Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr timed Chillin’s finishing run to perfection when the four-year-old got up in the final desperate stride to snatch a nose victory over the pacemaker Major Overs ($3.90) in the 1730m Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Chillin, the $2.90 favourite trained by Michael Young, began from barrier four and raced three wide early before racing without cover.
“I never thought Chillin would breeze on a Friday night and win a race,” Hall admitted. “He probably put the writing on the wall on Tuesday when he led and won. It was a different story tonight, and it was good to see him do it.
“I had a lap full of horse on the bend. I knew I didn’t want to get there (in front) too early because he does turn his toes up, and in the end, I thought I might have left it too late.”
Young said that a decision to give Chillin a little freshen-up was paying dividends. “His first campaign was good when he won a lot of races,” he said.
At his first nine starts in WA (after winning once from 18 appearances in Victoria and New South Wales) Chillin won four races and was placed four times from eight starts in Albany from last December to February this year. He then went for a spell and resumed in June when he was unplaced at his first three starts back.
“So, I gave him a freshen-up, and now he’s back,” said Young.
Chillin is by Captaintreacherous and is the fourth foal out of the unraced Christian Cullen mare Hot Chili Stride. He has earned $54,603 from seven wins and ten placings from 33 starts. His elder half-brother My Ultimate Romeo raced 201 times for 18 wins, 49 placings and $149,992, winning races in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.