Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Eight-year-old veteran pacer Wildwest is in the best form of his illustrious career and is ready for another tilt at the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on November 8.
That’s the opinion of champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr after he had driven Wildwest to a notable victory over Steel The Show and Diego in the $31,000 Hoist Solutions Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The win boosted the New Zealand-bred Wildwest’s record to 57 starts for 17 wins and eleven placings for stakes of $603,442, a handsome return for his part-owners who outlaid $120,000 to buy the pacer in July 2019 after he had raced only once in New Zealand for a 12-length win as a three-year-old against older horses in a 2400m stand at Winton on May 11, 2019.
Wildwest won at his first seven starts in Western Australia before his form deteriorated. He burst back into the limelight when he gained a freak inside run to snatch victory over Miracle Moose, Chicago Bull and Magnificent Storm in the WA Pacing Cup in February 2022.
He is now racing with youthful enthusiasm, with his past four starts producing seconds to Finvarra and Diego and wins over Jumpingjackmac and Steel The Show.
“I think he is now better than he has ever been,” said Hall Jnr. “He is more consistent than when he won the Pacing Cup. He has matured lately and is in career-best form.
“Wildwest was always a nice young horse but then he started all that hanging nonsense, and he wasn’t very tractable and lost weight easily. Now he’s holding his condition and is worthy of being set for the Pacing Cup.”
Wildwest was a $6.40 chance from barrier No. 5 in Friday night’s 2130m Free-For-All in which Jumpingjackmac was the $2.70 favourite and Steel The Show ($3.50) and Diego ($3.10) were strongly fancied.
Hampton Banner ($41) revealed his customary gate speed to set the pace, with Jumpingjackmac replacing Diego after 550m in the breeze and Wildwest settling down in fifth position, three back on the pegs.
Diego got to a narrow lead on the home turn but was unable to hold out the fast-finishing Wildwest and Steel The Show, with Wildwest gaining the verdict by a neck over Steel The Show. The final three 400m sections were all run in 28.7sec. and Wildwest rated 1.54.9 over 2130m.