HALLS ON TARGET FOR WINTER CUP HAT-TRICK

The powerful combination of trainer Gary Hall sen. and reinsman Gary Hall jun. is poised to complete a hat-trick of wins in the Easter Cup by scoring with star pacer Im Themightyquinn at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The father-son pairing has scored with odds-on favourites Washakie and Im Themightyquinn in the $35,000 group 3 event in the past two years.

Im Themightyquinn will be a short-priced favourite in this year’s Cup after his magnificent first-up victory at Gloucester Park last Friday week.

The five-year-old (a winner of $689,714 from 17 wins and 18 placings from 51 starts) looks set to become the fourth horse to win the Winter Cup twice. The only others to have achieved this feat in the Winter Cup, which was first run in 1943, have been Mystery Cargo (1986, 1988), Shattering Class (1998-99) and Lookslikelightning (2005 and 2007).

The Halls are the most successful competitors in the Winter Cup. Hall sen. has trained five winners --- Kaydee (whom he drove to victory over Leg Before and Captain Lee in 1994), The Falcon Strike (2003), Iontheball (2006), Washakie (2008) and Im Themightyquinn (2009).

Hall jun. has driven the winner of a Winter Cup four times, his successes coming with The Falcon Strike, Lookslikelightning (2005), Washakie and Im Themightyquinn.

Hall sen. holds a strong hand in this year’s Cup. He will also be represented by Rocket Reign, Alzona and Spirit of Shard.

Im Themightyquinn did not fare well in the random barrier draw and will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in the 2536m event. However, Hall sen. said he was far from dismayed at the awkward draw, declaring that the New Zealand-bred five-year-old was in peak form.

“He’s going sensationally, better than ever,” he said. The only concern he has is that Im Themightyquinn will start behind out-of-form eight-year-old The Final Word, an M1-class pacer who has managed just one placing from his past 20 starts.

Rocket Reign and Alzona warmed up for the Winter Cup in fine style last Friday night when Rocket Reign, at his first start since last December galloped at the stand before dashing to the front 1400m from home and coasting to victory over Alzona and Has The Answers over 2503m.

Alzona worked hard without cover for much of the way and fought on grandly. Has The Answers started from 60m and finished powerfully from the rear.

Has The Answers has drawn ideally at barrier three in Friday night’s Cup and Chris Lewis looks set to attempt an all-the-way win with the Tony Svilicich-trained seven-year-old.

Svilicich will also be represented in the Cup by rank outsiders The Final Word and Next Tiger, veteran pacers he claimed at the Pinjarra meeting on Monday.

He outlaid $5000 to claim The Final Word and $5000 to claim nine-year-old Next Tiger, who has been placed twice from his past 19 starts. In the same claiming race at Pinjarra, Svilicich alsd claimed Roman Trickster, a ten-year-old who has been unplaced at his past 18 starts. Roman Trickster is the emergency runner in Friday’s Cup

He also claimed eight-year-old Aussie Attack for $9500.

Im Themightyquinn is a brilliant pacer, but he will need to be at his top to beat star performers Precious Dylan, Has The Answers and Ima Rocket Star in a race sure to provide thrills aplenty.

 HALL PREFERS FRONTRUNNING MATTNAMARAS BAND

Top-flight reinsman Gary Hall jun. has given punters an important lead by deciding to drive Mattnamaras Band in preference to up-and-coming star Pancho Maguire in the Bundaberg Rum and Cola Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

On the surface it appears a strange decision. Mattnamaras Band has been unplaced at his three starts since resuming from a spell and Pancho Maguire is in superb form with stylish victories at each of his past three starts.

However, Hall was swayed by the fact that Mattnamaras Band will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and Pancho Maguire will start from the outside barrier, No. 9.

Mattnamaras Band, trained at Port Kennedy by Prue Willis, is a smart frontrunner and Hall is certain to attempt an all-the-way win. Mattnamaras Band began speedily from barrier three last Friday night and challenged the polemarker Chica Bonita hard for the lead in the first circuit.

But Chica Bonita maintained the lead and Mattnamaras Band worked hard without cover before eventually getting to the front 420m from home. He wilted to finish seventh, three metres from the winner Gary Bromac.

Hall has driven Pancho Maguire for trainer Michael Brennan eight times for five wins and has a high opinion of the lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old.

Pancho Maguire will be driven by Justin Prentice, who handled the gelding when he set the pace and won by 9m from Surfer Dude over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday week in a race restricted to young drivers.
 
Mattnamaras Band has a losing sequence of 11, but he should appreciate the benefit of dropping back from an M2 class to be classified an M1-class pacer under new regulations which allow M2 and better-class pacers to drop back a class after recording a losing run of ten.

