race properly,” said Hall after Cyclone Jordy, the $1.04 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of eight which included older and vastly more experienced pacers, had coasted to a 5m win over $14 chance, five-year-old Lord Titanium, rating 1.57.9.
Hall restrained Cyclone Jordy at the start, and ten-year-old polemarker Acuto was able to dawdle through the lead time in 38.4sec. and the opening 400m section in a slow 31.3sec., with Cyclone Jordy back in last place.
With 1100m to travel Hall switched Cyclone Jordy three wide to move to the breeze, without putting any great pressure on Acuto. Finally, Cyclone Jordy got to a narrow lead 370m from home, and he drew away to win easily, with a final quarter of 27.3sec.
“I was happy to go to the breeze when we did, and I guess the lead was probably there, but I was happy to be there, trying to teach him. There might be the time when he is held out, and he says ‘I don’t like this.’ So, it is good to put him outside his comfort zone a bit in the lower grades.
“He did it very comfortably, as expected. I didn’t pull the plugs, and he is such a nice horse to drive. He is right up there with the best three-year-olds we’ve had. It’s always hard to line them up when they are going through the grades.
“It’s a big jump when you get to racing the best of the best. He definitely has the speed, and I have the feeling that he has the speed to measure up.”
Admirers of Cyclone Jordy are looking forward over the coming months to comparing him with the deeds of some former brilliant three-year-olds from the Hall camp, including Beaudiene Boaz, Alta Christiano and The Falcon Strike.
In 2015 Beaudiene Boaz won the Western Gateway Pace, the Caduceus Club Classic and the WA Derby in which he beat Tricky Styx by eight lengths.
Alta Christiano was a magnificent three-year-old, an exciting speed machine who raced ten times in WA as a three-year-old in 2013 for nine wins and one third placing. He won the Western Gateway Pace and the WA Derby, in which he defeated Macha by five lengths.
The Falcon Strike won the 2001 Western Gateway and Caduceus Club Classic before he met with severe interference and finished eighth behind Manifold Bay in the WA Derby.
Cyclone Jordy, unbeaten at his five WA appearances, has earned $211,494 from eight wins and one second placing from ten starts.