Spicey Major can do better
Noted speedster Spicey Major gave a typical dashing frontrunning display to win the $50,000 The West Australian Nights Of Thunder at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he revealed improved toughness to fight off a spirited late challenge from stablemate Ventura.
“I thought Ventura had me cold half-way down the straight,” said trainer-reinsman Gary Hall jnr. “But, to his credit, Spicey Major found a bit.”
The New South Wales-bred Spicey Major has led at each of his six wins from ten starts in Western Australia, and Hall is now anxious to get the five-year-old to race as a sit-sprinter and not to rely purely on his ability as a pacemaker.
“At home he comes from behind just fine, but he hasn’t done it here for me yet,” said Hall. “He settled better tonight than he did when he led and won a qualifying heat a week earlier.
“He is a short-course specialist and short distance racing suits him. But I would like to get him to race successfully with a sit and also over longer distances.”
Spicey Major, by champion sire Art Major, is the sixth foal out of former star mare Ima Spicey Lombo, who amassed $483,686 from 24 wins and 13 placings from 57 starts.
So far, Spicey Major has not shown that he has inherited the great staying ability of his dam, who showed her class as a stayer in January 2011 when she finished third behind Im Themightyquinn in both the 2906m Fremantle Cup and the 2506m WA Pacing Cup.
Spicey Major, the $1.80 favourite in Friday night’s feature event, was untroubled to lead from the coveted No. 1 barrier, and he reeled off 400m sections of 28.9sec., 29.8sec., 28.7sec. and 27.5sec.
Stablemate Ventura was the $5 second favourite from out wide at the No. 8 barrier. Stuart McDonald got Ventura away speedily and after racing three wide for the first 450m the six-year-old moved to the breeze and appeared a strong winning chance when he challenged Spicey Major hard in the home straight before being beaten by a half-length, with $20 chance Heavenly Wage running home stoutly into third place after trailing Spicey Major all the way.
Spicey Major improved his record to 44 starts for twelve wins, eight placings and $108,741 in prizemoney. His win gave Hall a record fifth driving success in the 19-year history of the 1730m Nights Of Thunder.
While Hall was full of praise for Spicey Major, he was delighted with Ventura’s excellent performance, saying: “He is a very nice horse, and I would say that if you had the choice between the two horses you would definitely take Ventura.”
Chumani’s splendid Cup trial
Energetic eight-year-old Chumani ran an excellent trial for the $50,000 Trotters Cup next Friday night when he set the pace and won The Game Trotters Trot, a stand over 2503m, at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was the Terry Ferguson-trained gelding’s third win in a row in a standing-start event. After a runaway victory at Bunbury four nights earlier he was a warm $1.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier on the front line.
Surprisingly, Chumani was beaten out by the $3.60 second fancy Uptown Lad. Chris Voak then was content to let Chumani settle behind the frontrunning Uptown Lad before he eased Chumani off the pegs and into the breeze with 950m to travel. Chumani took the lead about 480m from home and he went on to win by a length from the $6.50 chance Sunnys Little Rose, who finished solidly after racing three back on the pegs.
“Chumani very rarely doesn’t earn, and he got into this race very cheaply under the new national ratings system,” said Voak. “He is now showing more staying power, but unfortunately winning tonight hurts him for the Trotters Cup (when the handicaps for that event are declared).”
Chumani has contested the past two Trotters Cups, both when he began from the front line. He finished second to Patched in the 2023 Cup and then was sixth behind Our Maestoso last year after racing five back on the pegs.
The WA-bred Chumani, who is by champion pacing sire Bettors Delight, is the first foal out of the Victorian-bred pacing mare Storm Cat (by American pacing sire Mister Big). Chumani has earned $146,085 from 15 wins and 30 placings from 83 starts. Storm Cat was retired after racing 18 times for five placings and stakes of $7209.
After producing Chumani, Storm Cat was the dam of pacers Syncopation (one win from 46 starts) and Scuttlebutt (two wins from 19 starts).
Lavra Joe prefers sleeping
Star pacer Lavra Joe, who was extremely boisterous and difficult to control before he was gelded, is now a demure, quietly natured pacer who was so relaxed that he worried his driver Maddison Brown during the $31,000 Countryman Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is a good horse, but he wasn’t travelling that strongly in the run, and he relaxed a bit too much for my liking,” said Brown. “But around the corner he kicked into that good horse gear.”
Lavra Joe, the $1.40 favourite, dashed straight to the front from the No. 2 barrier and was not extended in covering the final three 400m sections in 28.3sec., 27.8sec. and 28.1sec. He careered away from his rivals in the home straight and won by four lengths from $71 outsider Machnificent, who surged home, out wide after enjoying the perfect trail in the one-out, one-back position.
Seven-year-old Lavra Joe is still reasonably big in condition despite having raced on each of the past eight Friday nights for four wins and two seconds, taking his record to 83 starts for 37 wins, 18 placings and $832,166.
