Champion harness racing trainer Gary Hall sen. is out to right a wrong. He is hellbent on breaking through for his first victory in the Memorial Day Stakes which will be run over a sprint journey for the first time at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Hall prepares four of the 12 runners in the $22,500 feature event over 1730m. His main hope is the immature, lightly-raced five-year-old John of Arc, who has drawn awkwardly at barrier six on the front line. His other runners are Zacs Nuggett (No. 3 on the front line), Notabadexcuse (No. 3 on the back line) and Benjamin Banneker (No. 5 on the back line).
John of Arc has won at 12 of his 19 starts, but he had a rare failure last Friday night when he finished fifth, two lengths behind the winner Pacific Warrior in a 2130m event in which the final 800m was covered in a sparkling 56.5sec.
John of Arc was restrained from barrier six and settled down in tenth position before Gary Hall jun. sent him forward from ninth at the bell with a three-wide burst. The gelding went four wide 450m from home before he raced roughly and gave ground on the home turn. Hall explained to the stewards that John of Arc raced roughly when being eased up the track rounding the final bend and as a result he was unable to drive the pacer out as he wished.
John of Arc set the pace and won in effortless fashion over 2130m at his two previous starts, prompting Hall sen. to predict the gelding should develop into a strong candidate for the interdominion championship series to be held in Perth in November-December this year.
Hall sen. is hoping for a change of luck in the Memorial Day Stakes, an event which was first run in 1959 when Ken Ford drove Halt to victory over Noon Quest and Steel Master. He has had many starters and has trained five second placegetters — Zakara (1991), Bengeeman (2003), Patches (2006), Dartmoor (2009) and Whos Mistake (2013) and two thirds — Talk To Me Courage (2010) and Sanjaya (2013).
Toughest for John of Arc to beat on Friday night appear to be Chief Thundercloud, who has drawn perfectly at No. 1 on the front line, and exciting five-year-old Smokey The Bandit, who has struck top form with brilliant wins at his past three starts and should prove hard to beat from the favourable No. 2 barrier.
Chief Thundercloud, trained by Ross Olivieri, resumed after a brief spell in a 2692m mobile event at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon when he was a 6/4 favourite. Chris Lewis restrained the seven-year-old from the wide No. 7 barrier back to the rear before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell. He struggled to make up ground when the third quarter of the final mile was covered in a sparkling 27.5sec. and he was never a realistic possibility, finishing doggedly into seventh place, just over two lengths behind the winner Hes Ritehererightnow.
Earlier in the season Chief Thundercloud had 11 starts for five wins and five seconds. Lewis will be anxious to hold the lead with Chief Thundercloud over the short trip and the gelding could prove hard to catch.
Olivieri has been successful as a trainer in the Memorial Day Stakes with Captain Lee (1995) and Tsunami Lombo (2011), while Lewis has won the race as a reinsman with Village Kid (1985), Elteei (1986), Captain Lee (1995) and Wrongly Accused (2013).
Smokey The Bandit, trained at Busselton by Michael Callegari and driven by Ash Markham, cannot be underestimated after sizzling finishing bursts propelled him to victory at each of his past three starts, twice over 2130m at Gloucester Park and then in the 2100m Manea Classic at Bunbury.
Veteran trainer Tony Svilicich will be represented by nine-year-old Onedin Crusader, who faces a stern test from barrier four on the front line. He has won the race with Mysta Magical Mach (2009) and Wrongly Accused (2013).
Tuapeka Kahu, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is racing with tremendous enthusiasm, but will need plenty of luck from the outside barrier on the front line.
Black colt is Destined To Rule
Baskerville trainer Sonia Zucchiatti is a keen student of breeding and she picked out a striking black colt at the 2014 Gloucester Standardbred yearling sale. Kim Prentice did the bidding and the youngster was knocked down to him for $24,000 on behalf of Zucchiatti, Peter Yewers, Glenn Grant, Michael Ditchfield, Jeff Sarich, Peter Teale, Stephen Bomford, Ian Noble and Henry Lee.
