PRENTICE SCALES THE HEIGHTS WITH FIVE WINNERS

“It’s been an incredible couple of weeks,” declared Boyanup horseman Kim Prentice after driving superbly to land five winners at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The only blemish in a fabulous night came in race seven when Striking Albert reared high as the field was released and crashed into Im Grant Lea, sending Prentice sprawling to the track.

The 49-year-old Prentice has probably set a WA record in winning eight races from nine drives in the space of eight days, with the only failure being Im Grant Lea, who did not cover even one metre before being knocked out of the race on Friday night.

Prentice now sits in second place on the metropolitan drivers’ premiership, with nine winners, two seconds and a fourth from only 13 drives. Leading the way is Chris Lewis, with 15 wins, 12 seconds, ten thirds and seven fourths from 76 drives.

Prentice had three drives for three winners at Gloucester Park last Friday week before he thrilled harness racing fans with a masterly exhibition of driving on Friday night.

The highlight was his surprise success with 22/1 chance Albert Jaccka in the $35,000 FHRC Members Sprint. Prentice produced one of the finest performances in the sulky I have seen in 55 years of watching races at Gloucester Park to score a narrow victory over superstar Has The Answers.

Albert Jaccka, trained by Gary Hall sen., started from the outside of the back line of three runners and Prentice watched Has The Answers like a hawk as the mobile barrier released the field for the 1730m sprint.     

At the very instant the field was released Chris Lewis restrained Has The Answers (who had drawn the inside of the back line) and immediately moved the eight-year-old into the one-wide line. Prentice pulled the left rein to manoeuvre Albert Jaccka behind Has The Answers.

From then on Prentice shadowed Has The Answers every inch of the way. Polemarker and 100/1 chance Governor Art led for the first 50m before Real Life assumed control. Then Colin Brown sent the 10/9 on favourite Motu Treasure to the front after 400m, and Real Life sat behind the leader for the next 300m before Shannon Suvaljko eased him off the pegs to work in the breeze.

Lewis started a three-wide move with Has The Answers at the 950m mark and immediately Prentice moved Albert Jaccka behind the champion.

Has The Answers was fifth at the bell, with Albert Jaccka breathing down his driver’s neck in eighth position. Real Life took a narrow lead 350m from home and moved a length clear with 120m to travel. Prentice switched Albert Jaccka four wide at the 250m mark and the Victorian-bred eight-year-old charged home to hit the front in the final stages to score by a metre from Has The Answers, with Real Life a metre away in third place. Motu Treasure wilted to ninth.

The first 400m of the final mile was covered in a blistering 27.5sec. before Motu Treasure went through the next 400m in 31.5sec. The final two sectionals were covered in 28.4sec. and 28.3sec. and Albert Jaccka rated 1.54.6 to equal the race record set by Sneakyn Down Under 12 months earlier.

Prentice revealed that his tactics in following Has The Answers was his Plan A and he was happy that everything went according to plan.

“I had that as Plan A, but I didn’t honestly think the horse could get over Has The Answers on that horse’s form over a mile,” Prentice said. “I thought he would struggle to get over him, so it’s full credit to him.

“He’s definitely a carnival hope in the summer. He’s s super little horse. There’s nothing of him, but he’s all heart. He’s a good stand horse and now he’s proved he’s a good sprinter as well.

“And credit is due to Gary. I didn’t think he’d get him up this week because the previous week he felt a tiny bit flat. But Gary had him spot on and the horse felt better this week than he did a week earlier.”

Albert Jaccka now has won at six of his 11 starts in WA and has a career record of 111 starts for 21 wins and 40 placings for stakes of $219,278.

Prentice also was successful on Friday night with Hall-trained runners Im Tim Kelly and Lukcon Lad and with My Sound of Thunder and Sea Gale, pacers he trains at his Boyanup establishment.

 MY SOUND OF THUNDER SMASHES STATE RECORD

New Zealand-bred six-year-old My Sound of Thunder, who suffers from a serious arthritic problem, smashed the State record for 2503m when he outclassed his rivals in the FHRC Life Members Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

It was the high-priced gelding’s second win from two starts since resuming after an absence of just over ten months.

