Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Mardella trainer Michael Young left Gloucester Park on Friday night in high spirits reflecting on his double with Lamandier and October Reign and a treble at Albany, a little more than 400km south of Perth.
Stuart McDonald and Joseph and Aaron Suvaljko took a team of six Young-trained pacers to Albany for wins with Chasing Hill, Bay Rock Boy and Pecunious, a second with Chillin, a third with On The Back Foot and an eighth with La Vista.
The five winners on Friday night took Young’s tally this year to 24, giving him the lead on the WA trainers’ premiership table, with Greg and Skye Bond in second place with 17 winners.
Young described six-year-olds Lamandier and October Reign as honest opportunists, who were at their best when able to set the pace.
Lamandier was the $1.30 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Hoist Torque Australia Pace, and Gary Hall Jnr rated the Somebeachsomewhere gelding perfectly in front to win by a half neck from Wasa Heat Seeker ($7.50), rating a comfortable 1.59.1 after a slow lead time of 38.7sec. and ambling opening quarters of 31.6sec. and 31sec. before final 400m sections of 28.9sec. and 27.5sec.
The Kim Prentice-trained Wasa Heat Seeker fought on grandly after racing without cover, and he should pay to follow.
The Victorian-bred Lamandier, a winner of three races in Victoria and another three in Queensland, has now won eight times in WA, and has a record of 62 starts for 12 wins, 19 placings and $112,848.
Lamandier is the second foal out of the Art Major mare Champagne Dreams, who earned $60,917 from ten wins and 13 placings from 45 starts. Champagne Dreams is out of Bethany, the dam of former superstar pacer Lazarus, who was retired with earnings of $4,125,988 from 37 wins and 12 placings from 51 starts. He excited local fans with his victory over Chicago Bull and Tiger Tara in the Interdominion Championship final at Gloucester Park in December 2017.
October Reign was the $2.40 favourite from barrier one in the 2130m HTA Pace, in which he defied an early challenge for the lead from $5 chance Soho Santorini. Hall then set the pace and guided the Sportswriter gelding to a half-length victory over stablemate Watts Up Sunshine ($5.50), who raced wide early and then in the breeze.
October Reign dashed over the final quarters in 29.1sec. and 27.8sec. and rated 1.57.8. He is the second foal out of Show Me Amber, who raced 62 times for 11 wins, 16 placings and $64,151.
October Reign won four times in Victoria and his 29 WA starts have produced seven wins and two placings which have improved his career record to 64 starts for 11 wins, 14 placings and $129,857.