ARMA XCEPTIONAL SPOT ON FOR GOLD BRACELET

Shannon Suvaljko has high hopes of keeping the family flag flying by driving smart filly Arma Xceptional to victory in the $35,000 Alabar Gold Bracelet at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His younger brother Callan brought 4/1 chance Pole Dancer home with a powerful burst to win the Bracelet 12 months ago from So Not Blonde.

Shannon Suvaljko took over the preparation of Arma Xceptional last month and the filly has blossomed, scoring impressive victories at each of her first two starts for her new trainer.

She raced wide early and then without a trail for 1100m before revealing tremendous fighting qualities to beat the pacemaker and favourite favourite Funzova over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. She dashed over the final 800m in 58.2sec. and rated a smart 1.58.

Then she completed her preparation for Friday night’s classic in fine style by setting the pace and winning effortlessly by almost three lengths from Arousing in a Breeders Crown qualifying heat over 2170m at Pinjarra on Monday. What impressed keen judges was her ability to sprint the final 400m in a sizzling 27.4sec.

Arma Xceptional has drawn a favourable barrier at No. 3 in the 2130m Bracelet and she should be prominent throughout.

Bred by Jim Currie and owned by Ron Currie and Regan Farrant, Arma Xceptional is out of New Zealand-bred mare Arma Antoinette, whose granddam produced Miss Bo Scot, a brilliant mare for WA trainer Ross Olivieri in the early 1990s.

Miss Bo Scott retired with a splendid record of 59 starts for 21 wins and 15 placings for earnings of $90,022 and then she proved her worth as a broodmare by producing the outstanding mare Sand Pebbles, who amassed $313,102 in prizemoney from her 26 wins and ten placings from 81 starts.

Arma Xceptional will clash with several other promising fillies, including Artemis Belle, Miss Baypoint, Funzova, Cool Adda and Arch On Fire.

Artemis Belle, who finished solidly from the rear when third to Arma Xceptional and Funzova last week, is well drawn at barrier one, with the consistent Miss Baypoint at No. 2. Miss Baypoint, trained by Barry Warwick, finished strongly from eighth at the bell to be a close third behind Jessie Power and Sweet Charlee in the $100,000 Sires Series final at Gloucester Park last week, will have many admirers.

Gary Hall jun. will again drive Miss Baypoint and he is hoping for a change of luck in the Bracelet after having been beaten with the favourite in the past two years. Last year Hall drove Ella Sue (5/2), who raced in the breeze and wilted to fifth behind Pole Dancer and the previous year he drove 10/9 chance Before Night Falls, who was a fading fifth behind Fidelius Charm.

Fidelius Charm was trained by Jesse Moore, who will be represented in this year’s Bracelet by honest and consistent filly Soho Nike.

 MYSTA MAGICAL MACH IS BACK FOR SVILICICH

Sixty-four-year-old Byford trainer Tony Svilicich, described by many of his peers as a genius, will produce champion pacer Mysta Magical Mach first-up for almost nine months when the five-year-old contests the $20,500 Sutter Hanover Stakes over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Mysta Magical Mach has recovered from a serious leg injury which has kept him out of action since he finished a fighting second to Our Malabar in a race at Gloucester Park on October 23 last year.

Mysta Magical Mach has not been produced at trials, but such is Svilicich’s ability the New Zealand-bred star should be fit and ready to produce a powerful first-up effort.

He will start from the outside of the back line, but he appears to face a forlorn task against Svilicich’s amazing seven-year-old Has The Answers, who chalked up his 20th win of the season and the 42nd in a tremendous 131-start career when he set the pace and won the 2536m Winter Cup from Im Themightyquinn last Friday night.

There were 13 nominations for the Sutter Hanover Handicap and Svilicich has six of the 12 runners --- Has The Answers, Mysta Magical Mach, Rostriever Ornum, Next Tiger, Surfin Superstar and The Final Word.

Rarely, if ever, has one trainer had such a big representation in a major metropolitan event featuring many of the State’s best pacers. But there are cases of one trainer having all runners in races in WA.

