Carana is one the way up
Seven-year-old Carana, described by his driver Deni Roberts as having been “a bit of a problem child” in New Zealand, maintained his excellent form with an easy win in the Retravision Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Produced in great shape by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, Carana, a $4 chance, overcame the disadvantaged of starting off the 20m handicap and the anticipated strong opposition from the well credentialled New Zealand pacers Montana D J ($2.50 favourite), Frankie Major ($3.80) and Bellissimo Acquisto ($4.80) to coast to a 7m win from $34 outsider Callmewhatuwant.
“He is a beautiful horse, and I was quietly confident before the race because I thought that the two favourites (Montana D J and Frankie Major) would probably go at each other at some stage,” said Roberts.
“They couldn’t quite get Carana going in New Zealand. He suffered from a fibrillation, and we got him on a good deal.”
Carana raced nine times in New Zealand for two wins (in stands) and four placings. He now has had 19 starts in Western Australia for ten wins and five placings. Eighteen of those runs were in stands.
He has yet to win a mobile event, but Roberts is confident he will perform well in mobiles, saying: “As long as I drive him quietly, nice and cold.”
Montana D J galloped badly at the start in Friday night’s race and settled down about 80 metres behind the pacemaker Frankie Major. With two laps to travel the eight runners were in single file, with Carana back in seventh position.
Callmewhatuwant was in fifth place, and when Toby Lynn eased the four-year-old off the inside to move to the breeze 1150m from home, Roberts was able to gain a perfect passage, trailing Callmewhatuwant.
After a 28.5sec. third quarter of the final mile 3, Carana sprinted fast to burst to the front with 350m to travel. He then dashed away from his rivals and won, unextended, with a final 400m section of 28.6sec.
“I was quite happy to go on my own (to the breeze),” said Roberts. “Carana can do a bit of work and he’s not completely one dimensional. And when the helmet came, I was pretty happy.”
Queeninthecorner is flying
Five-year-old Queeninthecorner has struck a purple patch, and she enhanced her prospects in the $50,000 Kerry Clarke Pace with a dashing victory in the 2130m Bridge Bar Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Kyle Symington got Queeninthecorner, the $1.40 favourite, away to a flying start from barrier four, and the Sportswriter mare relished her frontrunning role as she reeled off quarters of 29.8sec., 29.1sec., 28.5sec. and 28.7sec. to win by two and a half lengths from $12 chance Chilli Punter, who enjoyed a perfect sit behind the leader all the way.
Queeninthecorner rated a smart 1.55.5 and improved her record to 44 starts for ten wins, ten placings and stakes of $109,149. Her win completed a double for Symington and trainer Ryan Bell, who had been successful with The Code Breaker earlier in the night.
Her victory followed an impressive success at a 1.55.4 rate over 2130m a week earlier when she made the most of the running and beat Nullarbor Navajo.
“Ryan didn’t do a lot with her between wins, and she felt fresh during the week,” said Symington. “She felt awesome in the run tonight and won easily.”
Brown seizes the opportunity
Maddison Brown made the most of a surprise opportunity to drive Wall Street Girl in the Smooth FM Perth On Digital Radio Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night by guiding the five-year-old to an effortless victory.
Brown replaced Jocelyn Young, who was too upset to take the drive after her horse Cowboys N Bandits had suffered a heart attack and died after finishing ninth behind Hale Saint Louie in race two.
Wall Street Girl was the $2.80 second favourite from the No. 8 barrier, with Velocipede the easing $2.65 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of nine.
Walsh (barrier four) and Have Ago Joe (five) dashed forward, out wide, at the start, while Brown did not bustle Wall Street Girl, who worked forward strongly to get to the front after 250m.
Wall Street Girl is trained by Debra Lewis, who bred and owns the five-year-old. After her son Mark had asked Brown to drive the mare, Brown watched replays of the mare’s races on her mobile phone.
“I did that because I knew that Wall Street Girl had a history of doing things wrong when she was a bit younger,” said Brown. “I noticed that Jocelyn never pushed her early on and was happy to let the mare find her feet and go forward.
“Mark said that Wall Street Girl had been doing things alright recently and was confident she could get out of the gate well. So, I aimed to get her out as good as I could, and once she found the top I thought she could win.”
Wall Street Girl withstood a challenge from Have Ago Joe 450m after the start, and he then was forced to race in the breeze before wilting to finish last.