My Sound of Thunder was suffering from very bad arthritis when he arrived in WA last year and he suffered further damage to a fetlock at his WA debut when he finished solidly to be third to Schinzig Buller in the Narrogin Cup last November. That required an operation, followed by a lengthy break.

Kim Prentice, who trains My Sound of Thunder at Boyanup for owners Robert Watson and Joe Iemma, said that if the gelding had four good legs he would be more than competitive in major events at the coming summer carnival.

“Outside of Baltic Eagle and Big Town Walton, he’s the equal of anything I’ve had,” Prentice said. “When he gets up in better-class races and he can be the horse sitting back and running on, he’ll go really well.”

My Sound of Thunder was favourite at 10/9 on Friday night and Prentice got him away beautifully from the 10m mark to land in the one-out, one-back position, with Maximum Demand setting the pace and Big Jedd in the breeze.

When Mevagissey was surging forward, three wide, approaching the bell, Prentice switched My Sound of Thunder three wide and the gelding burst to the front with 430m to travel before going on to win by two and a half lengths from Mevagissey, with Maximum Demand holding on to finish third.

My Sound of Thunder, who sprinted the final 800m in a sparkling 56.2sec., now has earned $22,350 from his two wins and a third placing from three WA starts to take his career record to 33 starts for 11 wins and 11 placings for earnings of $124,356.

 SEA GALE BOWS OUT AS A WINNER

Honest mare Sea Gale ended a losing sequence of 14 and bowed out a winner when she set the pace and won the FHRC Members Social Outings Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“She’ll be retired immediately and sent to stud,” said Boyanup trainer Kim Prentice after Sea Gale had won by a length and a half from Miss Peggy Sue, who finished fast along the pegs. Machine Gun Bonnie, last at the bell in the field of eight, rattled home out wide to be third, just ahead of Sisters Keeper.

Sea Gale’s victory ended a night to remember for Prentice, who ended the ten-event program by driving five winners.

Sea Gale, bred by Dr Ern Manea’s Marden Pacing Stud, is a seven-year-old by American stallion Chairmanoftheboard and is the first foal out of the unraced Judge Hanover mare Just Samantha.

She finished second to Dusty Rose in the $100,000 group 1 State Sires Series final for three-year-old fillies in June 2007 and retires with a record of 60 starts for seven wins, 17 placings and stakes of $107,584.

Sea Gale, a 13/4 chance, was beaten out by Miss Azooma from behind the mobile barrier, but Prentice drove her hard to retain the lead and leave Miss Azooma in the breeze. Operative Star, favourite at 2/1, was a disappointment. She raced in fifth place and pulled hard before starting a three-wide run approaching the bell. However, she failed to run on and finished last.

 PRENTICE PREDICTS BRIGHT FUTURE FOR IM TIM KELLY

Kim Prentice predicted a bright future for lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old Im Tim Kelly after driving him to a narrow win in the FHRC Membership Package Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Favourtite at 2/1 on, the Gary Hall-trained Im Tim Kelly settled in ninth position after starting out wide at barrier eight. Polemarker Irish O’Neill set the pace and withstood a spirited early challenge from Scruncher.

Prentice began a three-wide move with Im Tim Kelly after a lap and the gelding moved to third (three wide) at the bell before Scruncher assumed control 650m from home.

Im Tim Kelly got to the front with 270m to travel and Prentice had to drive him hard to get home by a head from 47/1 outsider Jayares Lad, who enjoyed the run of the race behind the pacemaker Irish O’Neill before finishing fast. Im Tim Kelly held on to win by a head, with Alby Albert fighting on from sixth at the bell to be third.

Im Tim Kelly, a winner of three races in New Zealand, is raced by the Trotsynd syndicate, headed by Des Parr, and he has impressed at his six WA starts which have produced five wins and a second placing to boost his career record to 31 starts for eight wins, eight placings and $52,761 in stakes.

“I really think he’ll be a better horse in 12 months,” Prentice said. “When he arrived here from New Zealand, Gary had a lot of problems in gaiting him. He still doesn’t feel 100 per cent in his gait.

