Nugget plan for Aardiebytheseaside
“It’s definitely in her sights; she’s only four once,” said ace driver Deni Roberts after driving champion mare Aardiebytheseaside to an all-the-way victory in the $150,000 Westral Mares Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Roberts was referring to the plans for Aardiebytheseaside to contest the $200,000 Golden Nugget on December 13.
If Aardiebytheseaside, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, pulls up satisfactorily after Friday night’s win she will run in the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic over 2130m next Friday night before lining up in the 2536m Golden Nugget two weeks later.
Roberts firmly believes that Aardiebytheseaside has the ability to defeat the State’s best four-year-old horses and geldings in the Nugget -— a major event on the West Australian harness racing calendar which has been run 43 times with only two mares winning the race.
Countess Kala and Libertybelle Midfrew are the only mares to have won the Nugget, with Lindsay Harper driving Countess Kala when she beat Make The Rules and Paulas Mate in a thrilling three-way photo finish in December 1999, and Mark Reed scoring with Libertybelle Midfrew, who beat Waylade by two metres in December 2014.
The other mares who have been placed in the Golden Nugget are: Whitbys Miss Penny (1992), Norms Daughter (1995), Black And Blue (2000), Lombo La Fe Fe and Party Date (2004), Spicey Hot (2005) and Maczaffair (2017).
“We will see how Aardiebytheseaside pulls up after her win tonight,” said Roberts. “She is a chance of running next Friday night, with the Nugget coming up two weeks later.
“Obviously, these events for four-year-olds will be tougher for Aardiebytheseaside than racing in mares’ company. She would need a good draw. She went up against the Free-For-Allers and took care of them, with a nice draw (leading and winning from Talks Up A Storm and Sangue Reale the 2536m August Cup this year).”
Aardiebytheseaside was the $1.40 favourite from barrier two in Friday night’s classic when she began speedily and was able to withstand an early challenge from the $4.60 second fancy Steno, while the polemarker and $14 chance Our Sandy Shore galloped badly at the start and trailed her rivals throughout.
Peaceful ($17) dashed forward three wide in the first lap to move to the breeze after about 650m, with Steno then enjoying an ideal trip, one-out and one-back, and with Wonderful To Fly ($18) trailing the pacemaker.
After opening quarters of the final mile in 29.7sec. and 29.3sec. Aardiebytheseaside sprinted over the third 400m section in 27.6sec., with the final quarter taking 28.4sec.
Wonderful To Fly got into the clear approaching the home turn and ran home strongly to finish second, a neck behind Aardiebytheseaside, with Steno finishing strongly, out three wide, to be a close-up third.
The New Zealand-bred Aardiebytheseaside rated 1.57 and she has earned $484,828 from 17 wins and eight placings from 32 starts. Her eleven WA starts have produced nine wins.
“Things didn’t work out exactly to plan,” said Roberts. “I was confident we would hold out Steno at the start, but then Aardiebytheseaside decided to overrace in the middle stages, which is where things went downhill a little, and I couldn’t rate her like I wanted to.
“She always lets them (the opposition) get close to her, but she doesn’t let them get past her.”
Cordero’s upset victory
Veteran pacer Cordero caused a major boilover when he was a $41.60 outsider and sprinted home fast to snatch a nose victory over the $1.55 favourite Jumpingjackmac in the 2130m Westral Roller Shutters Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Jumpingjackmac, driven by Stuart McDonald, dashed forward from barrier five to surge past the polemarker Cordero after 300m and had a comfortable time in front with opening quarters of 31sec. and 29.5sec.
The next 400m sections were run in 28.3sec. and 28.2sec. and Cordero, a small eight-year-old gelding, driven hard by Kyle Harper, flashed home to get up and beat the hot favourite and end a losing sequence of 33 and a 13-month drought.
“It was a case of the right barrier and the right race,” said Harper. “He did it quite easily in the end. He runs his best races in this (Free-For-All) grade when they run a real time. He is an enigma when he’s down in grade. He doesn’t do so well in the lower-grade races he contests when they don’t run a genuine time.”
This was the second time that Cordero had started at long odds and got up to defeat star pacers. He was a $119.50 outsider from barrier seven and raced three back on the pegs before charging home to beat Chicago Bull, the $1.85 favourite by a nose in a 2536m Free-For-All on February 25, 2022, with Patronus Star close up in third place.
