Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
The combination of trainer Justin Prentice and reinsman Gary Hall Jnr continues to be an irresistible force in juvenile classics in Western Australian harness racing, and the partnership was to the fore again at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Tricky Miki triumphed in the $200,000 Sky Racing WA Derby.
The 34-year-old Prentice is growing in stature as an astute judge of selecting yearling pacers and as a trainer par excellence from his Boyanup property, while the 40-year-old Hall continues his reign as WA’s most gifted reinsman.
Prentice chose Tricky Miki on his conformation and good looks and purchased him for $57,500 at the 2020 Perth APG yearling sales. He races the three-year-old gelding in partnership with eight stable clients and the Derby victory boosted Tricky Miki’s record to 14 starts for eight wins, five placings and earnings of $324,450.
This was Prentice’s 27TH success in a Group 1 feature event, and for Hall it took his tally in Group 1 events to a remarkable 63 wins. Prentice has also prepared 19 Group 2 winners and 19 Group 3 winners, and his runners have also chalked up 76 placings in Group races.
Hall has driven the winners of 203 Group events and has also been placed in another 141 Group races. His victory on Friday night was a record sixth in a WA Derby, coming after wins with Alta Christiano (2013), Beaudiene Boaz (2015), Chicago Bull (2016), King Of Swing (2018) and Major Trojan (2019). Prentice had driven Im Victorious to victory in the 2012 Derby and he trained and drove Mighty Ronaldo to win the classic in 2021.
Tricky Miki was the $1.70 favourite from barrier No. 6 on Friday night, and he settled down in ninth position while $19 chance Hoppys Way was setting a solid pace after beginning brilliantly from barrier seven.
Hall, not wanting to rely on Tricky Miki’s wonderful turn of foot in the final circuit, seized the initiative by sending the gelding forward, three wide, 950m after the start to quickly move into the breeze.
Shannon Suvaljko increased the tempo when he got Hoppys Way to sprint over the third quarter of the final mile in 28.7sec. Hall was not flustered, and he bided his time before asking Tricky Miki for a supreme effort 250m from home. Tricki Miki responded to the challenge, and he sprinted strongly to burst to the front 25m from the post and win by a half-length from Hoppys Way, with the filly Taking The Miki running on from sixth, three back on the pegs, at the bell to be third.
The final 400m was covered in 29.1sec. and Tricky Miki rated 1.58.8 over the 2536m.
“I weighed it all up and I wasn’t scared to put Tricky Miki into the breeze in that field,” said Hall. “I was going all right down the back when I remembered watching the race at Bunbury (in late August) when Tricky Miki sat outside four-year-old Tenzing Bromac — and when I asked him, he just went bang (and finished a half-length second to Tenzing Bromac after final quarters of 27.3sec. and 27.6sec.).
“I knew that Tricky Miki could show that point to point speed from the breeze, but I had to make sure that I timed it right. It was hard to keep waiting, but it turned out all right.”
Prentice praised Hall, saying: “It was an awesome drive by Junior. Once he got to the breeze, I was confident, though turning for home I thought he was in a little bit of strife. However, it was good that Junior didn’t panic down the back and take on the leader, and I knew that Tricky Miki had a kick left in him.”
Prentice said that he was contemplating starting Tricky Miki in the $30,000 WA Country Derby at Pinjarra next Monday before sending him for a spell. “I’ll just see how he pulls up,” he said.
Tricky Miki caught Prentice’s eye at the 2020 yearling sale. “I really liked him, even though his American sire Always B Miki was an unknown,” he said. “But I thought that Tricky Miki was too nice looking to worry about the stallion too much.”
Tricky Miki, bred by Steve Johnson, is out of the Modern Art Mare Harriet Elisabeth, who raced 36 times for 11 wins, nine placings and stakes of $114,348. Her victories included the Western Crown Classic for two-year-old fillies in March 2013 and she also finished second to Im Bella Jay in the Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies in July 2014.