Wilma Giumelli was a fan of the animated television series The Flintstones in the 1960s in which the stars were Fred and Wilma Flintstone who lived in a cave in the town of Bedrock, and she fell in love, at first sight, with a handsome colt at the 2018 APG Perth yearling sale.
She and her husband Jim outlaid $47,500 to purchase the Somebeachsomewhere colt, who is developing into a smart performer and caused an upset as a $16.70 chance by finishing powerfully to win the $51,000 Rock N Roll World at Allwood Stud Four-Year-Old APG Consolation final at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Mrs Giumelli was happy to name the colt Caveman, who has now won ten races for earnings of $67,032 and has the stable name of Fred.
Caveman was the first yearling that Mrs Giumelli saw at the sale. “This is the one for me,” she informed her husband.
“But I said ‘come on Willie, you have got to look at a few others,’” said Mr Giumelli. However, Mrs Giumelli was adamant, declaring that she really liked the colt’s conformation.
Caveman is the first yearling purchased by the Giumellis, and the second horse (after Angel of Harlem) that they have bought. He was bred by the Howie family and is the first foal out of Our Copper Art, who raced 39 times for three wins, 11 placings and stakes of $20,239. Caveman is also closely related to Copper Beach Girl (84 starts for 14 wins, 24 placings and $156,851) and Copagrin (101 starts for 19 wins, 20 placings and $241,352).
Astute trainer Mike Reed said that he was not surprised by Caveman’s victory in Friday night’s group 2 feature in which he trailed the pacemaker Poisedtopounce before Mark Reed eased the stallion off the pegs with 420m to travel, took him three wide on the home turn and burst to the front 120m from home before winning by 4m from $18 chance The Code Breaker, who finished strongly from sixth and last at the bell. The final quarters were run in 27.7sec. and 28.6sec. and the winner rated 1.55.4 over the 1730m sprint.
Hesty ($31) finished gamely to be third, with the $2.10 favourite Mirragon in fourth place and Poisedtopounce fading to finish fifth. Valentines Brook ($7) was last home after racing in the one-out, one-back position. Valentines Brook met with interference and broke into a gallop when Caveman moved off the pegs in the final lap. The stewards suspended Mark Reed from driving for 13 days for causing interference.
Mirragon made an unsuccessful challenge for the early lead and was hailed as the winner when Chris Lewis sent him past Poisedtopounce and into the lead 300m from home. But he wilted in the home straight.
Mike Reed predicted that Caveman would continue to improve, saying: “He is the sort of horse who will get better. He’s tough and the quicker they run, the better he likes it. Mark said that he was unlucky at his previous start (in a qualifying heat of Friday night’s event) when Caveman was bolting in the late stages but was unable to get a clear run.”
Jim and Wilma Giumelli are looking forward to their brilliant three-year-old Ragazzo Mach coming to Perth to join the Reed stable next month after having his final race in New Zealand, in the rich Jewels event for three-year-olds at Cambridge on June 6.
Ragazzo Mach was most impressive in scoring an effortless victory in the Group 2 $38,400 Southern Supremacy Stakes at Invercargill on Sunday of last week. The colt settled in fifth position, dashed to the front after a lap and was not extended in beating Yorokobi by just over five lengths, rating 1.57.8 over the 2700m journey after covering the final 800m in 56.8sec. and the last 400m in 26.9sec. Ragazzo Mach now has had eleven starts for six wins, three placings and stakes of $68,212.
by Ken Casellas