“There’s no doubting the size of his motor. He’s got one hell of a motor there and I think once he moves up in the grades and doesn’t have to do as much work as he is doing, I think he will definitely go a long way.

“Half way down the home straight I thought he was going to be beaten. When he hit the front he just nodded off a little bit. But he was holding Jayares Lad on the line and, if anything, was going away from him.”

Thirty minutes after Im Tim Kelly’s victory, Prentice and Hall combined to win the FHRC Members Jackpot Pace with 3/1 chance Lukcon Lad.

Prentice was seen at his best to get Lukcon Lad home a half-head winner over 6/4 favourite Hirli Birli Lombo.

Lukcon Lad started from the No. 1 barrier in the 2536m mobile event and was surprisingly beaten for pace and settled down locked away on the pegs in the middle of the field.   

Calcutta Money led early and after 500m the well-fancied Hillview Storm broke and other runners were checked when Toallagoodknight was restrained in the breeze. Subsequently Vance Stampalia was fined $200 for abruptly reducing the speed.

Callan Suvaljko sent Serial Pest to the front after 600m and Hirli Birli Lombo was forced to race without cover before Chris Lewis sent him to the front with 400m to travel. It was then that Prentice was able to extricate Lukcon Lad from a seemingly hopeless pocket on the pegs.

Lukcon Lad went three wide at the 300m mark and finished powerfully to hit the front in the final 25m and win by a half-head from Hirli Birli Lombo, rating 1.58.4.

Prentice, who was driving Lukcon Lad for the first time, said that the plan was to lead. “If he had had a head check I think he would have led,” Prentice said. “But because he didn’t have a head check he bobbed his head twice and half got rocky in his gear. But, in the long run, I’m glad he didn’t lead.”

Lukcon Lad, a five-year-old by Artiscape, has earned $82,355 from his ten wins and nine placings from 44 starts.

 GRINJARO SET FOR RICH FEATURE EVENTS

Grinjaro is emerging as one of the State’s best four-year-olds and he will be set for several feature events in the coming summer months.

He gave an impressive frontrunning display to score a runaway victory in the 2130m FHRC New Members Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Driven fore the second time in a race by Shannon Suvaljko, Grinjaro was a raging hot $1.04 favourite on the tote and he sprinted the final 800m in 56.8sec. to win by three and a half lengths from Falcons Medley. His rate of 1.56 was not far outside the track record of 1.55.7 recorded by Has The Answers late last May.

Wanneroo owner-trainer Ken White has the speedy Grinfromeartoear horse in wonderful shape to contest rich feature events at Gloucester Park in the next couple of months. They include the $50,000 Four-Year-Old Championship on November 19, the $175,000 Golden Nugget Championship on November 26 and the $125,000 McInerney Ford Classic on December 3.

Outsider Jack Cantell was smartest into stride from barrier seven and Nathan Turvey made a bold bid for the early lead. Jack Cantell got a length in front of polemarker Grinjaro after 150m, but was unable to cross to the front.

Colin Brown then sent Falcons Medley forward to work in the breeze, thus giving Jack Cantell an ideal passage, one-out and one-back. Jack Cantell fought on doggedly to be third.

Grinjaro now has had 29 starts for 11 wins and seven placings for stakes of $134,084. He is out of New Zealand-bred mare Melrose Place, who has produced other winners in Fletcher Christian (ten wins and $58,746), Forty Two Grand (15 wins and $119,212), Barry Brock (four wins and $23,604) and Bonny Patricia (two wins and $45,695).

 GEORGE DRIVES PERFECT RACE BEHIND IN THE FORCE

Trainer Greg Bond’s decision to receive a let-up for talented pacer In The Force paid handsome dividends at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the Christian Cullen five-year-old stormed to an easy victory in the FHRC Members Annual Trophy Race Fund Pace.

In The Force was driven expertly by claiming reinsman Michael George and the gelding tracked his chief rival Mr Clancy for the first 1600m before starting a three-wide move 950m from home, bursting to the front with 250m to travel and racing away to win the 2536m event by 13m from Mr Clancy.

In The Force went into the race as an M3-class pacer, but with George’s claim was able to contest the M1-M2-class event.

