Roberts has a century in her sights
Brilliant driver Deni Roberts has handled outstanding pacer Vegas Strip eight times for eight wins, and she has high hopes of continuing this wonderful sequence when she drives the gelding in the $50,000 John Higgins Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Roberts (28) also has an unbeaten record in the Higgins Memorial, having been successful at her only two appearances in this event, scoring with See Ya Write in 2021 and Peter Petrify last year.
Both of those winners were prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who train Vegas Strip. The Bond stable also has won the Higgins with Money Magnet (2004), Richard Henry (2005), Delightful Offer (2015) and Rock Diamonds (2017).
With a treble at Gloucester Park on Monday and a double at Bunbury on Tuesday night to take her season’s tally of winners to 99, Roberts is poised to notch her century on Friday night.
Very few three-year-olds have qualified to run in the 29-year history of the Higgins Memorial, but the Bonds have had great success with this age group, having won the race with three-year-olds Richard Henry, Delightful Offer and Rock Diamonds. The stable’s other three Higgins winners were four-year-olds.
The only other three-year-old to win the Higgins was Hail The Judge, who was trained by Ross Olivieri and driven by Chris Lewis when he beat Bay Admiral in August 1997.
Apart from their six Higgins winners the Bond stable has prepared second placegetters Condrieu (twice), Courage Tells and the $126 outsider Markham Eyre, who was beaten by Mr Fantastic in 2022.
The New Zealand-bred Vegas Strip has drawn awkwardly at barrier seven in Friday night’s 2130m event. The American Ideal gelding has set the pace in all of his nine starts in Western Australia for eight wins and a close second to Grevis as a two-year-old.
The No. 7 barrier will leave Roberts with plenty of options, with the driver saying: “His work at home has been good. He had it pretty tough first-up (two starts ago when he led and beat Bet the House by a neck over 2130m at Gloucester Park) and then had it pretty soft (when he won comfortably from Bellissimo Acquisto in a 2242m Higgins heat at Narrogin).
“Vegas Strip has really good gate speed and he is probably the quickest we’ve got (at the Bond stable) and I think he is one of the quickest here (in WA).
“He always finds himself in front, but I would love to sit him up one night because he is absolutely electrifying. This will be a test for him at his first run against older horses.”
Whataretheodds and Sorridere loom large as Vegas Strip’s most serious rivals, with the Ryan Bell-trained Whataretheodds a major hope after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier.
Five-year-old Whataretheodds has had 25 starts for eight wins, eight seconds and two thirds. He is versatile, having won after setting the pace and also when finishing with a powerful burst from the rear.
Whataretheodds began from out wide at barrier seven in a 2130m event last Friday night when he raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before dashing forward approaching the home turn and then wilted to finish third behind Coney Island Lou.
“I think I was a bit easy on him before last week’s race,” said his trainer Ryan Bell. “He pulled up bucking and carrying on the next morning, and he will be top notch this week.”
Four-year-old Sorridere, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, will begin from the No. 4 barrier on Friday night and should fight out the finish. He was the fastest to begin from barrier six last Friday night when he then had to work hard in the breeze before fading to fifth behind Coney Island Lou.
“He wasn’t suited in the breeze last week and he should be spot on this week,” said De Campo.
At his previous start Sorridere led from barrier two and held on to win a 2100m heat of the Higgins by a nose from Whataretheodds at Bunbury.
Hale Saint Louis, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, ran home strongly to finish third in the heat at Bunbury. He is a smart and versatile four-year-old who has raced 18 times for eight wins and seven placings. He is capable of fighting out the finish despite starting from the outside of the back line.
Menemsha ready to shine
Promising three-year-old Menemsha will be ready for a strong showing at his third start after a spell, according to his trainer-driver Aiden De Campo.
Menemsha, a winner at four of his 15 starts, has drawn perfectly at barrier one in the $21,000 Children’s Medical Research Institute Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He resumed after a three-month absence when he took the lead after about 600m and set the pace before fighting on determinedly to win by a head from Prince Of Pain over 2130m at Gloucester Park three Tuesdays ago when the final 400m was run in 27.9sec.
Then over 2100m at Bunbury a week later Menemsha began from barrier four and raced three wide for the first 500m before racing without cover and battling on doggedly to finish a half-length second to the pacemaker Gully Gum when the final quarters were run in 28.5sec. and 27.8sec.
“It was a pretty good run,” said De Campo. “He took on older horses and they ran good time around a cold track at Bunbury. He sat in the breeze, and that’s not his ideal position. I think there is improvement in him. High speed is his best asset.”
Bet The House, trained by Ron Huston and driven by Chris Voak, has won at five of his nine starts and should be primed to run a strong race at his second appearance after a spell.
Bet The House, who is not favourably drawn on the outside barrier in the field of eight, put up an outstanding first-up performance over 2130m three Fridays ago when he began from the No. 5 barrier and raced without cover all the way. He fought on grandly to finish a neck second to the pacemaker Vegas Strip, with final quarters of 28sec. and 28.1sec.
