Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to compare pacing horses from different eras, but Magnificent Storm deserves to be ranked among Western Australia’s greatest pacers, alongside champions past and present.
He improved his winning percentage to 62.5 after his wonderful victory in the 2130m Vale Roselyn MacKinnon Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night which took his record to 80 starts for 50 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $1,838,287.
San Simeon has, by far, the best winning percentage of any WA pacing star, 84.6 after retiring following an outstanding career of 33 wins, three placings and $383,799 from 39 starts. And in the early 1970s the mighty Mount Eden had a 70 per cent record after winning at 14 of his 20 starts.
In the 1950s glamour pacer Frosty Nelson won at 50 of his 104 starts for a winning percentage of 48.1.
Current champion Minstrel has raced 81 times for 32 wins, 27 placings and $2,100,323, with a 39.5 winning percentage. Im Themightyquinn had 111 starts for 58 wins, 34 placings and $4,567,456, with a 52.2 winning percentage.
Chicago Bull retired with a winning percentage of 54.8 from 62 wins, 36 placings and $2,417,890, and The Falcon Strike raced 78 times for 41 wins, 17 placings and $1,224,094 for a winning percentage of 52.5.
Going back earlier, Pure Steel retired with a winning percentage of 53.5 after his 127 starts produced 68 wins, 37 placings and $915,302, and Village Kid earned $2,117,870 from 93 wins and 36 placings from 160 starts, with a winning percentage of 58.12. It must be taken into account that stakemoney was considerably smaller than it is today and during the past couple of decades.
And while admiring the brilliance of Magnificent Storm, it is well worth considering that, unlike all of the above-mentioned champions who were successful in interstate feature events, he was unplaced at his three appearances away from home, at Albion Park in July 2023.
However, he has performed magnificently in WA where his most notable performances have included wins in the 2026 Fremantle Cup, the 2023 WA Pacing Cup, the 2022 Mount Eden Sprint, the 2022 Brennan Memorial, the Village Kid Sprint in 2022 and 2026, as well as a second in the 2025 WA Pacing Cup and his third in the $1.25 million Nullarbor early this year.
Apart from those pacers already mentioned, WA pacing followers have been thrilled over the past century with the brilliance of superstars, who have included Kola Girl, Happy Man, Beau Don, Bintravis, Robert Sheen, Radiant Oro, Royal Force, Binshaw, Daintys Daughter, Red Vicar, Baltic Eagle, Norms Daughter, Preux Chevalier, Classic Garry, My Hard Copy, Jack Morris, Saab and several others who have been on the borderline.
“I just look back and see him out there and I shake my head, watching what he is capable of doing,” said his trainer Ray Williams after Magnificent Storm’s victory on Friday night. “He is a lovely horse, but he has a little bit of arrogance in him.
“He is a character and is the boss who knows what is going on. He expects to do that at the start (beat the others out) like he did tonight. We tried to hold him back (from wide barriers), but he has so much speed and settles down so well that we are happy for him to fly out at the start.
“I remember Has The Answers who used to do that all the time, and Magnificent Storm is virtually the same type of horse who puts his head down and flies away.
“All going well Magnificent Storm will run in the August Cup next Friday night, providing he pulls up okay after his win tonight.”
Magnificent Storm, the $1.10 favourite, began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and he charged straight to the front before relaxing with a modest lead time of 37.1sec. and a slow opening 400m section of 31.5sec. before dashing over the final three quarters in 28.4sec., 27.5sec. and 27.2sec. to win by a length and a half from $18 chance Im Lightning Banner who trailed the leader all the way. The winner rated 1.54.6.