Special night for the Warwick dynasty
The Warwick name is synonymous with WA pacing, and this famous dynasty seized the limelight at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the Katja Warwick-trained All Is Well produced a superb performance to snatch a dramatic victory in the $30,000 Warwick Pace, a feature event run to acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful deeds of the family over the past 65-odd years.
“It’s a bit special to win a race named after your family,” said Mrs Warwick, who predicted further successes for the WA-bred four-year-old.
“He’s really showing that he is coming into himself and is turning into a lovely horse. He is getting stronger and is starting to get more and more bottom to him. He is also going to get more versatile as he gets older and stronger.”
All Is Well, the $3.40 second fancy from barrier No. 6, was restrained at the start by champion reinsman Chris Lewis and settled down in tenth position, while the $2.20 favourite Lucca was setting a slow pace after being beaten for early speed and then dashing to the front after 400m.
Lucca ambled over the opening quarter of the final mile in 32.2sec., with Spring Line ($17) not exerting any great pressure from the breeze.
“I thought that, after the 32.2sec. section, All Is Well would find it hard to win,” said Mrs Warwick. “But he did a fine job.”
All Is Well was ninth at the bell before he surged forward and got on terms with Lucca 450m from home. The two pacers then were locked together until All Is Well fought on grimly to get up in the final stride to beat Lucca by a half-head, after final 400m sections of 28.9sec. and 27.4sec. Mister Montblanc ($13) was a length farther back in third place after leading early and then trailing the pacemaker.
All Is Well, purchased for $16,000 by Mrs Warwick at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, has raced 32 times for eleven wins, nine placings and stakes of $108,124.
The late Bill Warwick was a prominent trainer in the 1960s and 70s, and his sons Trevor (husband of Katja), Colin and Barry have been highly successful as trainers and drivers, with Trevor’s sons Justin and Aiden shining as outstanding trainers and drivers, and Colin’s son Ryan still driving in great style with 1936 winners under his belt.
Minstrel overcomes blunder
Star pacer Minstrel was pacing so fast soon after the start of the Running Camel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night that he blundered and broke for a few strides, leaving his arch rival Lavra Joe in front in the $31,000 Free-For-All.
This foreshadowed an extremely exciting event which resulted in Lavra Joe setting the pace and then choking down in the final circuit when Deni Roberts sent Minstrel, the $1.70 favourite, to the lead 600m from home.
“It was only a small field (of five runners), but it certainly was action-packed,” said Roberts after Minstrel had strolled to victory at a smart 1.54.5 rate over the 2130m journey.
Minstrel, a seven-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding trained by Greg and Skye Bond, began smartly from the No. 3 barrier and had to be driven hard to withstand a spirited challenge from Lavra Joe ($2.05).
Minstrel was leading narrowly from Lavra Joe about 220m after the start when he paced roughly.
“Minstrel was going so fast that he couldn’t handle the bend,” said Roberts. “He wasn’t straight enough, and we hit the corner pretty hard. He lugged in a bit and that caused him to hit a knee or something like that.
“He couldn’t handle it, but he got down (pacing again) pretty quickly, and we didn’t lose our spot (behind the frontrunning Lavra Joe).
“We went fast early, and when Lavra Joe came back (and slackened the pace) he got keen. I pulled out at the 600m. Minstrel is a roller, so I wasn’t going to wait until 200m to go and try to outsprint Lavra Joe.
“I was starting to hit Kyle’s helmet, and I thought I had to go at the 600m. I was always going to hook out down the back. When I got to the outside of Lavra Joe I knew there was an issue with him.”
Harper explained that after he had taken the early lead Lavra Joe was pacing comfortably. “But when we moved into the back straight the first time Lavra Joe began to race fiercely before eventually choking down,” said Harper.
Both Minstrel and Lavra Joe were ordered back to trials (before racing again) by the stewards for their misdemeanours.
Minstrel won by four lengths on Friday night, beating the improving Rubins Plight ($41) after that pacer had finished strongly after racing in fourth position in the Indian file affair. Goodfellaz ($41) ran on from last at the bell to be an encouraging third.
Minstrel now has amassed $751,807 from 21 wins and 17 placings from 56 starts. Roberts has enjoyed a wonderful association with the seven-year-old, having driven him nine times for five wins, one second, one third, one fourth and a ninth placing.
Prentice’s big week
“It’s been a big week, and I’m very happy,” said a delighted Kim Prentice after Mitch Miller had driven Soho Dow Jones to a convincing victory in the 2536m APG Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The outstanding horseman landed his one thousandth winner as a trainer when Crowd Control was successful at Bunbury last Tuesday. His next four starters for the week were Jimmy Rocks, a winner at Bunbury, Soho Santorini, a winner at Pinjarra on Wednesday when the Prentice-trained Tantabiddi finished second, and Soho Dow Jones on Friday night.
Prentice (62) has become only the fourth person in WA to have prepared a thousand winners as well as driving a thousand winners, joining Jim Schrader, Fred Kersley jnr and Trevor Warwick in an exclusive club.