Cordero has proved to be a wonderful evergreen performer for his 70-year-old owner-trainer Trevor Wright, who was given the pacer as a two-year-old in April 2018.
Bryan Cousins bred and owned Cordero and was so disappointed when he was a $104 outsider on debut at Pinjarra on April 16, 2018, and finished last,109 metres behind the winner Valbonne, that he gave him to Wright as a gift.
Cordero now has raced 155 times for Wright, earning $260,276 from 15 wins and 39 placings.
Wheeler’s milestone
Star Collie reinsman Trent Wheeler’s target over the next five weeks is to chalk up a century of winners in the sulky for the first time in a season.
He notched his 600TH winner in the sulky when he drove Magnus Victor to a sparkling all-the-way success in the 2130m Westral Plantation Timber Shutters Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
That took his season’s tally to 92, and he is now poised to complete his most successful season, following his tally of 96 winners in 2023.
The 40-year-old Wheeler was driving Magnus Victor for the first time in a race, filling in for the four-year-old’s Capel trainer Aiden De Campo, who is serving a short term of suspension.
Magnus Victor was a $7.50 chance from the No. 3 barrier, and Wheeler stole a march on his rivals by getting the Sweet Lou gelding away to a flying start to burst to the front after 130m and then running the opening quarters in 30.1sec. and 29.8sec. before a sizzling third section of 27.2sec.
Wheeler then had to drive Magnus Victor hard in the final stages to hold out Ima Fivestar General and win by a half-length, rating 1.56.
Magnus Victor, who ended a losing sequence of ten, has been a handy performer who has earned $134,373 from 13 wins and 16 placings from 48 starts.
Just a stroll in the park
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Gee Heza Sport continues to shine, and he brought up his fourth win in a row in the space of 26 days when he outclassed the opposition in the $25,000 Westral Verishade Curtains Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It was just like trackwork for him,” said Deni Roberts after guiding the gelding and $1.04 favourite to a two-length victory over Star Casino ($7.50) after setting the pace from the No. 3 barrier.
“Obviously, it will be harder getting up in grade,” said Roberts. However, Gee Heza Sport, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, should continue his winning ways, judged on the ease in which he has defeated his rivals at his past four starts.
Gee Heza Sport is a gelding by American sire Sportswriter who has earned $216,101 from eleven wins and ten placings from 51 starts.
Ruia shows good promise
Full-brothers Machtu and Eloquent Mach were prolific winners in Western Australia in the past decade, but their younger half-sister Tenehi has been far less prominent, not having raced.
But Tenehi could be making her mark as a broodmare, with her first foal Ruia showing promise for Busselton owner-trainer Barry Howlett.
Ruia broke through for her first city success and her second win in a ten-start career when Chris Lewis drove her to an eye-catching last-to-first victory in the $21,000 Westral Quality Since 1973 Pace for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ruia is by Sweet Lou, and Howlett would dearly love her to develop into a highly successful pacer like Machtu and Eloquent Mach.
Machtu won at three of his five starts in New Zealand and then won 14 times in WA (and finished third behind Three Blind Mice in the 2014 WA Derby) before being sold to America where he won another 45 times and was retired with a record of 320 starts for 62 wins, 96 placings and $560,602.
Eloquent Mach was placed once from two New Zealand starts before being sent to WA where he won two group 2 events at Gloucester Park in 2019 --- the Western Gateway Classic and the Binshaw Pace and was retired with a record of 42 starts for 13 wins, seven placings and stakes of $203,935.
Ruia was an $8.20 chance from her awkward draw at barrier seven on Friday night when Lewis did not bustle her while the $2.05 favourite and stylish last-start Northam winner Lucky Copy set a fast early pace, with a brisk lead time of 36.2sec.
Ruia was last in the field of nine at the bell where $10 chance The First Cut was dashing forward, three wide, and being tracked by Ladieshavtime. Lewis switched Ruia out five wide on the home turn and the filly finished powerfully to win by a half-length from The First Cut, with Ladieshavtime running on to be a close third.
Ruia, who also possesses excellent gate speed and is a good frontrunner, has had ten starts for two wins, five placings and $28,356.
