SNEAKYN DOWN UNDER BIDS FOR MIRACLE MILE INVITATION

Brilliant seven-year-old Sneakyn Down Under burst back into Miracle Mile contention when he blitzed the opposition in the $20,500 Ross North Zen Spring Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His dazzling all-the-way victory by 19m over Talk To Me Courage showed that his battling, well-beaten second to Talk To me Courage two weeks earlier had been an aberration.

He began with scorching speed from barrier five, burst to the front after 280m and then gave his rivals no chance as he sustained a fast pace in front, reeling off final sectionals in 29.8sec., 29.4, 28.6 and 28.5 to rate 1.56.4 over 2130m, fractionally outside Tee Pee Village’s track record of 1.56.3.

Part-owner and trainer Darren Duffy produced the powerful New Zealand-bred son of Badlands Hanover in superb condition and punters rallied to support him from 2/1 to 10/9 on before he started at 10/9, with Talk To Me Courage the favourite at even money.

Chris Lewis made his intentions abundantly clear from the outset as he revved up Sneakyn Down Under in the mobile score-up and urged the gelding forward right from the start.

The victory gave Lewis his second success in the Spring Pace. He won the inaugural Spring Pace with Commander Whitby in 2006.

Duffy was excited at the ease of Sneakyn Down Under’s victory and is hopeful that the gelding will gain an invitation to contest the $500,000 Miracle Mile in Sydney in November.

Sneakyn Down Under now boasts a record of 36 starts for 15 wins, eight placings and stakes of $197,163.

Talk To Me Courage, unbeaten at his three previous starts after resuming from a spell, was far from disgraced. He started from the outside barrier (No. 9) and settled down at the rear before Gary Hall jun. sent him forward, three wide, after 450m.

Talk To Me Courage then raced without cover over the final 1500m and fought on doggedly to just take second place by a nose from stablemate Indian Giver, who fought on from fifth on the pegs at the bell.

Fourmoore, who had raced without cover early and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-one and one-back, battled on gamely to finish fourth.

 HAPPY REUION FOR KYLE HARPER

Young trainer Donald Harper’s decision to engage his 19-year-old brother Kyle to drive Village Ruler in the Berkeley Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night paid dividends when the lightly-raced six-year-old gave a bold frontrunning display to win in good style from Ohokas Artsplace.

The race was restricted to M1-class pacers, but Village Ruler, an M2-class pacer, became eligible when 21-year-old Donald Harper decided to make use of his brother’s concession as a junior driver.

Village Ruler, favourite at 7/4, began smartly from barrier three and he was untroubled to lead throughout to record his 11th victory from only 28 starts.

It was a happy reunion between horse and driver. Harper had not driven Village Ruler since November 2, 2007, when the gelding started at 3/1 on with bookmakers and at 5/1 on on the tote. Village Ruler was trapped on the pegs and hopelessly blocked for a clear run in the final circuit and finished sixth behind Sorrento Tuesday.

Harper had driven Village Ruler three times before that for three wins, two at Pinjarra and one at Bunbury.

The Harper brothers are sons of former leading reinsman Lindsay Harper, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday.

 STOCKMAN MAKES IT THREE CITY WINS IN 20 YEARS

Sixty-five-year-old Des Stockman landed his third metropolitan-class winner in the past 20 years when he drove Tony Macoy to an all-the-way victory in the Broadwater Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Tony Macoy, backed from 5/2 to favouritism at 10/9 on, bowled along in front and had to be driven out in the closing stages to hold on and score by 1m from Beach Bandit.

And some of the gloss of the victory was removed when the stewards fined Stockman $400 for improper use of the whip.

It was the Adelaide-born Stockman’s first city winner since Lombo Apollo was successful at Gloucester Park almost exactly four years ago, on September 16, 2005. His previous city winner was King Hilarion in 1989.

Stockman, a part-time Byford trainer, races his pacers in bright colours --- green, red, black and gold bands and gold sleeves as a tribute to his mentor, former trainer Dan Egan. But he forgot the colours on Friday night and had to use the Be Active club colours of white and red.