The colt, by American stallion Shadow Play and out of Northern Luck mare Chemical Romance, is named Destined To Rule and he looks one of the main chances in the $100,000 Gloucester Standardbred Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is trained at Baskerville by Zucchiatti and will be driven by Prentice. He will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line in the 1730m classic, but has the class to overcome this disadvantage.
He made an auspicious debut in a qualifying heat of this event on Tuesday of last week when he was a 17/2 chance from the inside of the back line. He was seventh early before Prentice quickly had him poised to strike from the one-out, one-back position. He sprinted home in fine style, burst to the front in the final 50m and won by just under a half-length from the pacemaker Straittothebar at a 1.58.7 rate.
Bred by Steve Johnson, Destined To Rule, has the bloodlines to succeed. His dam Chemical Romance was retired after being unplaced at her three starts as a two-year-old in 2009. But her dam, Ferrari Trunkey, was a champion mare who raced 40 times for 22 wins and seven placings for earnings of $267,527.
Ferrari Trunkey produced eight winners, the best being Trunkey Maseratti, who amassed $273,457 from 22 wins and ten placings from 85 starts. Kevin Keys drove the Jesse Moore-trained Trunkey Maseratti to victory in the 1993 Sales Classic.
Straittothebar should be prominent from the No. 4 barrier on the front line. Trained at Byford by Katja Warwick, he is a full-brother to Straittothehilton, who won the $100,000 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies last June. Warwick has a sound second string in Gangbuster, who is out of former smart mare Hello Boys, a half-sister to former star mare Party Date.
Party Date earned $256,003 from 25 wins and 27 placings from 111 starts. She is the dam of Rocknroll Whitby, one of the fancies in Friday night's race. e will be driven by the in-form Chris Voak.
Rocknroll Whitby
Rocknroll Whitby, who finished second to the speedy Duschka in a qualifying heat, will have admirers from barrier three in the final. The gelding, trained and driven by Callan Suvaljko, was an effortless all-the-way winner at his debut, scoring by almost seven lengths from Soho Central Park at Northam on March 24. In the heat of the Sales Classic he started from the outside of the front line, raced wide early and then in the breeze before fighting on determinedly.
Suvaljko drove Henry T Whitby to victory in the 1998 Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings. Henry T Whitby was trained by Ed Dewar, who bred Rocknroll Whitby with his friend Geoff Groenenberg. Suvaljko won this classic for the second time when Ballas Arockstar was successful in 2009.
If Destined To Rule triumphs on Friday night it will give Kim Prentice his third victory in the event after winning with Fake Embrace in 2004 and Aikido Whitby in 2006.
Chris Lewis has won the classic seven times — with The Vigilante (1995), Saab (1997), Talladega (1999), On Line Brut (2000), Wirrpunda (2001), Lombo Wave Link (2005) and Mister Jadore (2013). He will handle the Ross Olivieri-trained gelding Looking Forclues from the inside of the back line.
Justin Prentice is hoping for better luck with Navy Blues, who will be tested from the outside of the front line. Navy Blues met with severe interference in a qualifying heat before he made up considerable lost ground with a determined three-wide burst to finish a most creditable fourth behind Duscha in a heat. Navy Blues is related to former outstanding performers Black And Blue, Bonnie Blue Eyes and No Blue Manna.
Duscha, a brilliant winner of a qualifying heat, will miss the final, suffering from a leg injury.
Baby She Rocks looks the goods
Baby She Rocks, a $14,000 yearling, is poised to give young Bunbury trainer-reinsman Kaiden Hayter his biggest win in harness racing by overcoming a back line draw and beating her nine rivals in the group 1 $100,000 Gloucester Standardbred Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Baby She Rocks gave a sample of her class when she made the most of the prized No. 1 barrier with an impressive all-the-way victory in a qualifying heat on Tuesday of last week. She covered the final 800m in 59sec. and rated 1.58.7 in beating Trubluwaussie by just under four lengths. That followed her excellent debut at Gloucester Park three weeks earlier when she raced in the one-out, one-back position and finished strongly to be a close second to Dodolicious.
