Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
It was pretty much a typical day in the office for champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr on Friday when he drove a treble at Bunbury in the afternoon and another treble at Gloucester Park in the evening, during which a dashing victory by Finvarra boosted the speedy stallion’s prospects in the upcoming rich feature events for four-year-olds.
But Friday was a significant red letter occasion for the 40-year-old maestro, who landed his second win as a trainer — 21 years after his initial success — a mere 7716 days earlier when he prepared and drove 6/4 favourite The Postie to a half-length win over Golden Guru in a minor 2600m event at Northam on August 22, 2001.
The 40-year-old Hall has concentrated on driving throughout his fabulous career, and it was only recently that he took over the training of the lowly-regarded Comnharry, a seven-year-old gelding whose only win in 46 starts for four trainers was at Bunbury in September 2019.
After a first-up fifth at Gloucester Park on September 27 Comnharry was having his second start for Hall at Bunbury on Friday afternoon when he was the $2.80 favourite in a 1609m event of modest performers. Comnharry began from the back line, and he trailed the pacemaker Captain Dandi before he finished strongly to beat that pacer easily, rating 1.57.5.
“The win pulled me out of a 21-year drought, and Russell Betts out of a 27-year drought as an owner,” said an excited Hall as he celebrated the victory with his 22ND starter as a trainer.
Betts recently paid $2000 to buy Comnharry, whose win gave him his first success since Stylish Hooker won a 2900m standing-start event at Gloucester Park on November 17, 1995, when he beat Lobengula and Pure Symbol.
While Comnharry now boasts just two wins from 48 starts, he is certainly bred to be a good winner. He is the seventh and last foal out of the Classic Garry mare Raca Pacer, who had 52 starts for trainer-reinsman Steve Burton for 11 wins, 18 placings and $58,327. Her most notable victory was in the Race For Roses at Gloucester Park in May 1997.
Raca Pacer also produced talented pacers Phar From A Fake (101 starts for 27 wins, 26 placings and $170,716) and Gee Whiz Fizz (129 starts for 35 wins, 38 placings and $408,496). Phar From A Fake won the 2004 Easter Cup at Gloucester Park, and Gee Whiz Fizz won the Group 1 Golden Nugget in December 2005 when he defeated Precious Dylan by a nose, as well as winning the Group 2 McInerney Ford Classic in 2005, the group 2 Four And Five-Year-Old Championship and the Group 3 Harvey Cup in February 2007.
Finvarra, trained by Gary Hall Snr, was the $2 favourite in the Jerry Fraser Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he trailed the runaway hard-pulling Always Fast before dashing to the front 380m from home and winning by just under two lengths from the fast-finishing Know When To Run, rating 1.57.4 over the 2130m.
This took Finvarra’s record to 18 starts for nine wins, eight placings and $162,098 in prizemoney. The American Ideal four-year-old is the first foal out of the smart Changeover mare Nuala, who raced 19 times for Hall Snr for 14 wins, two placings and $132,449.
Finvarra’s win was Hall junior’s second leg of his Gloucester Park treble which included Vivere Damore and The Mustang. His three winners at Bunbury in the afternoon were Comnharry, Tricky Miki (in the South-West Derby) and El Chema.