Lombo Apollo, bought by Stockman and his son Brett for $2000 as a yearling, was a great moneyspinner, earning $78,952 from his 21 wins and 16 placings from 80 starts.

The New South Wales-bred Tony Macoy won once in NSW and three times in Victoria before coming to WA 12 months ago. He now has had 13 WA starts for two wins and two placings.

 JACOBS WELL REVIVES MEMORIES OF OHOKA ACE

Rejuvenated pacer Jacobs Well completed a hat-trick of wins when he cruised to an easy victory over Next Tiger and Riding Shotgun in the Aspen Claiming Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His victory revived memories of former star WA pacer Ohoka Ace, who had 96 starts for 25 wins, 32 placings and stakes of $437,502.

Ohoka Ace, trained by Andrew de Campo, was placed in the Fremantle Cup, the Australian Pacing Championship and the WA Pacing Cup in successive starts in January-February 2005. He is out of Chateaubriand, whose half-sister Chauser Franco is the dam of the New South Wales-bred Jacobs Well.

While Jacobs Well will never reach the heights attained by Ohoka Ace, he is proving an excellent moneyspinner for Serpentine trainer-driver Giles Inwood, a part-owner of the seven-year-old who was claimed for $10,000 12 months ago and has earned his new connections $37,175 from six wins and 12 placings from 31 starts.

Jacobs Well now has an overall record of 77 starts for 18 wins, 31 placings and $139,876.

Jacobs Well started his racing career in Tasmania where he won five times before coming to WA where he was trained by Gary Hall sen. and recorded five wins and two seconds from his first eight starts in WA.

Apart from Jacobs Well, Chauser Franco has produced winners in Aintshegreat, That’s Mister Ali and Pacific Fair.

Her dam Chateaubriand produced nine winners, the best of which was Ohoka Ace.  

 SCRAM JET PROVIDES SPLENDID BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Banjup trainer Katja Schreyvogel, who celebrated her 37th birthday, last Monday, has no regrets about outlaying $5100 to claim Scram Jet late last May.

The eight-year-old revealed sparkling speed to score an effortless victory over A Question of Time in the Ross North Admiral Claiming Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

This took Scram Jet’s record for Schreyvogel to 11 starts for two wins and five placings for earnings of $19,884.

The Jet Laag gelding, an easing 9/4 favourite, was driven confidently by 31-year-old Nathan Turvey, who was able to retain the lead from barrier one after Jilliby Lightning, from barrier three, was smartest into stride and had jumped one length clear.

But Turvey was able to get Scram Jet to muster sufficient early pace to foil Jilliby Lightning’s bid to take the lead.

A Question of Time (3/1) started from barrier nine and Gary Hall jun. sent him forward after 400m to take up the position outside the lead 1200m from home. However, Scram Jet gave A Question of Time very little opportunity to win by sprinting the final 800m in a sizzling 55.7sec.

A Question of Time was claimed for $15,000 by Larry Fischer, of New York, and Victor Chan claimed Rudiani for $15,000.

 WINDERMERE SUSAN CAUSES AN UPSET

New South Wales-bred mare Windermere Susan caused an upset when she started at 20/1 and stormed home to beat hot favourite Elysees Crest in the Springvale Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Windermere Susan, driven by her Waroona trainer Bob Mellsop, was the lone runner off the second line and she enjoyed the run of the race behind the pacemaking Elysees Crest, who had been supported from 7/4 to 10/9 on before starting at evens.

Elysees Crest set a brisk pace and looked certain to win when she dashed away to open up a lead of more than two lengths in the home straight. But she stopped badly over the final 80m and Windermere Susan swept to the front 20m from the post.

Fidelius Charm, who had raced three back on the pegs, ran on to be third, with Nowuseeme (5/2) flashing home to be an eye-catching fourth.

Nowuseeme, who had started from the No. 8 barrier, was last at the bell and was still in last position on the pegs with 250m to travel before Ryan Hayter brought her home with a sizzling late burst.

