Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Five-year-old Whatabro has struck a purple patch, and he followed his easy all-the-way win a week earlier with another stylish frontrunning display to notch a splendid victory in the $20,375 Summit Bloodstock Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Dylan Egerton-Green again took full advantage of the coveted No. 1 barrier to win the start and defy early challenges from Theo Aviator and Stamford before dictating terms after a smart lead time of 36.6sec.
This was followed by quarters of 30.8sec. and 30.1sec. before Whatabro gave his rivals little hope by dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 28.8sec. to win at a 1.56.9 rate over 2130m.
“He is going great,” said trainer Michael Brennan. “Obviously, barrier one helps a bit, but tonight I thought it was a big step up in grade, and he handled it with aplomb.
“He has really turned the corner in the past month or so. The work that the girls have done at home has been phenomenal, and they deserve all the credit. Whatabro, a winner of 18 races in South Australia, now has won six times from 38 starts in WA for Brennan, and he boasts a fine record of 109 starts for 24 wins, 39 placings and $177,274.
South Australian horseman Darren Billinger sent Whatabro to Brennan after the gelding had graduated to Free-For-All company. In 2018 Billinger sent Whenmechief and Futurist to Brennan when Futurist won an $18,000 Gloucester Park event and Whenmechief won two $22,000 races.
Whatabro is by Canadian sire Four Starzzz Shark and is out of the What’s Next mare Whatacorka, who earned just $7797 from three wins and 11 placings from 28 starts. Whatabro’s half-brother Come On Frank won the Group 1 Four-Year-Old Super Sires Series final at Melton in May 2012 and retired with earnings of $404,650 from 61 wins and 38 placings from 130 starts.