Capel trainer Aiden de Campo went to the APG yearling sale in Perth last year with the firm intention of purchasing a colt by American stallion Always B Miki, but he was bitterly disappointed when the youngster was withdrawn because of a badly swollen knee, an injury he received a couple of days earlier when he took fright during a violent storm and crashed into a fence.
His second selection was a colt by Sportswriter, who, like the Always B Miki colt, was bred by Mike Howie at his Copper Lodge establishment in Serpentine.
De Campo outlaid $30,000 to buy the Sportswriter colt his only purchase from the 120 lots in the sales catalogue.
De Campo’s astute judgment was franked at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the abovementioned youngsters, now two-year-old geldings The Miki Taker and Floewriter finished first and second in the $100,000 Pearl Classic.
De Campo prepares both youngsters, and his third runner in the big race, Rock On Top, was a fast-finishing third, thus giving the 29-year-old horseman a perfect trifecta result to join champion trainers Gary Hall Snr and Greg and Skye Bond as the trainer of a winning trifecta in a Group 1 feature event.
Hall landed Group 1 trifectas with Love of Glory, Possibly and Almagest in the 1989 Golden Slipper, and with Im Themightyquinn, Alzona and Dartmoor in the 2009 Fremantle Cup, while the Bonds celebrated a notable trifecta result with Ana Malak, Mighty Conqueror and Fizzing in the 2018 Gold Nugget championship.
This was the second trifecta result for de Campo as a trainer. He landed the trifecta with Artistic Scribe, Nowuseemerunin and Sport Sport Sport in the de Campo Memorial for two-year-old fillies at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park on May 1 this year, an event run in honour of his late grandfather Ray de Campo.
“I went to the sales to buy The Miki Taker, but when I couldn’t, I bought Floewriter instead,” said de Campo, who opted to handle Rock On Top, a Rocknroll Dance gelding who was purchased for $18,000 at the 2020 yearling sale by Rob Tomlinson, Damian Keating and Peter Morris.
Dylan Egerton-Green was engaged to drive The Miki Taker, and Gary Hall Jnr agreed to drive Floewriter, a $4.40 chance from barrier five who burst to the front after 150m. The Miki Taker, favourite at $3.70, began speedily from the No. 4 barrier and raced three wide for the first 400m before moving to the breeze.
Rock On Top ($6.50) started from the inside of the back line and de Campo eased him off the pegs and into the one-wide line after 350m. He was seventh with 400m to travel and was badly hampered for room until the final 110m before flashing home into third place.
The Miki Taker took the lead on the home turn and beaty Floewriter by one and a half lengths to give Egerton-Green his seventh Group 1 success as a reinsman.
“I didn’t have a set plan and I had to be content sitting in the breeze,” said Egerton-Green.
The Miki Taker suffered no ill effects from his damaged knee, and he is raced by the 58-year-old Howie as the managing owner of a syndicate of nine. Floewriter is raced by a syndicate of 14.
The Miki Taker is the second foal out of the Art Major mare Topless Beach Girl, who raced 21 times for one win, ten placings and stakes of $21,810. Topless Beach Girl’s dam Copper Beach Girl was an excellent performer for Howie, her breeder and owner. She had 84 starts for 14 wins, 24 placings and $156,851. Howie also bred Copper Beach Girl’s dam Red Hot Copper and her granddam Copper Strike.
The Miki Taker now has earned $82,252 from three wins and two seconds from five starts, and his win on Friday night gave de Campo his third group 1 success as a trainer after winning with Blue Chip Adda in the Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and gelding in June 2020 and with Floewriter in the Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings in February this year.
by Ken Casellas