Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
After the pacemakers had won the first three events at Gloucester Park on Friday night and with the track not favouring horses attempting to come from behind, champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr was determined to follow the winning formula later in the program.
And this was a wise decision, with Hall landing a treble with Youre So Fine, Gully Gum and Double Parked, each of whom enjoyed the frontrunning role.
Youre So Fine, trained by Gary Hall Snr, was the $2.30 favourite from the No. 1 barrier who defied strong early challenges for the lead from Mad Monday ($6.50) and Chivalry ($51) in the 1730m Bridge Bar Open This Saturday Pace.
After comfortable opening quarters of 29.7sec. and 30.4sec. Youre So Fine sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.5sec. and 27.4sec. and beat the $3.30 second fancy Gee Heza Sport by just under a length after that pacer had raced in seventh position in the one-wide line before surging home, out three wide from the 600m.
“The start was the key,” said Hall Jnr. “The draws make the difference in these races. Youre So Fine is a classy horse with a big motor. He has had a lot of tendon injuries and whatever he does now is a bonus.”
Youre So Fine, a New Zealand-bred seven-year-old by Always B Miki, has been restricted to just 34 starts that have resulted in 14 wins, seven placings and $243,394.
The Bob Mellsop-trained Gully Gum began from barrier four in the 2130m Christmas In July Pace with little form to recommend him after having started from the No. 7 barrier at his two previous appearances and finishing 11TH as an $81 outsider and 12TH at $41.
Gully Gum burst straight to the front and was able to stroll through the lead time in a slow 37.8sec. and the opening quarter in an ambling 30.8sec. before increasing the tempo with 400m sections of 29.2sec., 28.4sec. and 29.1sec. and holding on grimly to win in a four-way photo finish.
He defeated Quinton ($20) by a nose, with a nose farther back to $26 chance Hold The Ammo, and $151 outsider My Ultimate Chevron a half-neck away in fourth place on the inside.
“I though it was going to be easy for Gully Gum turning for home,” said Hall. “But then when we hit the straight, he decided he wanted to turn into a snake, and so it was a relief when I saw his number go up in the frame.”
Double Parked, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old trained by Hall, was the $2.60 favourite from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Beau Rivage Pace when he won the start and set the pace with the $2.65 second fancy Rumble Strip in the breeze and the $3.50 third favourite Ultimate Miki enjoying the one-out, one-back position.
After a slow lead time of 39.3sec. and an opening quarter of 30.5sec. the pace increased with the final three 400m sections being run in 29sec., 28.2sec. and 28.3sec.
Rumble Strip got on terms with Double Parked approaching the home turn before he shifted out in the straight.
“Double Parked was travelling really well at the bell but when we got to the 700m he dropped the bit completely,” said Hall. “However, he managed to hold on and win. He is still very much a work in progress.”
This was Double Parked’s first win in WA at his fourth start in the State. He now has raced 25 times for six wins, nine placings and $91,567.
Opal Hunter, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, ended a losing sequence of nine when he was the $1.50 favourite and set the pace and beat $17 chance Haveyoumetted in the 2130m Book Into Steelo’s Pace.
Spyglass, a $4.40 chance trained and driven by Lindsay Harper, produced a strong frontrunning display to win the 1730m Trotsynd Pace in a thrilling finish, with Alcopony ($13) finishing fast on the inside to be a head away in second place, and $31 chance Petes Honour flashing home out very wide (from ninth at the bell) to be a neck farther back in third place, a head in front of the fourth placegetter Heavenly Gipsy.
“It’s a frontrunners’ track and drawing barrier one makes a difference,” said Harper.
Mystery Fred ($2.05) became the ninth pacemaker to win on the ten-event program when Waroona trainer Nigel Johns sent him to the front 550m after the start of the 2503m Trot and the four-year-old held on strongly to beat the $1.95 favourite McGee by 2m.