Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Star pacer Minstrel became an equine millionaire last week with his superb second to Catch A Wave in the Nullarbor slot race, and he has excellent prospects of joining an exclusive list of multiple winners of the Fremantle Cup when he contests the group 1 $300,000 feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Fremantle Cup has been run 94 times, with the only multiple winners being Lincoln Storm, Village Kid, The Falcon Strike, Im Themightyquinn and Chicago Bull.
Minstrel, to be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has run in the past two Retravision Fremantle Cups over 2536m for an all-the-way victory from barrier No. 1 in January 2022 when he defeated stablemate Patronus Star by a nose, and when he began from the outside of the back line and raced in the breeze for most of the way before taking a narrow lead approaching the home turn and finishing a half-neck second to Mighty Ronaldo in January 2023.
Roberts described Minstrel’s performance in the Nullarbor as exceptional and predicted the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old was primed for another outstanding effort this week.
Minstrel will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in the 2936m Cup, with the Bond stable also being represented by Ideal Agent (to be driven by Trent Wheeler from the No. 4 barrier on the front line) and Tenzing Bromac (Dylan Egerton-Green, inside of the back line).
“Minstrel should settle midfield, and from there how I will drive him will depend on the speed of the race,” she Roberts. “I will be looking to put him into the race at some point, and they will know he’s there.
“He was obviously a bit tired last Saturday after his tough run the night before. But since then, his work has been good.”
Minstrel’s form has been fantastic, with his past eight runs producing six wins and two second placings. He started from the outside of the front line (barrier nine) in the Nullarbor and settled in last place before dashing forward after a lap and then racing in the breeze outside the pacemaker Spirit Of St Louis and taking a narrow lead 420m from home and finishing a splendid second to Catch A Wave.
The biggest talking point surrounding the Cup has been whether Lavra Joe will lead from the prized No. 1 barrier and whether he will break through for his first success in a group 1 event.
Owner-trainer Ray Jones dispensed with the services of reinsman Kyle Harper after Lavra Joe had put up a remarkable performance to finish fourth in the Nullarbor after the six-year-old had begun speedily from out wide at barrier eight, was unable to cross to the front, raced three wide for the first lap before being restrained back to last and then charging home from last at the 300m to finish fourth.
Jones has engaged champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr to drive Lavra Joe for the first time after the gelding’s first 70-starts produced 33 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $734,883.
Hall, who has won the Fremantle Cup a record nine times, scoring with The Falcon Strike (twice) Im Themightyquinn (three times), Im Victorious, Beaudeine Boaz and Chicago Bull (twice), Is looking forward to sitting behind Lavra Joe for the first time.
“Lavra Joe’s run last week was super,” said Hall. “The intention on Friday night will be to lead from barrier one. We don’t want to sit and then try to work things out.”
Hall will be the fourth driver to handle Lavra Joe in a race, following Shane Young (six drives for two wins and two thirds), Chris Lewis (28 wins from 54 starts) and Harper (ten starts for three wins and three thirds).
Lavra Joe has begun from the No. 1 barrier at Gloucester Park seven times for six all-the-way wins followed by his fifth behind Mighty Ronaldo when the $2.65 favourite in the Fremantle Cup in January of last year. He galloped for a couple of strides at the start and then trailed the pacemaker Diego.
Lavra Joe has contested nine group 1 events, in which he has managed to be placed only once — when second to Jett Star in the two-year-old Pearl Classic in June 2020. He has finished fourth twice, fifth twice and seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth.
He has raced ten times in group 2 events for six wins, one second, one third, a fourth and a seventh, and his ten group 3 runs have produced five wins, two thirds, two fourths and a tenth placing.
Champion trainer Gary Hall Snr will be pinning his faith in Jumpingjackmac in an attempt to win the Fremantle Cup for a record eleventh time. Jumpingjackmac will be handled by Stuart McDonald from an awkward draw at barrier No. 6.
Jumpingjackmac was an unlucky fifth in last week’s Nullarbor when he raced three back on the pegs and met with interference approaching the home turn.
Catch A Wave, the brilliant winner of the Nullarbor for trainer Andy Gath and driver Kate Gath, also has an unfavourable draw at barrier seven, and he is once again expected to be driven conservatively and saved up for a powerful finishing burst. He is certainly capable of notching another major race victory.
Hot And Treacherous (barrier two) and Swingband (barrier three) are drawn to make their presence felt, particularly Swingband who surged home from ninth at the bell to finish an eye-catching third in the Nullarbor for trainer Ryan Bell and reinsman Kyle Symington.
Trainer Michael Brennan and driver Chris Voak are approaching the big race with plenty of confidence after Pinny Tiger’s easy victory in the 2536m Parliamentarians Cup last Friday night when the gelding began speedily from barrier seven, set the pace and won by almost two lengths from Steel The Show and Tenzing Bromac, rating 1.55.6 over the 2536m journey.
“Whether Pinny Tiger crosses Lavra Joe will depend on the start we get from barrier five,” said Voak. “Like I’ve done in all my races with Pinny Tiger I’ve had the intent of going forward. It is all about timing my start.
“I’ll just come out with his natural speed and then after fifty to a hundred metres I’ll assess in the next hundred metres whether we will be able to get to the front or whether we will need to find some cover.”
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, who won the Fremantle Cup for the first time when Emily Suvaljko brought $31.20 chance Mighty Ronaldo home with a well-timed run after enjoying the one-out, one-back trail to win narrowly from Minstrel in January last year, will be looking for strong runs from Mighty Ronaldo (barrier eight) and Tricky Miki (outside of the back line). Both pacers are racing in excellent form.