Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
South Australian-bred gelding Rolling Fire maintained his steady progress towards the $200,000 WA Derby on November 3 when he extended his winning sequence to four with a commanding victory in the 2536m SEFS Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Justin Prentice-trained gelding was the $2.30 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of seven, and Gary Hall Jnr was content to keep him in last position in the Indian file affair, with the $2.80 second fancy Rocket City setting a solid pace.
Hall sent Rolling Fire forward 1350m from home and the gelding quickly moved to the breeze and finally surged to the front with 120m to travel. He won comfortably by almost two lengths from Rocket City after final 400m, sections of 27.8sec. and 29.1sec.
“Rolling Fire is very lazy and laid back,” said Hall. “I thought I would go forward and put some pressure on the leader from the 1200m. I didn’t expect the back straight quarter in the last lap to be that quick, and then he was still able to finish strongly.
“He is a very nice horse and was terrific tonight. I still can’t believe how he was beaten at his final run in his previous preparation (when a head second to Sorridere in a heat of the Pearl Classic for three-year-olds in May).”
Prentice looks set to hold a strong hand in the WA Derby, with Rolling Fire and Never Ending, who is unbeaten from nine starts, including three Group 1 events as a two-year-old and the Group 3 Pearl from his most recent appearance on May 26 this year. “Never Ending will have a trial next week,” said Prentice.