Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Members of the Trotsynd No. 16 syndicate are celebrating yet another victory from their wonderful four-year-old Sportswriter gelding Manning, who is prepared by astute Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice.
Manning, driven with supreme confidence by Maddison Brown, turned the 2536m Garrard’s Freecall Pace into a one-act affair at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he set the pace from barrier two and careered away from his rivals in the final circuit to win by 23 metres from veteran pacer Dredlock Rockstar.
Manning, the $1.60 favourite, is proving to be a tremendous bargain. Bred by Steve Johnson, he was purchased by the Trotsynd syndicate for $19,000 at the 2018 APG Perth yearling sale and now has amassed $176,168 in prizemoney (as well as many more thousands of dollars in Westbred bonuses) from 12 wins and four placings from 42 starts.
He was a smart two-year-old when he won the group 1 Pearl Classic in June 2019, and he has continued to flourish under Prentice’s care.
Manning is the seventh foal out of the Northern Lights mare Stephanie Rose, whose other winners include Arts Gangsta (112 starts for 11 wins, 25 placings and $66,827) and Brotha Ofa Gangsta (82 starts for 12 wins, 18 placings and $92,851).