Owner-trainer Ray Jones is hoping Lavra Joe gets a start in the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on April 25, saying: “I still haven’t received an offer from a slot holder, and there’s probably only two spots to be filled.
“He has raced every week for the past eight weeks and maybe he will have a week off and not race next Friday. He is so relaxed that he sleeps on the way up to Gloucester Park (from Greenbushes), and he sleeps on the way back. And half the time he sleeps here.
“He is enjoying a very relaxed life style. At home, sometimes in the mornings he will take off in the paddock and gallop up to a corner before spending most of the day standing under a tree.”
Jones said that he had rejected an approach to buy Lavra Joe early last year. “It came from a local guy, but I told him that he is not for sale.”
Rockandrollartist is too fast
Few pacers in the State can match the dazzling gate speed of Rockandrollartist, and trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo took full advantage of this priceless asset to drive the WA-brer six-year-old to an excellent all-the-way victory in the $23,000 Perth Now Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Rockandrollartist, a $5.90 chance, flew straight to the front from out wide at barrier seven, and when he dashed over the middle quarters in 28.4sec. and 28.2sec. he gave his rivals little chance of beating him.
After a final 400m of 29.1sec. Rockandrollartist won by just over a length from $9 chance High Price, who surged home out wide from ninth at the bell, with Storyteller ($4.60) also finishing fast from last at the bell to be third.
“It was an easy drive once we got to the front,” said De Campo. “He copped a bit of pressure racing into the bell which made me a bit nervous. I have been happy with him behind the scenes, and he is getting better with every start.
“I expected him to go really good in a heat of the Nights Of Thunder last week but he got a check about the 300m. With his gate speed he is going to be competitive in any race he goes in.”
Rockandrollartist has earned $111,759 from 12 wins and 19 placings from 64 starts.
Patient drive by Roberts pays off
A patient drive by Deni Roberts paid dividends when the smart four-year-old Thelittle Master unwound a powerful late sprint to outclass the opposition in the $21,000 Sunday Times Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Thelittle Master, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was the $2.40 favourite from the No. 7 barrier, and Roberts bided her time in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before she urged the gelding forward with a three-wide burst from the 350m.
Thelittle Master sprinted fast to burst to the front 130m later before racing away to win by three lengths from the $4.40 third fancy Mister Macedon, rating 1.56. Hi Suga Rush ($2.80) disappointed in wilting to fourth after setting the pace.
Roberts said that the win was some compensation for Thelittle Master’s third behind Lord Titanium and Mister Macedon the previous week when he began from the outside of the back line and raced in ninth place before covering a lot of extra ground.
“Last week he had to pull three wide 1100m from home, and it was a very quick mile rate (1.55.8),” said Roberts. “Tonight, it was such a difference when he didn’t have to go until the 300m, and he outsprinted them.
“It was good to be able to drive like I did tonight when I thought he would have the speed to get over the leaders as long as we got the right trip, which we did. For him to pull away like that was a good sign that he is improving with every run.”
Thelittle Master is by former star pacer Vincent and is the second foal out of Christian Cullen mare Anna Faye, who raced 90 times for 12 wins, 19 placings and $79,497. Anna Faye’s first foal Veeforvictory (also by Vincent) had his 53rd start when he set the pace and was beaten a nose by the fast-finishing Whoz This in a 2400m race at Busselton on Friday night.
Soho Santorini ends lean run
WA-bred six-year-old Sopho Santorini ended a losing sequence of 21 when Mitch Miller drove him to an all-the-way win in the $31,000 Streamer.com.au Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
It was his first success since he led and won from Flying Rumour and Our Shelley Beach Girl at Gloucester Park on Australia Day last year.
Soho Santorini, trained by Kim Prentice, was a $6.60 chance from the No. 3 barrier, and Miller paved the way for the win by getting Soho Santorini away to a flying start when the $1.85 favourite Rascal was expected to win the start and set the pace from the prized No. 1 barrier.
Emily Suvaljko eased Rascal off the pegs 700m after the start to work without cover. But the gelding became unsettled and raced ungenerously in the breeze before fading to finish last in the field of seven.
Soho Santori dashed over the final quarters in 28.6sec. and 28.4sec. and held on gamely to beat $23 chance Rock Me Over by a half neck with the veteran pacer running home stoutly after racing in the one-out, one-back position.
“Soho Santorini has always been a good frontrunner,” said Miller. “But since he has come to town, he has found it a bit harder racing against better (city) horses. Tonight, it looked his race if he could lead, and he stuck his neck out for once.
“He is slowly finding his feet in metro-class racing, and I think he will continue to earn. Hopefully, it’s not another 21 runs before he wins again.”
Soho Santorini was bred by Steve Johnson and was bought for $27,000 by Rob Watson at the 2020 Perth APG yearling sale. He now has earned $142,357 from 12 wins and 20 placings from 52 starts. He is by American sire Sunshine Beach and is the third foal out of Jeremes Jet mare Hannah Isabella, who was retired after finishing last at her only start, at Gloucester Park in January 2014.