“He’s back to his best,” said George after In The Force, the 2009 WA Derby winner, had scored in effortless fashion as the 2/1 favourite. This boosted the Christian Cullen five-year-old’s record to 48 starts for 14 wins and 16 placings for stakes of $285,355. The gelding has had 37 starts in WA for 13 wins and 12 placings.

Mr Clancy, second favourite at 5/2, got to the front with 430m to travel, but was swamped by In The Force. It was Mr Clancy’s sixth successive minor placing and he will pay to follow.

On All Fours caught the eye when he finished solidly from tenth at the bell to be fifth.

 JORDANGARRY KEEPS UP THE GOOD WORK

Victorian-bred six-year-old Jordangarry maintained his wonderful form and ended a sequence of five minor placings when Chris Lewis drove him to a brilliant all-the-way victory in the FHRC President and Committee Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Produced in top condition by Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri, Jordangarry was a solidly-supported 7/4 favourite in an event in which most pundits considered would develop into a match between Pancho Maguire and Truckers Ruffnut.

Pancho Maguire, aiming for four wins in a row, started at 3/1 and Truckers Ruffnut, an easy winner at his two previous outings, was a 2/1 chance.

Lewis got Jordangarry away to a flying start from barrier one while Im Grant Lea was knocked out of the race when Striking Albert reared high at the start and slewed into Im Grant Lea, sending Kim Prentice tumbling to the track.

Kevin Keys, obviously unhappy at Striking Albert’s erratic behaviour at the start, gave the veteran gelding a solid crack with the whip soon after the start and the stewards fined him $400 for his actions.

Pancho Maguire, driven by visiting Victorian horseman Daniel Jack, started from 10m and Truckers Ruffnut (Colin Brown) from the back mark of 20m.

Brown was first to move, sending Truckers Ruffnut forward, three wide, 550m after the start. Jack responded by leaving the one-wide line and taking off, three wide, in front of Truckers Ruffnut.

Pancho Maguire dashed forward to work outside the pacemaking Jordangarry, and this left Truckers Ruffnut out on a limb in third place, tramping three wide. Both pacers wilted after their hard runs, with Pancho Maguire finishing sixth and Truckers Ruffnut in eighth place.

Jordangarry has had 17 starts in WA for Olivieri and Lewis for seven wins and seven placings for an overall record of nine wins, 11 placings and stakes of $63,812 from 57 starts.

 TEENAGER AIDEN de CAMPO IS MAKING HIS MARK

Eighteen-year-old Aiden de Campo landed his second metropolitan-class winner when he rated hot favourite Clancy Maguire perfectly in front to win the FHRC Join The Club Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Clancy Maguire’s win gave 24-year-old Capel trainer Ryan Bell the first leg of a double. He was also successful with Jade Bromac in the McInerney Ford Fantastic Fiesta Promotion Pace.

De Campo’s previous city-class winner was the Bell-trained Greyhawk, who finished fast to beat Aussie Reactor on August 27. De Campo now has had 156 drives for 22 wins and 29 placings.

Clancy Maguire took the lead 150m after the start and de Campo rated him perfectly before the New Zealand-bred five-year-old sprinted the final 800m in 56.6sec. to win by 8m from Lombo Air Express (Chris Lewis), with Keep Celebrating (Donald Harper) a battling third.

Clancy Maguire, by Badlands Hanover, won six times from 40 New Zealand starts and now has had five starts in WA for four wins and a second placing.

Bell completed his double when Lewis drove Jade Bromac (13/4) to victory over 7/4 on favourite Key Question in the ninth event. This also gave Lewis a double. He had won with Jordangarry in an earlier race.

Luminescence (Tom Buchanan) set the pace after withstanding a strong challenge from Jade Bromac 450m after the start. With Jade Bromac in the breeze, Key Question (Colin Brown) was stranded, out three wide in third place.

Jade Bromac worked her way to the front 100m from home and she held on to beat the determined Key Question by a half-length at a 1.58.7 rate over 1730m.

Jade Bromac, who was making her third Gloucester Park appearance, has had 18 starts for four wins, six placings and $28,427.