Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
New South Wales-bred six-year-old Major Mucha has been unplaced at his past six starts, including a last-start fading last place last Friday week, but his trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is upbeat about the gelding’s winning prospects in the $18,500 Wonderful To Fly Supports Ride For Ahlia Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He was disappointing at his latest start which was his third run in three weeks,” said Voak. “It wasn’t ideal sitting in the breeze, but I thought he would’ve gone a bit better. Now he’s having his first run for a fortnight and he’s feeling better.”
Major Mucha, who has won four times in Victoria, four times in Queensland and once each in South Australia and Western Australia, as well as being placed three times in NSW, will begin from the No. 2 barrier in Friday night’s 2130m event.
Two starts ago he impressed when he raced without cover early and then gained a good trip in the one-out, one-back position when a sound fourth behind smart pacers Mirragon and Doc Holliday.
“I’ll be making a bold bid for the lead on Friday night,” said Voak. “He has led twice at metro level for two seconds, one of them beaten narrowly by Soho Broadway and the other was when Finvarra beat him. And I think he’s going a lot better this preparation than he was in those preparations when he led.
“Providing he can cross the one (Suing You) he will run a very good race in front.” Major Mucha led when second, beaten a half-head by Soho Broadway over 2536m in May this year. He led when second, beaten by three lengths by the speedy Finvarra over 2536m in October 2021.
Major Mucha is an honest performer who has had 80 starts for ten wins and 24 placings for $86,607. He certainly has a much lower profile than his half-brother Shineonucrazydiamond, who amassed $455,961 from 29 wins and 43 placings from 156 starts.
Shineonucrazydiamond had 29 starts in New Zealand as a two, three and four-year-old before leaving for America in December 2017 where he won another 26 races.
Major Mucha’s maternal granddam Bella Joy produced Supersonic Miss, who had 31 starts for 17 wins, eight placings and $388,505 in stakes. A highlight of Supersonic Miss’s career was her win in the group 1 Breeders Challenge for three-year-old fillies at Menangle in June 2015 when she defeated Ameretto.
Suing You, part-owned, trained and driven by Shane Young, has finished at the rear at her four appearances since resuming from a spell. But she is a capable pacer who has won at 12 of her 48 starts.
Suing You, who should appreciate the No. 1 barrier, has started from that barrier at three of her wins, all when setting the pace. She has also led and won twice after starting from barrier two.