Hannah Isabella’s dam Bonnie Blue Eyes was retired to the breeding barn after racing 44 times for 12 wins, 16 placings and $87,565. Bonnie Blue Eyes produced nine winners, including No Blue Mana, who won at his first ten starts and was retired with earnings of $628,157 from 41 wins and 25 placings from 105 starts.
Gully Gum set for the final
Promising South Australian-bred pacer Gully Gum ran an excellent trial for next Friday night’s Summer Series feature event when he scored a convincing win in the $21,000 The West Sport Show Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Gully Gum is prepared by astute Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop, who has also qualified Hi Suga Rush for a start in the final.
Gully Gum was the $1.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s 2130m event. He led for the first 250m before Aiden De Campo dashed Showpony ($3.40) to the front and then dawdled through the opening quarter of the final mile in 32.6sec.
Deni Roberts bided her time with Gully Gum and she waited until the final 220m before easing the gelding off the pegs. Gully Gum then finished strongly, got to the front at the 100m and beat Showpony by a length, rating 1.58.1 after a final 400m of 27.5sec.
“I was a bit worried when Showpony raced to the front, but after he ran such a slow first quarter I wasn’t so concerned because it was probably too slow for Showpony, who is more of a rolling type,” said Roberts.
“Gully Gum is quite fast, and he got a perfect run. He is very fast when you can use him like that.”
Mellsop said that Roberts would have the choice of drives between Gully Gum and Hi Suga Rush in next Friday night’s race.
Gully Gum is a five-year-old by American sire Huntsville and is the second and last foal out of the Modern Art mare Dorothy Hester, who was retired after having 30 starts for two wins (at Ararat and Mount Gambier in 2015), eight placings and $10,576.
Dorothy Hester’s dam Ruffle My Feathers was a handy performer, winning races in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, and retiring with a record of 91 starts for 32 wins, 30 placings and $189,063.
Gully Gum has earned $70,814 from eleven wins and ten placings from 27 starts. He won at his only two starts in South Australia (as a three-year-old in 2023) before being sold to a syndicate of several Mellsop stable clients and resuming his career in WA.
Nally’s dream start
Young New Zealand reinsman Tom Nally made a perfect start at his first appearance at Gloucester Park when he drove a patient race to land $13.70 chance Machlani to an exciting victory over the $1.95 favourite Blaze Coops in the $21,000 The Nightly Pace on Friday evening.
And harness racing followers missed an ideal opportunity to gain a bargain, with nobody tempted to buy the veteran nine-year-old pacer who was advertised for sale earlier in the week for $7000.
Machlani, trained by Michael Young, earned $12,058 for his win, and Young said the pacer was still for sale. He purchased Machlani for $5000 just over three months ago on behalf of owners Matt Joss, Glen Hepburn, Oliver Cownie and Matt Leppard --- and the old gelding’s eleven runs for them have resulted in four wins and $28,866 in prizemoney.
“We bought him because we realised that the new national handicapping system would suit him, and he would drop a long way in class,” explained Young. “He was advertised for $7000 before tonight’s race, and we have had no takers.”
Machlani, who possesses excellent gate speed and is a smart frontrunner, was favourably drawn at barrier two on Friday night. But the 22-year-old Nally adhered to a plan to drive the horse with a sit.
“We talked about tactics before the race, and we knew that Alwaysbfrank would come out humming (from barrier three),” said Nally. “So, we decided that there would be no point in trying to lead and knowing that Blaze Coops likes to lead and roll along, we anticipated that the field would be stretching out, and that we should be able to get off the pegs when we needed to.
“So, I wasn’t worried about racing three back on the pegs, and I got off at the right time. Machlani was on and off the bit, but when I asked him to go, he knew what he was doing and he put his head down and really dug in.”
Alwaysbfrank ($19) was smartest into stride before Kyle Harper sent Blaze Coops to the front after 100m. Blaze Coops raced keenly in the lead, and she appeared certain to win when she led by almost four lengths approaching the home turn. But she was swamped in the closing stages by Machlani, who won by a half-length.
Machlani has raced 148 times for 18 wins, 35 placings and $181,084 in stakes. He is by Mach Three and is the fourth foal out of the Million To One mare Leilani Lombo, who was retired with earnings of $224,595 from ten wins and six placings from 23 starts. The highlight of her career was her win in the group 1 APG Pacing Gold feature for two-year-old fillies at Albion Park in April 2010.
“I arrived in Perth from New Zealand five days before Christmas, and then me and my partner went around for a couple of weeks enjoying ourselves before I started working for the Bond stable,” said Nally.
“In races over here, you have to be more tactical, and they drive a light tighter here on the smaller tracks than they do in New Zealand on the bigger tracks.”