Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Jim Currie made a wise decision 17 years ago when he purchased Arma Antoinette, a Holmes Hanover mare who had managed one win (on debut at Forbury Park in April 2001) from 13 starts in New Zealand.
Arma Antoinette produced Arma Xpress, a filly who was a spectacular success as a young pacer, having 18 starts for twelve wins and one placing for stakes of $279,890 before being retired to the breeding barn. Her victories included two at Group 1 level, two in Group 2 events and one in a Group 3 feature.
And now Arma Xpress is a wonderful broodmare in her own right — and at Gloucester Park on Friday night she was represented by full-sisters (by American Ideal) who gave Currie, his part-owner Liam O’Connor, Banjup trainer Colin Brown and his daughter and richly talented driver Maddison a winning double.
Five-year-old American Arma set the standard by scoring a smart victory in the $22,000 Bridge Bar Pace, and two hours later two-year-old filly Xceptional Arma romped home an easy winner of the $20,250 Catalano Pace.
American Arma ended a losing sequence of 15 when she was the $1.70 favourite in the third event in which she led from barrier two and won by a length from $26 chance Stormyskyes.
This improved American Arma’s record to 39 starts for eleven wins, 14 placings and stakes of $174,315. She had finished in second place behind Steno and Stormyskyes on the two previous Friday nights.
“Those two runs were really good,” said Maddison Brown. “She should have won at her previous start when she got too keen on the gate, and I missed the one-one. If she had got that position, she would have won.
“Tonight, everything went her way. I was worried that maybe she would fire up and not settle for me. And I probably went a touch too slow (with a dawdling lead time of 40.1sec. and opening quarters of 30.8sec. and 30.5sec.) and I should have let her roll a bit more.”
However, there were no problems, with American Arma dashing over the final quarters in 28.7sec. and 27.7sec.
“American Arma and Xceptional Arma are contrasting horses,” said Brown. “American Arma is more laid back before the race, while Xceptional Arma is more laid back during the race.”
Xceptional Arma was the $1.90 favourite from barrier three in race seven in which the two-year-old remarkably was timed to cover the final 400m sections in the exact times recorded by her sister earlier in the evening.
Brown admitted that she was worried about the $1.95 second fancy Lenora Jane, saying: “When I got the easy lead (40.4sec.) and slow first quarter (32.2sec.) I knew that I would have to run the next 1200m pretty quick because Lenora Jane is super quick.”
Lenora Jane, who raced in the breeze, tried hard in the final circuit, but was unable to seriously challenge the leader, who dashed over the final 400m in 27.7sec.
Xceptional Arma, who is eligible for all the rich feature events for two-year-old fillies this year, has earned $91,772 from four wins and three placings from eight starts.
Another full-sister is Arma Xfactor, who has been driven by Maddison Brown six times for five wins, the latest being earlier this month. Arma Xfactor has raced 29 times for nine wins, four placings and $68,654.