Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Boyanup trainer Aldo Cortopassi brought two mares to Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he travelled back home a happy man after he had driven Bazaar Package ($9.70) and Vinita Rose ($6.10) to decisive victories in the space of 25 minutes.
And for good measure, he took Bazaar Package to Bunbury’s Donaldson Park track on Saturday night when the mare sat behind the pacemaker and hot favourite Lazy Dais (driven by Ajay Markham for trainer Ryan Bell) and finished gamely to finish second to that talented four-year-old, who sped over the final 800m in 54.1sec.
Bazaar Package began from the back line in the 2130m Trotsynd Syndicate Pace at Gloucester Park when she raced in the breeze before drawing away in the closing stages to win by a length from the frontrunning My Copy, the $3.10 favourite.
Bazaar Package has now raced 45 times for seven wins, 13 placings and $99,459 in prizemoney and is proving a good moneyspinner for owners Bob and Ruth Poolman, who purchased the pacer for $17,000 at the 2022 Perth APG yearling sale.
Bazaar Package, bred by Mike Howie, is by Ultimate Machete, a brilliant pacer who earned $823,896 from 13 wins and 11 placings from 32 starts. He raced four times at Gloucester Park in the summer of 2017-18 for three wins and a fourth.
His wins included two at Group 1 level, the Four-Year-Old Classic (beating Handsandwheels) and the Golden Nugget (beating Maczaffair). He went on to finish fourth behind My Hard Copy, Lazarus and Chicago Bull in the Fremantle Cup in January 2018.
Bazaar Package is the fourth foal out of Secret Dragon, a Sutter Hanover mare who had 60 starts for nine wins, 13 placings and stakes of $63,819. She was retired after winning her only metropolitan-class race, at Gloucester Park in November 2015.
Vinita Rose began from barrier seven in the 2130m TABtouch Punters Club Pace in which she raced wide before Cortopassi sent her to the front after 450m. After modest opening quarters of 32.2sec. and 30.2sec. Vinita Rose sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 28.8sec. and won by a length from $4.80 chance Sugar Shake, who fought on doggedly after working hard in the breeze.
The New Zealand-bred Vinita Rose has been racing in excellent form and has now earned $76,647 from seven wins and 15 placings from 40 starts.
“Vinita Rose can also sit and sprint, and in feature events for mares she should be competitive by racing behind the leader or three back on the pegs,” said Cortopassi.