Velocipede raced at the rear and lacked sparkle when taken wide approaching the home turn. He finished a disappointing eighth.
Wall Street Girl, who ended a losing run of ten, has been a handy performer who has earned $93,543 from nine wins and 23 placings from 60 starts. She is by former star pacer Alta Christiano and is out of the South Australian-bred mare Manhattan Dream, who raced 71 times for 17 wins and 15 placings for stakes of $35,241.
Finvarra just hangs on
Speedy pacer Finvarra performed below his best when he set the pace and held on grimly to score a narrow victory over his stablemates Wildwest and Diego in the $31,000 Ray Duffy Memorial Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Finvarra, trained by Gary Hall snr, rated 1.56.4 over the 2130m, and his win was certainly not as impressive as when he led and won at a 1.55.5 rate over the same journey the previous Friday night.
“He didn’t travel like he did last week,” said reinsman Gary Hall jnr. “But he did enough to win. We gave him an easy time and decided not to track him during the week. Maybe the previous Friday night’s win was a bit too comfortable for him.”
Finvarra was a hot $1.20 favourite from the No. 3 barrier in Friday night’s event, in which Wildwest and Diego were $18 chances.
Steel The Show ($7.50) raced in the breeze, with Wildwest enjoying a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position, and Diego following Wildwest all the way. Both Wildwest and Diego finished with powerful bursts and will pay to follow.
The WA-bred Finvarra has earned $286,797 from 15 wins and 14 placings from 40 starts.
The Code Breaker is bred to succeed
Victorian-bred seven-year-old gelding the Code Breaker is bred to be a good winner. He is by outstanding American sire American Ideal and is out of Alldatglittersisgold, the dam of nine winners, including Baby Bling, Bling It On and Bletchley Park.
Baby Bling raced 55 times for 21 wins, ten placings and $845,490, Bling It On earned $1,882,957 from 49 wins and 24 placings from 100 starts, and Bletchley Park had 75 starts for 20 wins, 24 placings and $418,028.
The Code Breaker, trained by Ryan Bell and driven by Kyle Symington, excelled at his third outing after a spell when he gave a bold frontrunning display to win comfortably from Magnus Victor and Solesseo Matuca in the 2130m Skyracing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This took The Code Breaker’s record to 83 starts for 17 wins, 30 placings and stakes of $194,816 --- a good return for his purchase price of $72,500 at the 2018 APG Melbourne yearling sale.
The Code Breaker was the $4.20 second favourite, who gave his supporters little cause for concern after Symington dashed him straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier. After an opening quarter of 28.8sec. The Code Breaker got a breather with a second quarter of 30.4sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 29.3sec. and 28.2sec. to beat $12 chance Magnus Victor by a length, with that pacer impressing in finishing determinedly from sixth at the bell.
“I was a bit worried after the 28.8sec. first quarter,” said Symington. “But The Code Breaker is a quality animal who got the job done. And I was a bit surprised when he dashed away at the 400m.”
Solesseo Matuca fought on grandly after working hard in the breeze, while the $3.60 favourite Youre So Fine ran home gamely from tenth at the bell to finish fourth.
Ideal Tomado loves to lead
“He’s a leader who also goes well on the rails but is not very effective off the rails,” said trainer Michael Young after Gary Hall jnr had driven $3.20 favourite Ideal Tomado to a narrow win over the $4.80 second fancy Ira Poole in the 2130m Garrard’s Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ideal Tomado was first out from the No. 1 barrier, and after a slow opening quarter of 32sec. and a modest second 400m of 29.8sec. he sprinted over the final quarters in 28.4sec. and 28.8sec. to beat Ira Poole by one metre after that pacer had raced in the breeze throughout.
Ideal Tomado was having his first start for five weeks --- after leading and being pressured for much of the way before fading to finish seventh behind Lusaka.
“That was a very tough run, and he needed a break,” said Young. “I haven’t done a lot with him since that run, and he was pretty big in condition tonight.”
Ideal Tomado came to Australia after having had 29 starts in New Zealand for one win (as a four-year-old over 2200m at Cambridge in July 2021 when he sat behind the pacemaker and finished strongly along the sprint lane) and nine placings.
He now has had 53 starts for ten wins, 13 placings and $84,667. He is by American Ideal and is the second foal out of President Tomado, who raced 57 times for eight wins, eleven placings and $53,450.