Hall’s early move pays dividends
Gary Hall junior’s snap decision to vacate a handy position 250m after the start --- three back on the pegs --- with veteran pacer Alta Rhett paid dividends when the eight-year-old was successful in the $19,000 Westral Window Blinds Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
In an action-packed race Navy Street, the $2.35 favourite from barrier four, challenged hard for the early lead but was unable to prevent $7 chance Firerockfireroll from setting the pace.
With Navy Street in the breeze, Hall decided his best option was to ease Alta Rhett off the pegs and into the one-out, one-back position, following Navy Street. Middlepage ($6) then surged forward to race in the breeze, leaving Alta Rhett in sixth position and following Navy Street.
Approaching the bell, Showpony ($6.50) began a three-wide move from the rear, and Alta Rhett was shuffled back to eighth turning into the back straight before Hall urged the gelding forward, three wide, to keep Navy Street in a watertight pocket with 450m to travel.
Middlepage got to the front at the 400m, and Showpony got to the lead 180m later, and then My Ultimate Chevron ($13) took a narrow lead at the 100m before Alta Rhett quickly got the upper hand and went on to win by almost a length from My Ultimate Chevron, with Showpony a battling third.
Navy Street was badly blocked for a run until 120m from the post, and then he ran home strongly, out wide, to be an unlucky fifth.
Alta Rhett, trained in Bunbury by Sarah Wall, is raced by her husband Chris in partnership with the gelding’s breeder David Stringer.
Alta Rhett is by Alta Christiano and is the fourth foal out of Justlikechocolate (48 starts for 13 wins, 19 placings and $188,937), and he has earned $226,972 from 16 wins and 45 placings from 140 starts.
Brickies Dream flies home
When smart five-year-old Brickies Dream was tenth with 500m to travel in the 1730m Westral Shadetrack Outdoor Blinds Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night his winning prospects looked quite remote.
But he unleashed a sizzling burst after going five wide 250m from home to storm to a most impressive victory, a performance at his third appearance after a beneficial winter spell which showed that he should enjoy a fruitful campaign.
Brickies Dream, trained and driven by Robbie Williams for an enthusiastic group of 17 stable clients, was an $8.10 chance from barrier six, with Franco Ecuador the $2.35 favourite from the No. 5 barrier.
Longreach Bay ($8.50) was smartest to begin from the No. 2 barrier but was unable to wrest the early lead from the polemarker and $19 chance Classic Choice, with Williams content to settle Brickies Dream at the rear.
Brickies Dream’s splendid victory surprised Williams, who said he was disappointed with the New Zealand-bred gelding’s fourth behind Bellezza Nera a fortnight earlier.
“He had an ideal trip (one-out and one-back) and he failed to finish in that race like he did tonight,” said Williams. “Maybe he was a little bit flat at his second-up run.”
Brickies Dream is by American sire Rock n Roll Heaven and is the first foal out of Kate De Goldie, who had 13 starts for three wins, four placings and $15,255. Brickies Dream ran third at each of his two appearances in New Zealand as a three-year-old in 2022, and he now has had 29 starts for ten wins, nine placings and $91,798.
Golden Lode is lightning fast
Stuart McDonald lavished praise on New Zealand-bred three-year-old Golden Lode after driving him to a brilliant victory in the 2130m Westral Meshlock Security Doors And Screens Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He’s lightning fast, and has got tougher,” declared McDonald after Golden Lode, the $7.20 second favourite, came from 11TH in the middle stages and sprinted fast from sixth (three wide) at the bell to get up and beat his stablemate and $1.55 favourite Vegas Strip by a half-neck, rating 1.56.4.
“When I first started driving him, he had a 300 to 400 metre lightning sprint, but now he can sustain his effort for longer.”
Deni Roberts, the No. 1 stable driver for the powerful Greg and Skye Bond stable who attempted an all-the-way win with Vegas Strip, admired Golden Lode’s performance, saying: “He has gone to a new level, and he’s going to be an even better four-year-old next year.”
After solid opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 30.4sec., Vegas Strip dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 27.8sec. but he simply found Golden Lode too good.
Golden Lode and Vegas Strip were the only three-year-olds in Friday night’s event, and both pacers should win many races as four-year-olds.