One of her chief rivals is the other heat winner Bettor Bling, who will start from the inside of the back line. Bettor Bling, trained and driven by Callan Suvaljko, also started from the inside of the back line in a qualifying heat when she trailed the pacemaker Mystery Princess before finishing fast to beat that filly by a half-length at a 2.0.4 rate after sprinting the final 400m in 28.4sec.
The prospects of Mystery Princess slumped when she drew the outside of the front line. Trubluwaussie drew more favourably at No. 4 on the front line and she appeals as a good each-way prospect for trainer Mike Beech and reinsman Chris Lewis.
Victory would give Lewis his seventh success in this classic event for fillies, after wins with Miss Booth (1991), Parthenon (1994), Backin A Jiffy (2000), Hindu Sitara (2003), Amongst Royalty (2006) and Fidelius Charm (2008). The race record is held by Trevor Warwick, who was successful with Gold Duchess (1989), Bonnie Blue Eyes (1993), Concorde Lombo (1996), Tailamade Lombo (1997), Lombo Rapida (1998), Lombo Quest (1997) and Nevabend Lombo (2001).
Egerton-Green strikes a purple patch
Young reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has excellent prospects of continuing a wonderful purple patch by winning the Cowden Limited Westbred Pathway Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night with promising five-year-old Aussie Jet.
Aussie Jet, trained at Busselton by Colin Reeves, has drawn ideally at barrier one on the front line of the 2130m event. The gelding has won at each of his past three starts, all at Bunbury when handled by Egerton-Green.
Aussie Jet completed the hat-trick when he started at 10/9, set the pace from the No. 2 barrier and held on gamely to defeat Black N Bettor by a head, rating 1.57.2 over 1609m, with the final 800m taking 55.9sec.
Egerton-Green continued in splendid form with a double at Pinjarra on Monday with 92/1 outsider Free To Air and Moonlight Rockhole (12/1), followed by a win at Narrogin on Tuesday night with 6/1 chance Fifty Hertz.
Aussie Jet, bred and owned by Colin and Sue Reeves, is out of former smart mare Pharosan, who was driven by Mike Reed when she caused an upset by winning the group 1 WA Oaks at Gloucester Park in May 2000, beating hot favourite and brilliant Victorian filly Cornsilk.
The main dangers to Aussie Jet appear to be Intrepidation (a stylish all-the-way Pinjarra winner last Monday week) and Fully Zapped (whose recent form has been excellent).
Cardigan Boko out to make history
Up-and-coming square gaiter Cardigan Boko will create history if he wins the Schweppes Trotters Mobile over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He warmed up for this assignment with a most impressive victory over Earl Harbour and Xenon in a 2100m trot at Bunbury on April 4, when he set the pace dashed over the final quarters in 29.3sec. and 28.9sec. to score by five and a half lengths at a 2.1.6 rate.
A win this week would give Cardigan Boko the distinction of being the first Swedish-bred horse to win a race at Gloucester Park.
Cardigan Boko is trained at Herron by Clive Dalton and will be driven by Chris Lewis. The six-year-old stallion, owned by Neven Botica, has had only 16 starts for nine wins and three seconds. He won at eight of his 14 starts in Victoria before failing at his WA debut at Pinjarra, when he broke twice in running and finished a distant eighth as a 2/1 on favourite behind Balletto. He then redeemed himself with his easy win at Bunbury.
His clash with the in-form Natalie Duffy-trained eight-year-old Hot Holiday should provide an excellent spectacle. Hot Holiday, who will start from the outside of the front line, has worked hard before scoring strong wins at three of his past four starts.
by Ken Casellas