Sangue Reale is at a new level
Veteran pacer Sangue Reale has graduated to a new level and his trainer and driver Chris Voak is confident the nine-year-old can cause an upset and beat his younger and more fancied rivals Gee Heza Sport and Aardiebytheseaside in the $31,000 The Nullarbor Road To Riches Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Sangue Reale also has to overcome the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier eight, with brilliant five-year-old mare Aardiebytheseaside more favourably drawn at barrier three, and her seven-year-old stablemate Gee Heza Sport drawn on the outside in the field of nine.
Sangue Reale bounced back to top form as a $21 chance when he finished with great determination to win the $50,000 Mount Eden Sprint over 1684m at Pinjarra three Mondays ago when he defeated star pacers Minstrel and Magnificent Storm.
He rated a sizzling 1.49.9 and became the first horse in WA to break 1.50 on any track and over any distance. He also became the first pacer to break the 1.50 barrier on a thousand metre track in Australia.
“I would prefer a better draw this week, but it doesn’t bother me,” said an upbeat Voak. “His work this morning (Tuesday) went to the next level. I galloped him in the cart on the hard track at home, and his heart rate was excellent. His recent work has been better than it was going into the Pinjarra race.
“I think he has a lot more strength than he has had in previous campaigns. In those campaigns he was a follower, but on Friday night I will be aiming to go forward and sit in the breeze.”
Star driver Deni Roberts has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to handle Gee Heza Sport in preference to Aardiebytheseaside, who she has handled in all her twelve WA starts for nine wins.
She has driven Gee Heza Sport in all of his five WA starts for four wins and a first-up second. Dylan Egerton-Green has been engaged by trainers Greg and Skye Bond to drive Aardiebytheseaside, who reappeared after a four-month absence when she finished a well-beaten third behind Nullarbor Navajo and Steno in the 1684m Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra three Mondays ago after racing in the one-out, one-back position.
Gee Heza Sport faces an acid first-up test at his first appearance in Free-For-All company. But he has shown his class by winning by big margins at his final four starts in October and November before being sent for a spell.
“Aardiebytheseaside and Heza Good Sport are very good pacers, and I’ve gone with the class this week,” said Roberts. “Gee Heza Sport is going really good, while Aardiebytheseaside should go well from her draw.
“She pulled up quite big (in condition) after her first-up third, and she is now a lot more forward.”
Bonny mare Wonderful To Fly should be prominent for trainer-reinsman Shane Young from the prized No. 1 barrier. She raced without cover before fading to finish last in the Golden Girls Mile but can do much better on Friday night.
Backmarkers set to fight it out
Talented mares Water Lou and Penny Black will share the back mark of 30 metres and look set to fight out the finish of the $35,000 Race For Roses over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
They are by boom American stallion Sweet Lou, whose third runner in the annual event is Sweet Vivienne, who has bright prospects of finishing third behind the backmarkers.
None of those three mares have contested a standing-start event, but all three have qualified recently after sound getaways behind the barrier strands at trials.
Gary Hall jnr will drive Penny Black for trainer Michael Young, and he said that the 2500m journey would suit the redoubtable stayer Penny Black, a winner at ten of her 22 starts.
“She is ideally suited off the back mark, and she was safe enough away in her trial (at Pinjarra three Mondays ago),” said Hall. “I expect Penny Black or Water Lou to win.”
Hall has a good record in the Race For Roses, having won the event with Nowuseeme (2009), Beaudiene Beach Babe (2019) and Semiramide (2020).
Four-year-old Water Lou, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, has won at 21 of her 30 starts for earnings of $428,052. She will be making her first appearance for six weeks --- since she trailed the pacemaker before fading to finish last behind the speedy Steno in 2130m Lord Mayor’s Cup.
Water Lou was most impressive when she began safely in a 2550m standing-start trial at Byford last Saturday when she sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 27.1sec.
“I expect her to match up against the older mares in Friday night’s race,” declared Reed. “She works with fast-class horses from our stable, and I’m very happy with the way she is going.
“She got away well in the trial, and I think she will get away a lot better, following out the ones drawn in front of her. Shannon (Suvaljko) didn’t pull the plugs in the trial, and that run should do her the world of good.”
Trainer-reinsman Chris Voak, who drove Taking The Miki to victory in the 2023 Race For Roses for trainer Jemma Hayman, is looking for a strong effort from Sweet Vivienne, who has won easily in mobile events at Gloucester Park and Narrogin at her past two starts.
Sweet Vivienne, who qualified to race in stands with a smart getaway in a standing-start trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week, will begin from the 10m mark on Friday night.
“She has gone to another level at her past couple of starts, but I’m not super confident about the stand even though she led and won her qualifying trial by about four lengths,” said Voak. “She will either fly away and lead by three (lengths) or she will miss the start. It’s heart in your mouth early with her.”
Young, who has a high opinion of Penny Black, will have a good second-string runner in five-year-old Acushla Machree, who will be making her first appearance for just over 15 weeks. She will begin from 10m and will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
Acushla Machree, a winner at five of her 32 starts in New Zealand, has raced five times in WA for two wins and two placings. Her only appearance in a stand was when she began off the 30m mark and galloped and lost five lengths at the start before finishing a close-up seventh in a field of eight behind Boudica over 2700m at Alexandra Park on May 24, 2024.
Several of the lesser lights in Friday night’s race are vastly experienced in stands, including the David Young-trained frontmarker Minor Catastrophe, who will be driven by Aiden De Campo, who said: “She steps like a bullet, and she should be whereabouts, although it looks very hard.
