Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr spent a considerable amount of time before making a choice between Mighty Ronaldo and Cyclone Jordy as his drive in the $100,000 James Brennan Memorial over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Finally, he decided to handle four-year-old Cyclone Jordy, the least experienced runner in the group 2 event, who is prepared by Gary Hall Snr.
Trainer Justin Prentice then engaged Maddison Brown to drive evergreen eight-year-old Mighty Ronaldo, who will begin from the No. 1 barrier, with Cyclone Jordy on his immediate outside.
Brown has driven Mighty Ronaldo only once — when he began from the outside of the back line and fought on from tenth at the bell to finish seventh behind Delightful Peg over 2130m six weeks ago.
Hall has driven Mighty Ronaldo at ten of his 17 victories, and the Alta Christiano gelding has amassed $1,154,084 in prizemoney during an illustrious career which includes group 1 wins in the 2020 Golden Slipper, 2021 WA Derby and the 2023 Fremantle Cup.
Mighty Ronaldo has a losing sequence of 15, stretching back to September 5, 2025, when he beat Cams Boulder by a half-head over 2130m.
However, his recent form has been encouraging. He led early and then trailed the pacemaker Harrison John before running home strongly to finish a close second to that pacer in a 2130m Free-For-All last Friday night.
Thirty minutes earlier Cyclone Jordy was most impressive when he started from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and was eleventh at the bell before he stormed home to finish fourth behind Runkle Crunch in the group 1 Golden Nugget over 2536m. He was hopelessly blocked for a clear run approaching the home turn.
Champion pacer Minstrel, fresh from a devastating first-up all-the-way win at a 1.55 rate over 2536m last Friday week, fared poorly in the random barrier draw for the Brennan Memorial, and he will start from the outside (barrier) three on the back line.
Minstrel, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has the class to overcome the unfavourable draw. But with Mighty Ronaldo and Cyclone Jordy drawn the two inside barriers on the front line, the nine-year-old multi-millionaire pacer is most unlikely to enjoy a comfortable trip.
“Mighty Ronaldo and Cyclone Jordy are good chances,” said Hall Jnr. “Cyclone Jordy was super in the Nugget when he went to the line, cruising with the plugs in. If I had been able to get one off (into the moving line) down the back, I reckon he would have made it pretty interesting. He definitely would have run second.
“Mighty Ronaldo also was super last week when he probably would have won if I had been able to get out a bit earlier (after being held in a pocket behind the pacemaker Harrison John) until the late stages when he went to the line strongly.”
The Bonds have a good record in the Brennan Memorial, enjoying quinella results in 2018 (with Vampiro leading and beating Our Jimmy Johnstone) and in 2019 when Our Jimmy Johnstone led and defeated El Jacko.
Another quinella result for the Bond camp is quite possible on Friday night with Minstrel’s stablemates Golden Lode (barrier three) and Harrison John (seven) racing in fine style.
Hall Snr has been the successful trainer in the Brennan Memorial six times, having scored with Alzona (2011), Waylade (2016), Chicago Bull (2017), Jumpingjackmac (2023) and Mister Smartee (2024 and 2025).
Prentice drove the Michael Brennan-trained Im Victorious when he won the event in 2013.