“I retired with 1001 winners as a driver, but I’m not intending retiring as a trainer any time in the near future,” he said.
Soho Dow Jones, the $1.30 favourite from the No. 1 barrier on Friday night, gave Miller (28) an excellent welcome home present a couple of days after returning to Perth following an enjoyable three-week holiday in England.
Soho Dow Jones surprisingly was beaten for early speed, with Gary Hall jnr dashing $19 chance Firerockfireroll straight to the front from barrier four. Miller then had no trouble in sending Soho Dow Jones to the lead after 400m and the big five-year-old relished his frontrunning role.
He sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.6sec. and 27.9sec. to win by two and a half lengths from $10 chance Cordero, who ran home strongly from fourth at the bell. “I didn’t release the ear plugs and didn’t hit him,” said Miller.
Soho Dow Jones, who has had 47 starts for 13 wins, 14 placings and $159,731, is being set for the $50,000 Nights Of Thunder over 1730m on January 26. Heats of this event will be run, with the fastest nine qualifiers making up the field for the final.
“He won easily over 2536m tonight, but I think he is a better horse over 1730m,” said Prentice.
Rumour Has It holds on
Brilliant frontrunner and hot $1.50 favourite Rumour Has It had to produce a flying final 400m of 27sec. to hold on and win by a half-head from the breeze runner Three Rumours ($5) in the 2130m Catalano Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The lightly-raced six-year-old is racing with such spirit for trainer Debra Lewis and star reinsman Chris Lewis that she is looming as a strong candidate for the $75,000 Empress Stakes over 2536m on April 19.
Rumour Has It, by American stallion Roll With Joe, is the eighth foal out of the Christian Cullen mare Roustabout, who sat behind the pacemaker and 5/4 favourite Sovereign Beejay before finishing strongly to win from Precious Maiden and Sovereign Beejay in the 2548m Empress Stakes in March 2006.
Rumour Has It is in the best form of her career which now stands at 26 starts for eleven wins, seven placings and $132,685.
Three Rumours, trained by Nathan Turvey and driven by Gary Hall jnr, notched her third consecutive second placing and will pay to follow. She started from the outside in the field of five on Friday night and raced without cover before finishing with great determination.
Watching Our Coin back to mobiles
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Watching Our Coin has contested stands at six of his past nine starts for two wins and three seconds.
But his future racing will be in mobile events, said his trainer Michael Young after the gelding set the pace and won the New Season Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I don’t want to gut him, chasing from back marks in stands,” said Young.
“There are no real plans for Watching Our Coin; he’s still a few wins away from Free-For-Alls, so we will just keep ticking them (wins) as often as we can.
“He has won a Free-For-All when racing well out of his class when we felt we might try to get a run in the WA Pacing Cup in November. He won at his first go in Free-For-All company (beating Tenzing Bromac and Prince Of Pleasure on August 4) and then finished down the track at his next couple of runs.
“So, we decided to spell him. He has had a taste of Free-For-Alls. So he won’t be a fish out of water when he gets there again. His run tonight was okay. He is never impressive, and I don’t think he has ever looked impressive in any of his wins. He is a relaxed customer who does just what he has to.
“He probably races better when he’s breezing, rather than leading, because he concentrates a bit more in the breeze.”
Watching Our Coin, the $1.40 favourite, began smoothly from the front line and Gary Hall jnr gave him a relaxing time in front before lifting the tempo with final quarters of 29.6sec., 28.4sec. and 28.7sec.
He won by just over a length from $23 chance Fleur Du Marquis, who galloped at the start and settled down in last position in the field of seven before Kyle Harper sent her forward in the first lap to race in the breeze. She fought on in fine style and held on gamely to finish a half-head in front of $6 chance Ardens Horizon, who trailed the leader all the way.
Watching Our Coin has earned $134,092 from ten wins and 14 placings from 46 starts.
Showpony has the looks --- and the ability
Veteran owner Rob Dower, who raced pacers with the late Les Poyser more than fifty years ago, has never lost his enthusiasm for the sport of harness racing.
He is now more than happy at his decision to outlay $15,000 last month to buy promising five-year-old Showpony, a small, striking and handsome gelding who gave a sample of his ability with a splendid frontrunning display to score an effortless win in the 1730m Cowden Insurance Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was the Sweet Lou gelding’s third start for Dower and Pinjarra trainer David Young --- for two wins and a first-up sixth, for stakes of $10,460.
Showpony, driven by Kyle Symington, was the $3.20 second favourite from the No. 2 barrier. He was beaten for early speed by the $2 favourite Franco Mecca and $61 outsider Name In Lights, but he was able to resist the early challenges and set the pace.
After a lead time of 7.7sec. Showpony sprinted the final 400m sections in 28.4sec., 29sec., 29.1sec. and 28.4sec. and won by just over five lengths from $16 chance High Price, who surged home from seventh at the bell.
The winner rated 1.54 and improved his record to 22 starts for eight wins, eight placings and $53,139 in prizemoney.
“I have trained horses for Rob Dower for about 15 years, with the most successful ones being Baylan Jett and The Marble Ridge,” said Young.
