Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Champion reinsman Gary Hall’s declaration that Plutonium was the State’s most improved pacer gained further impetus when Maddison Brown drove the New Zealand-bred six-year-old to an effortless victory in the 2130m Follow The Stars Producing Winners Week In Week Out Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Plutonium was the third fancy at $4.40 from the outside barrier in the field of eight and Brown drove him like the best horse in the race when she dashed him forward, three wide, from the rear with a fast move to assume the breeze position outside the pacemaker Don’t Bother Me None ($3.30) 750m after the start.
Brown pulled the plugs 130m from the finish and Plutonium charged to the front 20m later before racing away to win by just under two lengths from $71 outsider Alta Rhett, with Don’t Bother Me None a close third.
Plutonium won once from nine New Zealand starts before winning at two of his five starts in South Australia and at all three of his appearances in Victoria. He then made a successful WA debut, winning at Pinjarra in March 2021. But he was unplaced at his next 13 starts before breaking through for a win at Gloucester Park in July last year.
He then bowed a tendon and was out of action for 13 months. Now, in a remarkable return to racing for trainer Michael Young, Plutonium has had seven starts in his current campaign for six wins and a third placing to take his WA record to 22 starts for eight wins and six placings.
“He’s flying, with six wins from seven starts since he has come back, with a Group 2 amongst them,” said Young. “And it’s not that he’s been performing in bad fields. He’s doing it the hard way.
“Maddison put him in the race tonight when the time was right. After one more win, he will be in Free-For-All company, and with the times he’s running he should measure up. He certainly won’t disgrace himself.”