Triumph for faraway trainer
Pinjarra trainer Madeliene Young looks certain to have a leading contender for the $150,000 WA Oaks on October 13 in exciting filly Castella Dellacqua, who made an impressive West Australian debut at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But the 28-year-old Young was 19,000km away in New Jersey when her elder sister Jocelyn drove the Victorian-bred filly to victory in the $20,250 Jani-King Cleaning Pace.
Madeliene, anxious to improve her skills as a trainer, has been in America for the past three weeks gaining invaluable experience at the New Jersey stables of prominent trainer Richard Norman.
She left the preparation of Castella Dellacqua in the capable hands of her sister, who drove a perfect race to win Friday night’s 1730m event, watched by the filly’s owners Peter and Sue Gianni, who travelled the 600km from their home in Kalgoorlie.
Castella Dellacqua, a big, strong filly, was a $7.60 chance from barrier No. 2 on the back line, and Jocelyn quickly manoeuvred her into the prime one-out, one-back position, following the $4.60 favourite Our Sandy Shore, who was forced to race in the breeze after an unsuccessful early bid to take the lead from the polemarker and $5.50 chance Our Lililou.
Our Sandy Shore got to the front 220m from home before Castella Dellacqua got the upper hand 100m from the post and went on to beat Our Sandy Shore by a length, rating 1.54.8.
This gave Castella Dellacqua her second win from eleven starts, which included five placings in good company in New South Wales. Peter Gianni, who owns two gold mining companies in Kalgoorlie, bought the filly for $52,000 at the 2021 APG Melbourne yearling sale, and he named her after the Italian town of Castello, 55km north of Perugia, the ancestral home of the Gianni family.
“I named her Castella because it rhymed better with Dellacqua,” said Gianni. “I bought her on breeding, and she ticked all the boxes. And Act Now, the first foal out of her dam Mollys Ideal, was showing a lot of promise.”
Act Now had won at six of his first nine starts as a two-year-old, and he now boasts a fine record of 19 wins and 11 placings from 39 starts for stakes of $696,185, including two heat wins and a third placing behind I Cast No Shadow in the final of the 2022 Interdominion championship at Melton last December.
Gianni had no hesitation in sending Castella Dellacqua to prominent Sydney horseman Blake Fitzpatrick, who had trained and driven pacers for him, including Its Only Rocknroll, whose wins included the group 1 New South Wales Breeders Challenge at Menangle in June 2014.
“Castella Dellacqua performed well in Sydney in strong company, and I always planned to bring her to WA,” said Gianni, who has enjoyed wonderful success in recent years with Mister Ardee, who has raced consistently for Madeliene Young and has had 246 starts for 32 wins, 71 placings and stakes of $368,815.
“Mister Ardee is now eleven and is almost ready to retire, and I needed another horse to take his place.” Among other successful pacers for Gianni have been Rockyourbaby and Mein Guy.
Hall’s masterly drive
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr was seen at his brilliant best at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he guided Prince Of Pleasure to a splendid victory in the $50,000 Retravision Winter Cup.
Not only was it Hall’s ninth success in the group 3 feature event, it gave his father Gary Hall snr a remarkable eleventh training success in the race, and showed that Prince Of Pleasure would go into the $450,00 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup on November 10 with sound prospects of giving Hall snr his 14TH victory in the big race.
Prince Of Pleasure was the $2.90 equal favourite with the polemarker The Code Breaker on Friday night, with Kyle Symington setting a modest pace with The Code Breaker and Hall quickly getting Prince Of Pleasure to relax in third place, three back on the pegs.
Patronus Star ($3.60) was trapped three wide early before Deni Roberts restrained him back to last in the field of eight before she dashed him forward 1350m from home to move to the breeze and have Prince Of Pleasure locked away on the pegs.
Hall then made his winning move with a lap to travel when he when was able, with delicate skill, to ease Prince Of Pleasure off the pegs and to occupy the one-out, one-back position, following Patronus Star.