The most recent case was at Geraldton on June 6 this year when trainer Sam Torre had all five runners in a $7,170 1735m event for two-year-olds. My Royal Doreen, driven by Chris Voak, won from Torrevean Amunindi (Wes Andrews), Constantly Broke (Danny Voak), Lets Party On (Kyle Condipodero) and Freedom of Speech (Ryan Bell).

A few years ago the husband and wife team of Graham and Karlene Tindale prepared every runner in a juvenile event at Northam.

Mysta Magical Mach took WA harness racing by storm after arriving in Perth from New Zealand late in 2008. Two months after his arrival he stormed home from last at the bell to win the $400,000 WA Pacing Cup. He now has had 49 starts for 21 wins, 16 placings and stakes of $585,671.

The surprise return of Mysta Magical Mach has taken considerable focus off the first appearance in WA of Advance Attack, the well-performed eight-year-old full-brother of former champion pacer Courage Under Fire.

Advance Attack has been in the Hazelmere stables of Gary Hall sen. for just over two months and he has won two Byford trials in good style. He is a last-start winner at the Gold Coast in April and has earned $405,630 from his 28 wins and 12 placings from 85 starts.

Advance Attack will start from barrier six and will be driven by Gary Hall jun.

 GREG BOND POISED FOR HISTORIC THREE-STATE TREBLE

Greg Bond is poised to make history and become the first WA horseman to train a winner in three States of Australia on the same night.

Bond should get the ball rolling at 5.20pm at Gloucester Park by scoring with Ohokas Bondy in the opening event, the Art Major Stakes for two-year-olds.

And then he has outstanding prospects of winning the $20,000 Hondo Grattan Sprint at Menangle in New South Wales with outstanding four-year-old Ima Rocket Star before his champion filly Millwood Meg contests the $75,000 Australian Oaks at Melton in Victoria.

The New Zealand-bred Ohokas Bondy made an auspicious Australian debut when he started from the back line, burst to the front after 150m and cruised to a seven-length victory over As Happy As in an 1823m event at Narrogin last Saturday night.

Ohokas Bondy was driven by Colin Brown, who will be in Sydney to handle Ima Rocket Star in the Hondo Grattan Sprint. Michael George will replace Brown behind Ohokas Bondy.

There is plenty of exposed form in the Art Major Stakes and Ohokas Bondy will meet plenty of opposition from recent winners Who Thru Teddy, Master Damon, Tactical Strike, Shipwreck, Nic Nak Nero and Outofgas.

Ima Rocket Star is an up-and-coming champion and he looks ideally suited from barrier three in the Hondo Grattan Sprint, in which the first five placegetters will qualify for the $200,000 Chariots of Fire to be decided on July 30. The speedy Money Twitch, who is trained by Bond’s wife Skye, is poised for a big effort in the Hondo Grattan Sprint.

Money Twitch, a brilliant frontrunner, is drawn to lead from barrier two. He will be driven by ace Queensland reinsman Luke McCarthy.
Victorian John Caldow will drive powerful filly Millwood Meg in the Australian Oaks at Melton. Fresh from victories in the WA Oaks, the Gold Coast Oaks and Queensland Oaks, Millwood Meg has the class to overcome the No. 2 barrier on the back line.

 BRONSKI BOMBER CAUSES MAJOR UPSET AT NORTHAM

Teenager Ashley Ainsworth caused a major upset at Northam on Tuesday night when he brought rank outsider Bronski Bomber home with a powerful burst to snatch victory from warm favourite Awesome Achiever in the 2536m L. and W. Scott Pace.

Eight-year-old Bronski Bomber, making his second appearance after an absence of 14 months, started from 20m and moved outside the pacemaker Bratski in the first circuit before enjoying an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, after 60m backmarker Palomine surged to the front, with Awesome Achiever on his outside.

Awesome Achiever took the lead approaching the home turn, but was unable to hold off Bronski Bomber, who was an outsider at 113/1 on the tote.

Bronski Bomber, trained by Ainsworth’s father Barry, had been unplaced at his previous 18 starts and had a losing sequence of 24. His previous win was at Wagin in May 2007 when he beat Young Parson by a nose.