Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Victorian-bred pacer Firerockfireroll overcame the considerable impediment of racing with one hopple a couple of inches shorter than the other to score a superb victory in the $50,000 Allwood Stud Farm Christmas Gift at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He also revealed remarkable fighting qualities to recover from almost certain defeat to beat Ragazzo Mach and Robbie Rocket in a thrilling finish to the Group 2 feature event.
Firerockfireroll was the $3.50 favourite from the No. 1 barrier, and he produced a strong frontrunning performance until he was overtaken by $17 chance Sugar Street 600m from home. Sugar Street led by a length from Ragazzo Mach and Firerockfireroll 200m later.
But champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr called on Firerockfireroll for an extra effort, and the five-year-old responded grandly to regain the lead 150m from home and win by a neck from Ragazzo Mach ($4), with $15 chance Robbie Rocket finishing solidly along the inside to be a nose away in third place and 2m ahead of Sugar Street, who was gallant in defeat after racing wide early and then in the breeze.
“I had a bit of trouble with the nearside hopple shortening pin which was caught up the whole way,” said Hall. “This resulted in the nearside hopple being a couple of inches shorter than the outside hopple. Firerockfireroll paced all right until I tried to pull the pin in the first lap and again in the last lap when the three-wide line was coming, and I wanted him to get going.
“And when Ragazzo Mach pulled out and went woosh I thought we were in trouble. But Firerockfireroll did a big job. You don’t often see a horse who kicks back after being headed and win.”
Trainer Michael Young was full of praise for Firerockfireroll, saying the gelding was on the canvas when headed in the final circuit before he fought back courageously.
In an unusual lead-up to contesting a rich feature event, Firerockfireroll had appeared in stands at six of his seven previous outings for two wins and two seconds.
“I raced him in stands mainly because he was drawing poorly in mobiles,” said Young. “I knew he was a good leader, but he never drew to lead. I gave him a good chance (from barrier one) tonight because he had shown good gate speed in Victoria where he ran 1.55 a couple of times around Melton with a couple of final quarters of 28sec. And you’ve got to have a bit of strength to do that.
“I was going to spell him after tonight’s run, but now I might revise my plans and perhaps look at the Nights Of Thunder.”
Firerockfireroll, bred and owned by Warren Stewart, is by former champion pacer Courage Under Fire and is the third foal out of Rocknrolla, a winner of two Group 1 events at Melton as a two and three-year-old before being retired with earnings of $287,351 from 12 wins and seven placings from 27 starts.
Firerockfireroll now boasts a fine record of 35 starts for 12 wins, ten placings and stakes of $140,587. He raced 23 times in Victoria for eight wins, eight placings and $64,670, with his 12 WA starts producing four wins, two seconds and $75,918.