Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Astute trainer Greg Bond points to Minstrel’s toughness and never-say-die attitude as vital attributes, and he is looking for these factors to provide the winning formula in the a $450,000 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Bond trains the New Zealand-bred Minstrel in partnership with his wife Skye, and they have high hopes that the six-year-old will give them their second success in the group 1 WA Pacing Cup, following Mighty Conqueror’s victory in January 2020.
Mighty Conqueror revealed great toughness when he raced in the breeze for the first 300m before gaining the one-out, one-back sit for the next 500m — when Vampiro took the lead, leaving Mighty Conqueror in the breeze for the rest of the 2936m Cup. Mighty Conqueror took the lead at the 50m mark and won by a head from Vampiro.
Bond is confident that Minstrel possesses similar strengths to Mighty Conqueror, now an eight-year-old who will line up on the outside of the back line in Friday night’s Cup.
Minstrel, who has a losing sequence of nine, is close to peak form after three excellent efforts from unfavourable barriers since resuming from a spell. He covered a lot of extra ground when a first-up fourth behind Diego, and he followed that run with a close third to Ideal Agent after racing without cover, and then he started from the back line in the 2536m Fremantle Cup last Friday week when he dashed forward, three wide after 400m and worked hard outside the pacemaker Diego before taking a narrow lead 220m from home and finishing a half-neck second to the fast-finishing Mighty Ronaldo.
Minstrel will be driven by 44-year-old Ryan Warwick, who is seeking his first win in a WA Pacing Cup. He has driven 14 group 1 winners, the latest being with Minstrel when he started from barrier one, set the pace and held on to defeat stablemate Patronus Star by a short half-head in the Fremantle Cup 12 months ago.
The Bond stable has four runners in Friday night’s race, the other three being Mighty Conqueror (Colin Brown), Patronus Star (Deni Roberts) and Himself (Dylan Egerton-Green).
“Following his Fremantle Cup run last Friday week, Minstrel is our main hope, going on what he’s done at this level in the past, and with a better barrier than our other three runners, he is our No. 1 seed,” said Bond.
“Minstrel sat in the breeze and won the Golden Nugget (2536m) in very quick time (1.54.7) in February 2021.”
“I’m not necessarily expecting him to race in the breeze on Friday night. I think Magnificent Storm (barrier four) or Lavra Joe (six) will go forward (at the start). Minstrel will come off the arm nice and solid and hold his spot, and then Ryan can evaluate what he does from there.”
Minstrel showed his liking for racing over 2936m in the WA Pacing Cup last February when he started from the inside of the back line, raced in seventh place before going forward, three wide, approaching the bell and fighting on grandly to finish fifth, just two metres behind the winner Wildwest.
Bond said that the comparatively inexperienced Himself was capable of surprising. The five-year-old is a wonderful stayer who won the 3309m Marathon Handicap last August and three starts ago he charged home from the rear at the bell to win the 2536m Golden Nugget from Jumpingjackmac.
“We will be looking after him early, and if the race is run upside-down, we know what he can do,” said Bond. “Mighty Conqueror will be driven for a bit of luck, and Patronus Star probably will go to the back of Mighty Ronaldo and race three back (on the pegs) assuming that Diego leads. Sit and sprint is his go, and that’s how he will be driven.”
Mighty Ronaldo, who enjoyed a perfect sit, one-out and one-back, before sprinting home strongly to win the Fremantle Cup from Minstrel and Diego last Friday week, looks perfectly placed on the inside of the back line, and Emily Suvaljko’s plans will be to trail the expected pacemaker Diego before getting into the clear in the late stages and relying on the WA-bred five-year-old’s devastating finishing burst.
Managing part-owner Glen Mortimer said that Mighty Ronaldo loves following a helmet and saving ground. “We know he has that short, sharp kick, and if the gaps open up he will be dangerous. His Golden Slipper and WA Derby wins came when he raced on the pegs before finishing fast.
“If he races behind the leader or three back on the pegs, it would be perfect. Justin (trainer Justin Prentice) said that he was happy with Mighty Ronaldo and his work has been sharp since his Fremantle Cup win.
“I had strict instructions from the boss to come home with one, ten or eleven at the barrier draw, and I’ve done my part (drawing No. 10, the inside of the back line), and now it’s up to the trainer and driver.”