Gary Bromac appreciated a similar drop in classification when he thundered home from last at the 300m mark to snatch victory from Barachias in the race in which Mattnamaras Band finished seventh last Friday night, will start from the No. 8 barrier in Friday night’s 2130m event restricted to M1-class pacers.

Gary Bromac, who returned to an M2 classification after his win last week, is eligible to contest this week’s event because Kyle Harper can claim a concession as a junior driver. 

 EDNA ANNE WINS $100,000 CLASSIC AT ODDS OF 122/1

Temperamental filly Edna Anne caused a major upset at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night when she sustained a powerful burst from the rear to win the $100,000 State Sires Series final for three-year-old fillies from Sheeza Cougar and So Not Blonde.

Driven by Nigel Johns, the Northern Luck filly paid odds of 122/1 on the tote to give Pinjarra trainer Hayden Reeves his biggest success in harness racing.

Edna Anne started from the outside barrier and Johns settled her down in 11th position with 3/1 second favourite Key Question tailed off after galloping in the score-up.

Grant Williams sent the heavily-supported 6/4 favourite Mizuno to the lead after 500m and she looked the likely winner when she led from Centrefold Angel in the breeze at the bell.

But she was unable to hold out Edna Anne, who started a three-wide move from the rear 1100m from home. Edna Anne got her head in front of Mizuno with 300m to travel and she drew clear on the turn and then held off the fast-finishing pair of Sheeza Cougar and So Not Blonde, with Mizuno fading to fourth.

Reeves, who races the filly on lease from his father Colin (who bred Edna Anne), said that he felt sick throughout the race, explaining that Edna Anne was an unreliable pacer.

“She is an absolute nightmare to train and every stride she stays in her gear is just a blessing,” he said.

The $100,000 State Sires Series final for two-year-old fillies also went to a rank outsider, with Reon Tither driving the John Graham-trained Jessie Power to a last-stride victory over the pacemaker Sweet Charlee (5/2) and the 6/4 favourite Miss Baypoint.

Jessie Power, who trailed Sweet Charlee all the way, paid odds of 79/1 on the tote.

The $100,000 finals for colts went to the Maree Bonnett-trained Nic Nak Nero and the Chris Brew-trained The Feather Foot.

Nic Nak Nero started at 6/1 and was driven by Aaron Beckett when he finished strongly from ninth at the bell to easily beat the 10/9 on favourite Touch of Tango in the final for two-year-olds.

The Feather Foot started at 11/2 and was driven by Brew to a head victory over Erris Lad in the three-year-old leg. The Feather Foot led early before Brew took the trail behind Thomas With Steam 600m after the start.

The Feather Foot dashed forward to head off Thomas With Steam 375m from home before Tommy Sheehy sent Erris Lad to a narrow lead 40m from the post. But The Feather Foot fought back grimly to regain the lead right on the line.

 ADVANCE ATTACK READY TO MAKE HIS WA DEBUT

Memories of champion New Zealand pacer Courage Under Fire will be revived at Gloucester Park in the coming weeks when his full-brother Advance Attack makes his West Australian debut.

The eight-year-old Advance Attack has been purchased by Mark Congerton to stand at stud in WA. But he will resume his racing career soon before taking up his stud duties.

Advance Attack arrived at the Hazlemere stables of Gary Hall sen. a couple of months ago and made his first public appearance in this State when Gary Hall jun. drove him to an easy victory in a 2550m standing-start trial at Byford on Sunday.

He dashed over the final 800m in 58.5sec. and won by 4m from Gransagenic.

Advance Attack has not raced since he sprinted the final 800m in 56.7sec. and rated 1.57.2 in winning a C7-C12-class 1609m event on the gold coast on April 23 this year.

He won at each of his first seven starts as a two-year-old in New Zealand and won another three races in New Zealand as a three-year-old before continuing his career in Australia where he has won five races in New South Wales, eight in Victoria, two in Queensland and three in Tasmania.

He boasts an impressive record of 85 starts for 28 wins and 12 placings for stakes of $405,630. His Australian victories include the group 2 $50,000 Horsham Cup in January 2008, the Hamilton Cup in 2007 and 2008 and the 2007 Wangaratta Cup.

Courage Under Fire, now a highly-successful sire, raced 56 times for 41 wins, four placings and stakes of $1,485,629. He took Australia by storm in 1999 when he won the Queensland, New South Wales, Victorian and Australian Derbies. His other major Australian victory was in the $100,000 South Australian Cup at Globe Derby Park in January 2001.