Showpony has film star looks, sporting a massive white blaze and long white stockings on his hind legs. He has inherited much of his ability from his dam Bethany Aitch, who won the group 1 $102,000 Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park in June 2015, and was retired with a record of 43 starts for eight wins, 14 placings and $122,612.
Young said that Showpony was a late bloomer. “His steering wheel is still on the wall at home, and it is taking a while for him to figure it all out,” he explained.
“I was confident that Showpony would show more gate speed tonight than people thought he would. Kyle said he did it easily tonight. The horse is still very inexperienced, and I think that after a spell he will come back a better horse.”
Showpony gave Young his second winner on Friday night. He bred, owns and trains six-year-old mare Minor Catastrophe, who began from 50m and won a 2400m event at Busselton, beating co-backmarker Flynscotsman by seven lengths.
“Minor Catastrophe will be set for the Busselton Cup over 2680m next Friday week,” said Young.
Acuto breaks the ice
Nine-year-old New Zealand-bred Acuto has been in Western Australia for four years --- and he notched his first win in a mobile event in the State when Kyle Symington drove the veteran pacer, a heavily-supported $1.90 favourite, to an easy victory in the $19,000 Hoist Torque Australia Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His previous 51 WA starts produced four wins in stands, and he was unable to win from 17 starts in mobiles. But he relished an ideal barrier at No. 2 in Friday night’s 2130m mobile event when he set the pace after a fast lead time of 36.4sec.
Acuto, having his 101ST start, rated 1.56.4 and beat $7.50 chance State Of Heaven by two and a half lengths, with American Bullitt ($9.50) two lengths farther back in third place.
“He is good in stands, but he is also good in mobiles when he gets the right draw,” said owner-trainer Chris Phatouros.
Acuto’s win ended a losing sequence of 15 and a sequence of eleven unplaced efforts.
“He runs his best races in front; he showed that as a young horse in New Zealand,” said Phatouros. “I was planning to give him a break, but after tonight’s run, I can’t now.
“I bought him from Blake Fitzpatrick in Sydney, and after his first four (unplaced) starts for me in early 2020, he damaged a tendon and was out of action for twenty months. He has had no leg problems over the past couple of years.”
Acuto is by Canadian sire Art Official and is the eleventh foal out of the Holmes Hanover mare Oaxaca Lass, who won the group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Harold Park in March 2003 before being retired with earnings of $426,585 from 19 wins and 13 placings from 48 starts. Acuto’s half-brother Condrieu spent much of his career in WA and was retired with a record of 94 starts for 22 wins, 27 placings and $269,520.
Acuto’s 101 starts have produced 13 wins, 24 placings and $146,881. He won at five of his 24 New Zealand starts and was successful at three of his 25 appearances in New South Wales. He has raced 52 times in WA for five wins and twelve placings.
Phatouros is also training Reddy To Fly and has bred three pacers, a two-year-old, a yearling and a foal on the ground.
Taking the Miki set for features
A series of feature events for mares in the coming months is on the agenda for the outstanding five-year-old Taking the Miki, who gave a superb performance to outclass her ten rivals in the 2130m Westral Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She did it in second gear, rated 1.55.1 and continues to impress and shows that she is ready to go into the next level,” said part-owner and trainer Jemma Hayman.
“She has had a long prep and I’ll give her a week off, and then I’ll target a few feature races for mares in February and March.”
Among those features are the $50,000 Laurie Kennedy Pace over 1730m (February 9), the $50,000 Lombardo Pace over 2536m (March 8), the $35,000 Race For Roses over 2503m (April 5), the $75,000 Empress Stakes over 2536m (April 19), the $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes over 2130m (May 3) and the $50,000 Kerry Clarke Pace over 2130m (June 21).
Taking the Miki was a heavily-backed $1.50 favourite from barrier No. 5, with the polemarker Lamandier, a noted frontrunner, the second fancy at $2.60.
Lamandier, having his first start for 45 days, led early before Chris Voak urged Taking The Miki forward to take up the running after 250m.
After a swift lead time of 36.3sec. Taking the Miki made life tough for her opponents, reeling off similar opening quarters of 29.9sec. followed by final 400m sections of 28.3sec. and 27.9sec. to win by five lengths from Lamandier.
Hayman said that she planned for Voak to set the pace, considering that Lamandier had been off the scene for several weeks.
“So, I guess there is respect for Taking the Miki, and I thought Lamandier was likely to take a sit,” she said. “Then, if Lamandier was good enough to outsprint Taking the Miki at the finish, and win, so be it.”
Taking the Miki is by American sire Always B Miki and is the first foal out of the Bettors Delight mare All American Dream (63 starts for four wins, five placings and $23,908). Taking The Miki has already amassed $365,318 in prizemoney from 12 wins and 18 placings from 47 starts.
She is destined for further major race victories, following her successes in the 2022 WA Oaks, the Gold Bullion in April 2021, the WASBA Breeders Stakes in May 2023 and the Schrader Pace in October 2023.