Hall then bided his time and he waited until 220m from home when he switched Prince Of Pleasure three wide. Patronus Star finished with a powerful burst but found Prince Of Pleasure just too good after a far more comfortable passage. Prince Of Pleasure sprinted over the final 400m in 27.5sec. and won by 2m, rating 1.59 over the 2536m.
Prince Of Pleasure, a lightly-raced six-year-old by Bettors Delight, has earned $167,774 from 13 wins and six placings from 30 starts.
Roberts was delighted at the performance of Patronus Star, saying: “It was a big run; he was awesome.”
Now for the Higgins
“It’s now for the Higgins,” declared Deni Roberts after driving Peter Petrify to a comfortable victory in the 2130m Jani-King Thanking Our Cleaners Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“This was a nice lead-up for next Friday night’s race.”
Peter Petrify, the $1.80 favourite on Friday night, was given a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position while Peligroso ($8.50) was setting the pace from $5 chance Cheer The Major in the breeze. Roberts brought Peter Petrify home with a spirited burst to get to the front with 120m to travel and go on and win by a length from Peligroso, rating 1.57.1.
Peter Petrify, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old, qualified for the $50,000 final of the John Higgins Memorial when he ran home solidly to finish third behind Rockmyster and Cheer The Major in a 2100m heat at Bunbury three Wednesdays ago.
A winner at two of his ten New Zealand starts, Peter Petrify has been a work in progress for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, and he now has a record of 21 starts for seven wins, six placings and stakes of $59,899.
He is by American sire Pet Rock and is out of the Christian Cullen mare Isabella Anvil, who managed one win from 14 starts in New Zealand. Isabella Anvil also produced Mighty Major, whose 13 wins included seven in Western Australia between 2016 and 2018.
Waverider on target for the Pearl
Classy colt Waverider resumed racing after a 20-week absence in splendid style at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he was not extended in winning the $20,250 Bridge Bar Pace.
This was an ideal warm-up for the $100,000 Pearl Classic on August 25, the qualifying heats of which will be run ten days earlier.
“Waverider does only what he has to,” said trainer Ryan Bell after Kyle Symington had driven the colt to an all-the-way win on Friday night at his first appearance over 2130m.
He was the $1.20 favourite and after a slow lead time of 39.3sec. and ambling opening quarters of 32.6sec. and 30.8sec. he covered the third 400m section in 29.4sec. before sprinting over the final quarter in 26.9sec.
“Kyle said he was doing it easily,” said Bell. “He needed the run. There is nothing at home in his age group that can test him, apart from Franco Encore, and he’s not a horse who gets gutted at home.”
Waverider, who beat $26 chance Menemsha by a half-length, is unbeaten after three starts at Gloucester Park. His stablemate and last-start winner Heez A Vibe finished last in the field of six on Friday night after he pulled hard early and was restrained to the rear.
Bet The House ($20) raced in fourth position before he ran home strongly to finish third.
Carabao set for the Marathon
Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Chris Voak has WA-bred five-year-old Carabao racing in top form, and the gelding completed a hat-trick of wins in stands when he crushed his rivals in the 2503m Westside Auto Wholesale Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He has hit a purple patch and now he will go for the Marathon (over 2902m) in a fortnight,” said Voak.
Carabao, the $1.50 favourite, began with his customary brilliance and was untroubled to set the pace and win by just under five lengths from $6.50 chance Ardens Horizon. The final quarters were covered in 28.8sec. and 27.8sec.
Carabao now has had 12 starts for Voak for four wins, five seconds and three fourths.
“He won second-up at Pinjarra (after a six-month absence) and then I went to town trying to pinch a metro race --- and he ran three good fourths (which were followed by four seconds and three wins),” said Voak.
“Earlier in his career he would have five or six good runs, and that would be it. Now he seems to be getting better and maintains his good form. His feet were his biggest problem, but after getting on top of them, he has raced extremely well.”
Carabao’s past three wins have come after he has set the pace, but Voak said that the gelding was not exclusively a frontrunner. “He is also a good sit and sprint horse,” he said.
