If the old adage there are no certainties in harness racing was ever in question, then last nights $300,000 Fremantle Pacing Cup is surely one of the better candidates to prove the saying is right on the money.
After declaring Lazarus unbeatable in the race, driver Mark Purdon was forced to sit three wide the entire race outside the leaders, eventually going down by a narrow margin in what was a herculean performance by the kiwi champion. This was probably one of the greatest performances ever seen at Gloucester Park.
Trainer Gary Hall Snr had three horses in the race and rated Chicago Bull the best of them. He was not mincing his words before the race declaring Lazarus would not get his own way.
“Going forward, that’s the plan,” Hall Snr said..
"Chicago Bull will go forward and if Bettors Fire (barrier one) doesn’t hand up, we will keep the breeze and keep Lazarus three wide when he comes", he said.
“Everyone has got Lazarus past the post and If we just let him go to the breeze, the race will develop into a walk with a sprint home and Chicago Bull can’t win then. We can’t make it easy for Lazarus. My owners don’t want to make it easy for him. I think Chicago Bull can win, but he will need a lot of luck."
Those words came to fruition last night and another Gary Hall Snr trained runner My Hard Copy who sat on the back of Lazarus stormed home to win the cup by a head.
My Hard Copy driven by Clinton Hall became the 11th millionaire produced in the world for the stallion American Ideal.
Lazarus was monstrous in defeat and Chicago Bull was good also. He posted Lazarus out three wide and stuck on bravely for third.
Ultimate Machete could be considered unlucky sitting in the 1×1 behind Chicago Bull but getting room too late for driver Natalie Rasmussen and running home up the inside for fourth. He was examined by the vet and stood down immediately after the race.
Harnesslink Media
My Hard Copy – Fremantle Cup
5 | 7:44pm | RETRAVISION FREMANTLE PACING CUP MS PACE (SKY 1) | 2536M |
$300,000 M0 Or Better. RBD. Mobile | Results |
Pl | Horse | Prize- money |
Row & Br |
TAB # |
Trainer | Driver (C = Concession) |
Mgn (m) |
Starting odds |
Stewards' Comments |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | MY HARD COPY NZ | Fr6 | 6 | Gary Hall Snr | Clinton Hall | $ 53.80 | COTFB PRBT RAS W2 3WMLT SWAB | ||||
BAY HORSE 8 by AMERICAN IDEAL USA out of READALLABOUTIT (NZ) (PRESIDENTIAL BALL USA) Owner(s): S K Chapman, C Chapman, D Chapman Breeder(s): Woodlands Stud Ltd |
|||||||||||
2 | LAZARUS NZ | Fr5 | 5 | Mark Purdon | Mark Purdon | HD | $ 1.30 fav | PRBT GS RW SCT W1 SWAB | |||
3 | CHICAGO BULL NZ | Fr4 | 4 | Gary Hall Snr | Gary Hall Jnr | 2.50 | $ 9.20 | PRBT GS 3WE L1W 2 SWAB | |||
4 | ULTIMATE MACHETE NZ | Fr2 | 2 | Mark Purdon | Natalie Rasmussen | 4.50 | $ 6.20 | PRBT GS L1W OTE CTS C RR 4 VXAR CR SDVC | |||
5 | SOHO TRIBECA | Fr9 | 9 | Bryan Cousins | Kim Prentice | 8.00 | $ 24.90 | PRBT GS W3 3WMLT | |||
6 | VULTAN TIN | Fr3 | 3 | Phil Costello | Chris Voak | 9.80 | $ 73.70 | PRBT 6 | |||
7 | DEVENDRA | Sr1 | 10 | Todd Rattray | Nathan Turvey | 12.40 | $ 60.00 | PRBT 3 | |||
8 | OHOKA PUNTER NZ | Fr7 | 7 | Gary Hall Snr | Stuart McDonald | 13.60 | $ 208.20 | PRBT RAS 8 | |||
9 | THE BUCKET LIST NZ | Sr2 | 11 | Michael Brennan | Michael Grantham | 14.90 | $ 39.40 | PRBT 5 | |||
10 | MOTU PREMIER NZ | Sr3 | 12 | Ross Olivieri | Chris Lewis | 16.20 | $ 99.70 | PRBT 7 | |||
11 | GALACTIC STAR NZ | Fr8 | 8 | Skye Bond | Ryan Warwick | 17.40 | $ 228.00 | PRBT RAS W4 | |||
12 | BETTORS FIRE NZ | Fr1 | 1 | Kyle Harper | Kyle Harper | 19.20 | $ 22.00 | PRBT GS L 1 |
Scratchings | |
---|---|
RUN ONEOVER NZ | 13 |
ZACH MAGUIRE NZ | 14 |
Track Rating: GOOD | Gross Time: 3:01:8 | Mile Rate: 1:55:4 | Lead Time: 66.5 |
First Quarter: 29 | Second Quarter: 29.8 | Third Quarter: 28.5 | Fourth Quarter: 28 |
Margins: HD x 1.9m |