Windermere Susan won once in Victoria and five times in New South Wales before arriving in WA in June. Her first eight starts in WA have produced two wins and two thirds.

 LITTLE SONNY BILL KEEPS ON WINNING

New Zealand-bred five-year-old Little Sonny Bill maintained his tremendous strike rate when he sustained a powerful finishing burst to score a narrow victory over Bankers Choice in the Minara Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

A winner of six races from 23 Victorian starts, Little Sonny Bill chalked up his fourth win from only six WA starts for leading trainer Gary Hall sen.

An easing favourite from 5/4 to 9/4, Little Sonny Bill was handled with aplomb by Shane Cramp, who races the gelding in partnership with Victorians Bradley Winslow, Travis Laity, Wayne Mayne, Graeme Walters and Shane Noonan.

With Motu Sir Vance setting a fast pace (when outsider Boney Operative was overracing on his outside), Cramp was content to keep Little Sonny Bill at the rear.

Little Sonny Bill was tenth and three wide at the bell and he was forced five wide with 400m to travel before he got to a narrow lead on the home turn. However, Bankers Choice (7/2), who had taken the lead 300m from home, refused to surrender and he fought back determinedly to fail by a head.

Hall brought up a training double when Gary Hall jun. drove the New Zealand-bred Smooth Shift to a comfortable victory over Wemen Earl and Chico Verano in the Wesley Pace over 2503m.

Smooth Shift, a 2/1 on favourite, raced three wide for the first 400m before he took the lead 550m after the start. But he took no ill-effects from this hard work to go on and score easily.

It was his eighth win from 25 WA starts after winning once from ten starts in NSW and Victoria. He was successful at his debut, as a two-year-old in Bulli in February 2007.

 FLYING START WINS IT FOR HERE FOR THE PARTY

A blistering start by Here For The Party paved the way for the gelding’s impressive all-the-way victory over Dilinger Whitby and Mon Gee in the 2130m Rendezvous Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Ross Olivieri-trained Here For The Party was backed from 4/1 to 3/1 with bookmakers and started equal favourite with Dilinger Whitby, the 2/1 tote favourite.

But Chris Lewis stole a march when he was able to fire Here For The Party, from barrier six, to the front 100m after the start.

Dilinger Whitby, who led for the first 100m, then trailed the pacemaker. But he was unable to get clear until well into the home straight. He finished fast, but the bird had flown.

Mon Gee (7/1) worked hard in the breeze and stuck on grandly to finish third, just ahead of Victreos, who finished solidly on the inside.

Here For The Party won five times from 13 starts in Tasmania before arriving in WA early last year. The son of Iraklis has excelled for Olivieri in WA where his26 starts have produced seven Gloucester Park wins and four placings. 

The versatile pacer has graduated to an M3 mark and looks set for many more wins.

 TOUGH VILLAGE STEEL OUTSTAYS WHOSYOURDADDY

Village Steel has always been noted for his toughness and it was this attribute which enabled him to overhaul the pacemaker Whosyourdaddy in the final stages and win the Sentinel Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Village Steel (7/2 to 5/2) started from 20m and Vance Stampalia settled the gelding down in sixth place in the moving line. He then had no hesitation in vacating this ideal position in the first circuit to dash forward and work hard on the outside of the leader.

Village Steel fought on grimly to get to the front 50m from the post and he scored by 1m from the gallant Whosyourdaddy. The final 800m was covered in 58.7sec.

This ended a losing sequence of ten for the Colin Joss-trained Village Steel, who has been a wonderfully consistent pacer, with his 35 starts producing ten wins and ten placings for earnings of $84,763.

He certainly has proved a bargain for Joss’s wife Pauline, Bryn Jones and Mark Roberts, who paid only $5000 for the Village Jasper gelding.

Village Steel is the second foal out of the Preux Chevalier mare Graceland, a winner of five races on WA country tracks in 1999. Graceland has also produced handy pacers The Turning Point and Priscilla Rocks.