That was Bet The House’s first run since he covered a lot of extra ground on his way to winning the group 3 Caduceus Club Classic from Waverider on April 26. Two starts before that Bet The House scored an impressive victory over Grevis and Menemsha in the Gold Bullion final.
Trainer Kim Prentice has Soho Skyfall racing in top form with two smart Gloucester Park wins in the space of four days last month. Soho Skyfall, to be driven by Mitch Miller, is a speedy beginner who is favourably drawn at barrier two.
Artful Miki (Justin Prentice) and Petes Honour (Chris Lewis) are also racing with admirable spirit. Artful Miki was a shade disappointing when he set the pace and faded to third behind Louie Dior over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday of last week. That followed easy victories at Pinjarra at his two previous starts.
Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman has Petes Honour racing in wonderful form. The Sweet Lou gelding caught the eye last Friday week when he raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before starting a three-wide move with 700m to travel and sprinting fast to finish second to the frontrunning Soho Skyfall.
Never Ending in good shape
It’s all systems go for star pacer Never Ending as he prepares for his final assignment in Western Australia before leaving next Tuesday on the first leg of his trip to Sydney to contest the $2.1 million Eureka at Menangle on September 7.
The champion four-year-old faces a stern test when he starts from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the $31,000 Vale Ron Davies Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He seems to have come through last week’s win in good shape,” said trainer-reinsman Justin Prentice. “Hopefully, we will head off next Tuesday on a flight to Melbourne before he will travel by truck to Sydney.”
Under the conditions of Friday night’s race Never Ending had to draw the outside barrier, which will test him, with so many talented pacers on his inside.
His stumbling block looms large as the New Zealand-bred six-year-old Tenzing Bromac, who will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green from the No. 7 barrier, with the gelding’s Greg and Skye Bond-trained stablemates Steel The Show (barrier five) and Mighty Conqueror (barrier six) drawn to his inside.
Tenzing Bromac resumed in fine style after a spell three Fridays ago when he began from the No. 5 barrier and raced without cover with Jumpingjackmac setting the pace in the 2536m Winter Cup.
Tenzing Bromac took a narrow lead 225m from home and finished a head second to Never Ending, who thundered home from eighth at the 250m to get up in the final stride.
Never Ending then continued on his winning way with a comfortable victory over Talks Up A Storm and Arma Einstein over 1730m last Friday night. He rated 1.54.6 after final 400m sections of 28.1sec. and 28sec.
Talks Up A Storm, having his second start after a spell for trainer Murray Lindau and reinsman Kyle Harper, trailed the pacemaker Soho Dow Jones before running home strongly. He will begin from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night.
Most of the runners in Friday night’s event possess excellent gate speed, with Hampton Banner favoured to get to an early lead from the No. 3 barrier. He has set the pace and at 12 of his 15 wins. Talks Up A Storm (barrier two) has led and won four times at Gloucester Park.
Arma Einstein (barrier four) has led and won five times, and Steel The Show has set the pace and won on eight occasions, while Tenzing Bromac has led and won at six of his 16 wins in Western Australia. He is an extremely strong and versatile pacer who has won nine races in WA after racing in the breeze.
Hold That Gold in top form
New South Wales-bred square gaiter Hold That Gold has resumed after a spell in wonderful form for Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop and the five-year-old has bright prospects of sending punters home on a winning note by proving too speedy for his seven rivals in the final event, the 2503m Vale Bill Duffy Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Hold That Gold will start from the outside (barrier four) on the front line in the standing-start event in which Deni Roberts will be anxious to get the gelding away to a smooth start.
Hold That Gold reappeared after a spell when he began from the 30m mark in a 2631m stand at Pinjarra on June 24. He enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing solidly to win from Dreambigaimhigh.
He then again began off 30m at Pinjarra a week later and ran home strongly from the rear to finish second to Majestic Marion. His next two starts were in mobile events at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park in which he impressed with solid victories.
Hold That Gold ran on from fourth at the bell to beat Sellune over 2185m at Pinjarra before he won easily from Dreambigaimhigh and Sellune over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday afternoon this week after racing wide early and then in the breeze.
Polemarker Nickys Son warmed up for this week’s event in good style when he covered a good deal of extra ground before dashing away to win by four lengths from Dreambigaimhigh over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Monday of last week.
Stay Focused (10m) and Line The Starzzz (20m) are racing keenly and will have admirers. Stay Focused raced without cover before fighting on strongly to finish a neck second to Uptown Lad in a 2503m stand on Monday of last week. That followed Gloucester Park wins from the breeze at his two previous starts --- beating Dark Secret over 2536m and then winning by more than four lengths from Uptown Lad in a 2503m stand.
Roberts will also be looking forward to driving the brilliant mare Aardiebytheseaside in the TABradio.com.au Pace in which the New Zealand-bred four-year-old should have little trouble in extending her winning sequence to five.
Aardiebytheseaside, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, will start from the No. 2 barrier and looks set to lead and prove too strong for her seven rivals, with Three Rumours capable of overcoming the disadvantage of the outside barrier and finishing second to the hot favourite.
