Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Up-and-coming star reinsman Will Rixon will revive wonderful memories of former champion Tony Turnbull when he makes his first appearance at Gloucester Park on Friday night as the driver of the brilliant My Ultimate Ronnie in the group 2 $125,000 Nova 93.7 Four-Year-Old Classic.
The 22-year-old Rixon’s grandfather, the legendary Tony Turnbull was the toast of the town when he produced a dashing display in the sulky to drive Hondo Grattan to victory in the Interdominion Championship final at Gloucester Park in February 1974, a remarkable event which I had the pleasure of calling live on Channel Nine.
Then, Rixon’s father Peter (Turnbull’s son-in-law) revealed great skill at his two drives at Gloucester Park in January 2009 when he ran second with Divisive in the Fremantle Cup before finishing a nose second with the six-year-old in the WA Pacing Cup a week later.
Divisive, owned by Turnbull’s daughter Cindy Rixon and trained by her husband, started from 20m in the Fremantle Cup, met with early interference, settled in tenth position and charged home, three wide from eighth at the bell to finish a close second to Power Of Tara.
Divisive began from the back line in the Pacing Cup the following week when heavily supported from 9/4 to 6/4 favouritism. The gelding raced one-out and three-back before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell. He burst to the front 260m from home and was beaten in the final stride by Mysta Magical Mach, who thundered home from last at the bell.
Will Rixon is delighted to have the opportunity to handle My Ultimate Ronnie for only the second time in a race. He replaces champion reinsman Cameron Hart, who has driven the Bettors Delight gelding at 31 of his 34 starts.
Hart will be concentrating on his drives on the opening night of the Interdominion Championship series at Brisbane’s Albion Park on Friday night when he will handle outstanding trainer Jason Grimson’s three splendid pacers Swayzee, Betterzippit and Nerano.
Rixon’s only drive behind My Ultimate Ronnie was in the group 3 Hondo Grattan Stakes at Menangle in February this year when the stallion started from the outside barrier in the field of ten, began speedily and then was restrained to the rear before dashing forward, three wide, 300m later to work hard in the breeze and then finishing a gallant fourth behind Republican Party, a winner at 12 of his 20 New Zealand starts, who gave a dashing frontrunning display at his Australian debut.
Rixon notched his 498TH winner when he drove ten-year-old trotter Pharisee to victory as a $9 chance at Menangle on Tuesday. That was his 144TH winner for the season, putting him in third position behind Hart (201 wins) and Josh Gallagher (145) on the New South Wales drivers’ premiership table.
His mother and father have been highly successful drivers, and his sisters Ellen and Hannah are making their marks as outstanding drivers.
My Ultimate Ronnie has won brilliantly at Menangle at his past three appearances, and his trainer, the 37-year-old Jarrod Alchin is not concerned that the horse will be having his first start this week for 33 days.
“He had a trial at Menangle on Wednesday November 15 before flying over to Perth, and then I drove him in a workout at Gloucester Park last Friday night,” said Alchin, who has trained 603 winners.
My Ultimate Ronnie trailed Raven Banner in the two-horse workout before finishing strongly with a 26.9sec. final 400 metres. “He was really sharp,” said Alchin. “He was super fit when he arrived here. He is very versatile; he can lead and can come from behind.”
My Ultimate Ronnie has excelled on the spacious 1400m Menangle circuit, and he should have no difficulty in competing over the tighter 804.5m Gloucester Park track, having raced seven times at the 804.6m Penrith track for six wins and one second (on debut, as a two-year-old on July 1, 2021).
My Ultimate Ronnie has had 34 starts for 19 wins, eight placings and stakes of $388,135. He has revealed excellent gate speed to lead and win convincingly at each of his past three starts, rating 1.51.2, 1.51.6 and 1.50.4 over the 1609m journey at Menangle.
At his most recent appearance, in the final of the $50,000 New South Wales Breeders Challenge on October 29, he began out wide at barrier No. 7 and was not pushed in coasting to the front after 100m. He covered the four 400m sections in 26.9sec., 30.2sec., 27.5sec. and 25.8sec. and won by 19.8m from Allstarzzz Frankie, who trailed him all the way.
He was not extended in a heat of the Breeders Challenge, starting from barrier four, getting to the front after 100m and reeling off quarters of 27.9sec., 29.4sec., 27.2sec. and 27.1sec. before winning by two lengths from Allstarzzz Frankie.
However, My Ultimate Ronnie is unlikely to coast to the front on Friday night, according to veteran trainer Mike Reed, who is keen for Hoppys Way to take full advantage of the prized No. 1 barrier.
Hoppys Way, a winner at eleven of his 42 starts, possess sparkling gate speed — which he revealed in the group 3 Four-Year-Old Championship last Friday week when he began out wide at barrier eight and burst to the front after 120m before setting the pace and finishing a close third behind Star Casino and Alcopony. He raced in the breeze before winning over 2130m the previous week.
“Hoppys Way has enough speed to hold up,” said Reed. “When you draw barrier one at Gloucester Park, I don’t see any reason why you should hand up. His run last week was very good, and he should be improved by that effort and is definitely a chance of winning this week.”
Dylan Egerton-Green is confident that the Ray Williams-trained Star Casino will fight out the finish, saying: “It’s a perfect draw for him (the inside of the back line, behind Hoppys Way),” he said.
“I hope to be three back (on the pegs) at the worst. He’s got speed and could be dangerous.”
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is looking forward to Youre So Fine, a winner at eleven of his 20 starts, gaining a good passage after starting from the outside of the back line.
Youre So Fine, trained by Gary Hall Snr, was a most unlucky ninth behind Star Casino last Friday night when he raced three back on the pegs and was hopelessly blocked for a clear run throughout the final lap.
Will Rixon is sure to be hoping that Friday night’s big race will not provide a similar spectacular start to the 1974 Interdominion final when three runners (Haddock, Bret Armagh and Royal Gaze) galloped at the standing start before the 5/2 favourite Just Too Good fell after 100 metres, causing Paleface Adios and Welcome Advice to fall, and Local Product dislodging his driver Fred Kersley Jnr.
Turnbull quickly got Hondo Grattan into third place before moving to the breeze and eventually getting to the front on the home turn and winning by a length from the fast-finishing Adios Victor.
Tony Turnbull, who died aged 91 in May 2021, achieved a special milestone by becoming the first driver to land 2000 winners in Australia when successful with Nintoku at Richmond in April 1987. He retired after driving 2878 winners, and he won the New South Wales drivers’ premiership eleven times.
Rixon will have his first taste of driving at Gloucester Park when he handles the Jocelyn Young-trained gelding Cut N Run in race four, the 2130m Freshest Hits And Throwbacks On Nova Four-Year-Old Classic Consolation.
Cut N Run raced in the breeze and finished second to Flying Rumour in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.