Golden Lode is by Always B Miki and is out of Yankee Dream, who was retired after having 56 starts for 15 wins, 18 placings and $262,989. Eleven of her wins were in New Zealand, including the group 1 Sires Stakes at Alexandra Park in May 2009. She also won four times at Melton and her final three starts were at Gloucester Park in November and December 2012 when she was unplaced in the Norms Daughter Classic and the Mares Classic.
McDonald has a good record with Golden Lode, having driven him five times for three wins, a second and an eighth placing. The three-year-old has earned $92,505 from nine wins, eight seconds and one third from 25 starts.
Giant pacer shows his worth
Few pacers in Western Australian stand as tall as Travelban, who gave a sample of his ability when he finished strongly to win the Go One Better With Westral Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The towering four-year-old who stands 16.3 hands was a $4.60 chance from the inside of the back line and he trailed the $3.20 favourite Ifeel Sikdarl before Stuart McDonald brought him home with a powerful burst to beat the pacemaker by one and a half lengths, rating a smart 1.56.1 after final 400m sections of 27.9sec. ands 28.8sec.
“Travelban is a nice horse who is capable of racing through to a nice level on a Friday night,” said his trainer Katja Warwick. “He didn’t race much as a baby because he was too big. We didn’t look at any of the classics for four-year-olds because he is not ready for that, or ready for punishment.
“He needs to be looked after and learn how to race, and I’m sure he will develop into a good horse. He is nice and correct and doesn’t have any problems. He is versatile and has good gate speed, but he hasn’t drawn good enough in his current campaign to launch out of the gate. Tonight, the race worked out like I wrote the plan.”
McDonald was more than happy to drive Travelban for the first time, after Trent Wheeler was committed to driving Rockandrollartist for trainer Aiden De Campo.
McDonald’s task was made easy when the breeze horse Strauny began to drop back with 500m to travel, thus leaving McDonald with not the slightest problem of getting into the clear with Travelban, who hit the front 110m from home.
Travelban, bred and owned by Bob Fowler, is by Fly Like An Eagle and is the sixth foal out of the unraced Blissfull Hall mare World Peace, thus his stable name of Gandhi.
Travelban has earned $60,679 from nine wins and nine placings from 33 starts, and he is following in the footsteps of his half-brothers Make It Happen (84 starts for 12 wins, 22 placings and $92,891) and Per Ardua Ad Astra (105 starts for 16 wins, 27 placings and $119,624).
Roberts tips bright future for Tualou
Aggressive driving by Deni Roberts paved the way for Tualou’s easy victory in the 2130m Westral Honeycomb Blinds Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Tualou, the $1.40 favourite, began from out wide at barrier No. 7 in the 2130m event, and Roberts identified the $3.90 second fancy Franklin Delano, a winner at his three previous starts, as the likely pacemaker and Tualou’s most serious rival.
Therefore, she implemented her plan to prevent Franklin Delano from having an easy time in front by applying plenty of pressure to the frontrunner.
Roberts sent Tualou forward, three wide, from the start and the big New Zealand-bred gelding moved to the breeze after 350m, and after 900m Tualou led by a neck before he dashed away to a clear advantage 450m from home on his way to winning by two lengths from Franklin Delano, rating 1.57.5 after final quarters of 27.6sec. and 28.4sec.
Tualou gave leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond four winners on the night, after they were successful earlier with Golden Lode, Aardiebytheseaside and Gee Heza Sport. For Roberts, this was the third leg of a driving treble, following her wins with Aasrdiebytheseaside and Gee Heza Sport.
“That was so impressive; he was so relaxed,” said Roberts after Tualou’s victory. “I think he has started to turn the corner, and I expect we will see a pretty good version of him in the future.
“It was a tough decision to drive Christopher Dance in the WA Derby (three weeks ago) ahead of Tualou. I went with the known class of Christopher Dance, but Tualou is special in his own right.
Tualou is quite a big horse and is still growing, so we will let him tell us where he’s at, regarding his racing program.”
Tualou is by Sweet Lou and is the second foal out of Mach Three mare Ask Again, a winner at three of her 19 starts for stakes of $34,034. Tualou won once from three New Zealand starts and his six wins and three seconds from eleven WA starts has given him a record of 14 starts for seven wins, three placings and $71,218.
