Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
The outstanding combination of trainer Gary Hall Snr and reinsman Gary Hall Jnr are looking forward with plenty of confidence to the $200,000 WA Derby on November 4 with the highly-promising Smart Watch.
The New Zealand-bred Smart Watch, a colt by American sire Hes Watching, impressed with the ease of his victory in the 2130m 7News Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the $1.70 favourite who started from barrier two and dashed past the polemarker and last-start winner Linebacker to take the lead after 250m before covering the first 800m of the final mile in a comfortable 60.7sec. and then sprinting over the final 400m sections in 27.9sec. and 28.2sec. to beat Linebacker by seven metres at a 1.56.3 rate.
This followed his successful West Australian debut three days earlier when he scored an effortless runaway victory over Mancave at a 1.57.7 rate.
Street Hawk, a highly-regarded New Zealand-bred gelding by Bettors Delight in the stables of Greg and Skye Bond went into Friday night’s event as the winner at seven of his eleven starts, including wins at his five previous outings.
He was a $3 chance from out wide at barrier eight, with Ryan Warwick sending him forward early to race in the breeze. He battled on gamely to finish fourth.
“Smart Watch is a Derby hope,” said Hall Jnr. “But you never know what you’ve got with him. He has never really got his mind on the job until late in the race. Tonight, he got out of the gate better than he did on Tuesday, and won easily, even though it wasn’t ideal having to back up so quickly after Tuesday’s race.
“Smart Watch had the advantage of leading, but he handled Street Hawk pretty comfortably.”