Eldaytona loves to lead
West Australian-bred five-year-old Eldaytona gave further proof that he is one of the State’s frontrunners when he scored yet another all-the-way victory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Barrier No. 1 is a big advantage here,” said trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper after Eldaytona, the $1.50 favourite, dictated the terms of the 2130m event and held on to beat the top-flight New Zealand-bred Major Perry ($3) by a head.
Eldaytona relishes the role of pacemaker and his win on Friday night boosted his record to 53 starts for 15 wins, 17 seconds and five thirds for earnings of $190,250. He has set the pace in twelve of his wins.
Harper admitted that he went into the race with plenty of respect for Major Perry, who was making his WA debut and was having his first start for 20 weeks.
Major Perry began from barrier six in the field of seven and Deni Roberts restrained him to the rear as the runners settled down in Indian file formation. He was last with 600m to travel and was forced three wide as he surged home to fail by only a head to catch Eldaytona.
“Major Perry is a very nice horse and he got close to me at the end,” said Harper.
Roberts was full of admiration for Major Perry, saying: “He shouldn’t have got that close the way the race was run. It didn’t help with two other horses taking off in front of him. He will be exciting.”
Abercromby’s $199 quinella
Cardup trainer Craig Abercromby had no great expectations when he started veteran pacers Blue Blazer and Walsh in the 2130m Barbagallo Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night --- and he was stunned when he landed the quinella with Blue Blazer, the $3.40 favourite, winning from Walsh, the $101 rank outsider of the field.
Blue Blazer, an eight-year-old with a losing sequence of 22, looked a good chance in modest company and with the distinct advantage of the prized No. 1 barrier.
But the plan was for Blue Blazer to take a sit because he had always proved to be vulnerable when leading.
“We didn’t think he would be able to lead and win,” said Abercromby. “The plans were to hand up. But Junior (Gary Hall jnr) said that he felt good, and he decided to let him slide. And that’s what he did.
“In previous starts when he has led, he hasn’t been able to sustain the effort for the whole journey. So, I was really surprised that he led and was able to win tonight. And it really amazed me with Walsh running second.”
Seven-year-old Walsh went into the race with little prospect of being prominent from out wide at barrier eight and with unplaced efforts at his 12 previous starts. Callan Suvaljko drove him patiently, four back on the pegs in seventh position, before gaining an inside passage in the final circuit to get up and snatch second place.
The quinella returned a handsome dividend of $199.40 and the trifecta dividend (with Brookies Jet in third place) was a healthy $2842.60, and the first four dividend (with Name In Lights in fourth place) was $6116.
For Hall it was only his third drive behind Blue Blazer --- following a seventh in November 2021 and an eighth in April 2022. The win completed a treble for Hall, who had been successful earlier in the night with Master Yossi and Prince Of Pleasure.
Hall is one of 24 drivers to have handled Blue Blazer during his 132-start career of 16 wins, 18 seconds, 12 thirds and stakes of $156,825.
Master Yossi causes an upset
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Master Yossi notched his first metropolitan-class win in WA when he caused an upset in beating his talented four-year-old stablemate Street Hawk in the 1730m Steelo’s Restaurant Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Master Yossi, handled for the first time by Gary Hall jnr for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was a $6.80 chance from the coveted No. 1 barrier, with Street Hawk the hot $1.40 favourite from barrier No. 2.
Master Yossi won the start and Hall was anxious to take the sit behind Street Hawk when Deni Roberts issued a spirited challenge and Street Hawk got three-quarters of a length in front 400m after the start. But Master Yossi took charge and refused to settle, thus leaving Roberts with little alternative but to desist with the challenge.
Street Hawk then raced in the breeze while Master Yossi set a brisk pace. He then held Street Hawk at bay and beat his stablemate by a length, rating a slick 1.54.4.
“Street Hawk is a better horse than Master Yossi, but I couldn’t get past Master Yossi, who was getting on to a wheel and firing up,” said Roberts. “So, I had to go back. Both horses went super.”