Ambitsiya bounces back
Promising filly Ambitsiya bounced back to win the $21,000 Steelos Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night after disappointing as the $2 favourite when a well beaten sixth in a field of seven over 1730m three nights earlier.
She was the $2.90 favourite from the prized No. 1 barrier on Friday night when Gary Hall jnr drove her to an all-the-way win, beating the $3 second fancy Madam Publisher by a neck, rating 1.56.9 over 2130m after smart final quarters of 28.4sec. and 28.9sec.
Madam Publisher dashed forward from out wide at barrier eight to race in the breeze. She fought on determinedly and will pay to follow.
“This was an improvement on Tuesday when she raced roughly,” said Hall. “She had been rough before but on Tuesday she was terrible, and I was surprised that she was favourite tonight.
“We made no changes since Tuesday, but I thought she would go better racing on the rails. It was a hot speed on Tuesday, particularly on that (heavy) track. She paced roughly on the final two bends. Tonight, she did it a little bit, but not so badly. She does hit a knee a bit.”
Ambitsiya, trained by Gary Hall snr, is by Advance Attack and is the sixth foal out of Bettors Delight mare Is She Talking, who was trained by Hall in 2013-14 when she raced 32 times for eleven wins, eight placings and $81,615.
Ambitsiya’s half-sister Fake News won the group 3 Country Derby at Pinjarra in March 2019 before being retired with earnings of $177,412 from 14 wins and seven placings from 38 starts.
Alta Rhett ends losing run of 32
Veteran pacer Alta Rhett has been a wonderful moneyspinner for Bunbury trainer Sarah Wall, and the eight-year-old ended a losing sequence of 32 when she broke through for her first win for 16 months at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
After an encouraging last-start third behind Skylord, Alta Rhett was a warm $1.20 favourite from the No. 4 barrier in the 2130m WA Foton Diesel at Catalano Pace when Gary Hall jnr dashed him straight to the front and set the pace before winning by three lengths from $51 outsider Call To Arms, rating1.58.3 after a final quarter of 28.1sec.
About 100m after the start Justlike Turbo broke into a gallop, dislodging his driver Kyle Symington and causing severe interference to Cavalry Call and Gold Horseshoe. Rock Me Over was inconvenienced during the early incident, and he did well to run on from sixth at the bell to finish third.
“It’s good for Alta Rhett to get a win,” said Hall. “He has been an honest old performer, and it’s good to see him still racing with such zest. Potentially, there’s more wins in store for him. He has that key ingredient for Gloucester Park, and that’s gate speed.”
Alta Rhett has raced 133 times for 15 wins, 45 placings and stakes of $213,834. He is by Alta Christiano and is the fourth foal out of Justlikechocolate, who had 48 starts for 13 wins, 19 placings and $188,937.
His win on Friday night gave Hall his fourth win on the nine-event program, following successes with Abitsiya, Ideal Tomado and Finvarra.
Hale Saint Louie comes from last
New Zealand-bred four-year-old Hale Saint Louie showed that he has the potential to develop into a star pacer when he charged home from tenth and last at the 900m to burst to the front on the home turn and race away to score a dashing victory in the 2130m Westside Auto Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the $4.20 third favourite from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, and trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green revealed his extreme confidence when he restrained him to the rear while Chris Lewis dashed the $3.50 second fancy Winegum straight to the front.
The $3.20 favourite Captain Bligh began out wide at barrier eight, and Gary Hall jnr sent him forward with a three-wide burst to move to the breeze after 700m.
Hale Saint Louie was still last 900m from home before Egerton-Green sent him forward, and the gelding sustained a spirited run and was not extended in winning by one and a half lengths from Winegum, rating 1.56.7 after final quarters of 28.6sec. and 28.2sec.
“I had been working him probably a bit too soft,” admitted Egerton-Green. “So, I have stepped him up to work with better company, and he has taken it in his stride. And he showed tonight that was what he needed.
“We bought him knowing that he hung a bit, and we thought we could iron it out. But he threw in a few tricks, trying to outsmart us. Now, credit is due to everyone at home who have done some work on him and have got him feeling the best he can. Hopefully, he can keep stepping up.”
Hale Saint Louie is by Sweet Lou and is the first out of New Zealand mare Everlasting Deal, who was retired after racing twice for one placing. Hale Saint Louie raced once in New Zealand for a second placing at Invercargill in November 2022. He now has had 16 starts for eight wins, five placings and $68,241.