Minor Catastrophe has won at seven of her 26 starts in stands, with her stablemate Jackie Daniels (Dylan Egerton-Green) has had one stand win (at Northam).
Jill Mach, to be driven by Trent Wheeler for Pinjarra trainer Karen Young, has contested 81 stands for nine wins, 17 seconds and eight thirds. She has raced in the past three Race For Roses for a sixth behind Purest Silk (2022), a second to Taking the Miki (2023) and a third to Turn the Page (2024).
The Biana Ashcroft-trained Fleur Du Marquis (Kyle Harper) has been success in five standing-start events, and she is capable of solid showing from the 10m mark.
Greatgreat Boulder shocks Roberts
Unruly pacer Greatgreat Boulder left star driver Deni Roberts searching for superlatives after he thundered home from a seemingly impossible position to snatch victory in a race at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
The WA-bred four-year-old trained by Greg and Skye Bond has been an unreliable pacer in his short career of 16 starts but there is no doubting his tremendous ability.
“I didn’t think he was going to win last week, and he shocked me with his brilliant performance,” said Roberts when assessing his prospects from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the Hoist Torque Australia Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Greatgreat Boulder gave further proof of his outstanding ability with his win last week when he was six wide early before being restrained to last in the field of ten. He was ninth at the bell and eighth when switched three wide 275m from home. He went five wide on the home turn and flew home to get up and snatch victory from Blameitonthenight.
“He still has a few tricks every now and then,” said Roberts. “But he is getting a lot better. We are happy to leave him ODM (out of the draw in mobiles). With his gate manners he is better off out there --- for my safety and everyone else’s.
“I think he is quick enough (to win) if there is a bit of tempo in the race.”
Among Greatgreat Boulder’s rivals this week are the New Zealand-bred pair of Blameitonthenight (barrier three) and Hes Never Been Beta (barrier eight), who are trained by Gary Hall snr.
Gary Hall jnr will drive Blameitonthenight, who finished a half-head second to Greatgreat Boulder last Tuesday week before he raced in the breeze for much of the way and finished third behind Delulu over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
“Blameitonthenight should benefit from that run when he ran some good sectionals (28.9sec., 28.2sec. and 28.6sec. over the final three quarters),” said Hall jnr. “He is still a bit fat, but if he was able to lead on Friday night a win would be on the cards.”
Hes Never Been Beta will be handled by Trent Wheeler. He gave a sound first-up performance when he raced in the breeze and held on to finish third behind Madam Publisher and Captain Stirling over 2100m at Bunbury last Saturday.
Cee Dee Three and Lord Titanium are in splendid form and will have admirers despite their awkward barriers.
Ideal Muscle ready to explode
Former New Zealand pacer Hugotastic has won easily at his first two Australian starts and is expected to be a hot odds-on favourite in the opening event, the $25,000 Ascot Group WA Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but star trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is confident his little gelding Ideal Muscle has the speed and strength to beat his talented rival.
De Campo has opted to drive Ideal Muscle in preference to his brilliant stablemate Menemsha, a winner of six races and $284,631, with his victories including the group 1 Westbred Classic and group 2 Pearl Classic as a two-year-old in 2023, as well as finishing second to Christopher Dance in the group 1 WA Derby last November.
Ideal Muscle has earned $106,782 from eight wins and 12 placings from 30 starts, and he impressed at his second outing after a spell when he charged home, out wide, from the rear to finish second to stablemate Magnus Victor last Friday night.
Menemsha reappeared after a spell in dashing style when he finished brilliantly to win from Magnus Victor last Friday week when driven by Trent Wheeler in place of De Campo, who was under suspension.
Ideal Muscle will begin from the No. 2 barrier, with Menemsha drawn to start from the outside barrier in the field of eight.
“The better barrier draw was the reason I’ve chosen to drive Ideal Muscle,” said De Campo. “The two horses worked together this morning (Tuesday) and I couldn’t split them at the finish.
“I thought Ideal Muscle was career best last start, and I think he can lead and win this week. He ran super times off the track (out wide) last week and hit the line strongly. His work this morning on the Pinjarra track was as good as it has ever been.
“I think he can cross the one (Chasing Hill) and prove hard to beat. Hugotastic has big wraps on him, but he is jumping up in grade a fair bit.”
It is interesting to compare the runs of Hugotastic and Ideal Muscle when they raced last Friday night. Hugotastic covered his final 800m in 56.2sec., with two 28.1sec, quarters, while Ideal Muscle ran his final 800m in 56.4sec., with final 400m sections of 27.68sec. and 28.6sec.
Wheeler will handle Menemsha, who cannot be overlooked as a winning chance. He is capable of unleashing a sparkling late burst.
Adding interest to the event will be the return to racing of six-year-old Ira Poole after an absence of ten months --- when the gelding trained by Gary Hall snr finished strongly to win over 2130m at Gloucester Park last June.
Hall snr holds a strong hand in the 2130m Allwood Stud Pace for three-year-old fillies with Finuala (barrier two) and Fakenit (barrier four). Hall jnr will handle Fakenit, and Stuart McDonald will drive Finuala, who will be making her debut.
Fakenit made a winning debut when she set the pace from the No. 1 barrier and beat Captainshavtime by two and a half lengths on March 4, and then finished an unlucky second to Reinette 17 days later.
“Fakenit is flying,” said Hall jnr. “Her first-up run was terrific, and her second run was probably slightly better when she was checked on the final bend. She has come a long way in a short time.”