Master Yossi, who is by Bettors Delight, has earned $100,086 from 12 wins, eight seconds and three thirds from 39 starts. He won at three of his 14 starts in New Zealand, and his 25 starts in WA have produced nine wins and six placings.
Bonds celebrate their century
The trend-setting and all-conquering trainers Greg and Skye Bond celebrated their century of winners this year when Raven Banner scored a most impressive victory in the 2536m Bridge Bar Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Raven Banner’s win completed a winning treble in successive events for the Bonds after they had prepared Peter Petrify and Master Yossi for their wins in the two previous events.
The Bond camp has an outstanding strike rate, with its 311 starters this season recording one hundred victories, 54 seconds and 34 third placings for stakes of $1,390,038.
The Bonds have an unassailable lead in the WA trainers’ premiership table, with their substantial lead over Michael Young (52 winners from 276 starters), Aiden de Campo (44 winners from 248 starters) and Gary Hall snr (42 winners from 116 starters).
Raven Banner, a five-year-old Bettors Delight gelding, was the $2.90 favourite for Friday night’s race in which he was driven for the first time by talented young reinsman Kyle Symington.
Symington got Raven Banner away speedily from the No. 4 barrier and the gelding revealed excellent staying potential when he dashed over the final three 400m sections in 29.3sec., 28.4sec. and 28.5sec. on his way to winning by two and a half lengths from Onesmartfella ($4.60).
Raven Banner has the potential to develop into a candidate for rich summer feature events. He has had only 39 starts for nine wins, 14 placings and $113,114. He won at six of his 31 starts in New Zealand and his WA record stands at eight starts for three wins and three placings.
Raven Banner is the sixth foal out of the Washington VC mare Caitlin Banner, who is the dm of Trojan Banner (119 starts for 26 wins, 26 placings and $282,078) and Crusader Banner (49 starts for 14 wins, 13 placings and $157,222). Crusader Banner’s most important win was in the group 3 Porter memorial at Gloucester Park in August 2015.
Cyclone Charlotte survives a scare
Brilliant mare Cyclone Charlotte survived a scary moment 1300m from home when rank outsider Ideal Charm broke into a fierce gallop immediately in front of her in the $30,000 Hoist Torque Winter Feature at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
It was only the quick evasive action by driver Deni Roberts that prevented Cyclone Charlotte from being severely checked and probably being knocked out of the race.
Cyclone Charlotte, the $1.50 favourite, was travelling smoothly in eighth position in the one-wide line half-way down the back straight after a lap had been covered when Ideal Charm galloped and almost fell. Roberts reacted instinctively and avoided the possibility of being badly checked by pulling the left rein and guiding Cyclone Charlotte away from Ideal Charm.
Cyclone Charlotte lost only one length, with the $4.20 second fancy Beyond The Sea setting the pace. Roberts switched Cyclone Charlotte three wide with 950m to travel and the mare sustained a powerful burst to get to the front on the home turn and race away and win by five lengths from Beyond the Sea.
The final 800m was covered in 56.7sec. and Cyclone Charlotte rated 1.58.1 over the 2130m. This took Cyclone Charlotte’s record to 17 starts for seven wins and nine places for earnings of $81,333. She raced twice in New Zealand for one win (in March 2022). She is by Bettors Delight and is the first foal out of the Mach Three mare Cyclone Kate, who amassed $360,349 in prizemoney from 21 wins and 18 placings from 60 starts.
Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams was delighted with Cyclone Charlotte’s performance, and he praised the efforts of his daughter Jodie and her son Liam and Rowen Langridge who joined forces to prepare Cyclone Charlotte while he was in Brisbane with star pacer Magnificent Storm.
“Cyclone Charlotte has a real big heart, and she just keeps on giving,” he said. “I’m looking at the big races for mares in the summer, and she would not be out of place in the Golden Nugget, though I’m not looking there at the moment.”
