Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Astute Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Shane Young has high hopes he can emulate the performance of his twin Kim and win the $75,000 Direct Trades Supply Empress Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will drive outstanding four-year-old Wonderful To Fly, who will start from the inside of the back line in the 2536m group 2 classic for mares.
Kim Young trained and drove four-year-old Ruby Dazzler when she started from the inside of the back line in the 2009 Empress Stakes. Rubby Dazzler trailed the pacemaker Nowuseeme before getting clear in the home straight and winning from the pacemaker and the fast-finishing favourite Amongst Royalty.
Wonderful To Fly resumed after a five-month absence in grand style last Friday night when she dashed to the front from the No. 4 barrier and set the pace for the first 950m before Nevermindthechaos took up the running in the 2130m event.
Wonderful To Fly enjoyed racing with a sit before Young sent her to the front in the final 40 metres to win by a half-length from Nevermindthechaos.
“I’ll have plenty of options this week,” said Young. “The polemarker Simply Shaz showed good gate speed in that race last week, and I’ll see what transpires this week when determining my tactics.
“Wonderful To Fly has done well since her first-up win and the extra distance of 2536m this week won’t worry her. As a three-year-old she won over that distance at Gloucester Park and won the 2569m Country Oaks at Bunbury.”
When Kim Young won the Empress Stakes, Ruby Dazzler beat Nowuseeme, who was driven by Gary Hall Jnr, who will drive the brilliant five-year-old Nevermindthechaos on Friday night.
Mundijong trainer Michael Young (unrelated to Shane and Kim Young) is bitterly disappointed that Nevermindthechaos (whose 31 starts have produced 12 wins and ten placings) has drawn the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
“Nevermindthechaos has never drawn the No. 1 barrier, and this will be her 14TH run in a row without drawing inside barrier five,” he lamented.
“She probably will have a hard run, and I’ll leave the tactics up to Junior. The distance of the race probably gives her a chance from the terrible draw. She pulled pretty hard in last week’s race, but I was very happy with her run. She ran a fast time on a slow track and was just beaten.”
Hall will be looking to winning the Empress Stakes for the fourth time, following his successes with Aussie Made Lombo (2013), The Parade (2017) and Bettor Get It On (2022) — when she was a $7.60 chance from barrier one, set the pace and beat the $1.95 favourite Savvy Bromac and the $31 outsider My Prayer, who was driven by Jocelyn Young and charged home from tenth at the bell.
Jocelyn Young, Kim Young’s elder daughter, has excellent prospects in Friday night’s race in which she trains and drives The Amber Hare, who notched her eleventh win from 27 starts when she set the pace and beat Misstiano and Nevermindthechaos over 2536m three Fridays ago. The Amber Hare will start out wide at barrier seven, and Young is likely to seriously consider making a bold bid for the early lead.
Chris Lewis, who has won the Empress Stakes a record eight times — scoring with Candy Nacray (1988), Armbro Lucy (1992), Meggie Dear (2001), Classical Mover (2002), Shes Royalty (2007), Ima Spicey Lombo (2011) and Sensational Gabby (2014 and 2015) — will handle the smart Barry Howlett-trained Three Rumours, who will start out wide at barrier No. 8.
Three Rumours warmed up for the Empress Stakes with a stylish all-the-way victory over Nevermindthechaos and Sheez Our Hope in the 1684m Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra last Monday week. She rated 1.54.9 after final quarters of 28.3sec. and 27.2sec.
“This is the race you don’t want to draw badly,” said Lewis. “The only redeeming feature is that it is 2500 metres, which may help if things go a bit crazy. She is going extremely well, and it’s a pity she has drawn out there.”
Pinjarra trainer Mike Cornwall has brought Sheez Our Hope back after a spell in excellent condition, and Aldo Cortopassi should have the seven-year-old well and truly in the firring line after starting from the No. 2 barrier on the back line.
Trent Wheeler is looking forward to driving the Peter Anderson-trained five-year-old Simply Shaz from the favourable No. 1 barrier. Her gate speed is improving and Wheeler will be keen to get to an early lead before determining his tactics.