Mister Smartee reigns supreme
Inexperienced five-year-old Mister Smartee became Australia’s latest pacing millionaire when he triumphed in the $1.25 million Nullarbor slot race at Gloucester Park on Friday night in a grand performance which has his Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr contemplating setting the New Zealand-bred gelding for the rich Interdominion championship at Brisbane’s Albion Park in July.
“I’ll wait and see how he performs in the Fremantle Cup next Friday night before considering an Inters campaign,” said an ecstatic Hall after his son Gary Hall jnr produced a brilliant and flawless exhibition in the sulky to win the 2536m Nullarbor.
Mister Smartee, a $7.90 chance from the awkward barrier at No. 7, was sent forward, three wide, by Hall jnr to move to the breeze after 400m and then take the perfect sit, one-out and one-back, 150m later after the star Sydney pacer Swayzee ($3.60) had surged forward to move alongside the pacemaker and $2.30 favourite Minstrel.
After an opening quarter of the final mile in 29.4sec. Swayzee applied considerable pressure on Minstrel, with the next 400m sections being run in 27.8sec. and 28.4sec.
Hall bided his time before switching Mister Smartee three wide with 300m to travel. Mister Smartee sprinted strongly to surge to the front 50m from the post and win by 2m from $31 chance Gee Heza Sport, rating 1.54.4 after a final quarter of 28.4sec.
Gee Heza Sport, driven by Luke McCarthy, trailed Mister Smartee in the one-out, two-back position before flashing home, out four wide. A gallant Minstrel was a head farther back in third place, with Swayzee a head away in fourth place after being held tight in restricted room in the final stages.
Mighty Ronaldo ($23), who raced three back on the pegs, was hopelessly blocked for a clear run and was an unlucky fifth.
“It was awesome and the win rates right up there with my best big-race victories,” said 42-year-old Hall after his 68TH success in a group 1 feature event. It was also 75-year-old Hall senior’s 49TH group 1 victory as a trainer.
“Dad’s the best; he knows what the horses need and when they need it. He does all the slow work with Mister Smartee, and I do the fast work. It was the same with Quinny (Im Themightyquinn) and Bully (Chicago Bull).
“I was pretty nervous during the week. At first, I thought the draw (No. 7) was no good at all. But then I thought that there was a pretty easy map to work out, and that we were a big chance just the way the race was set up.
“Minstrel and Swayzee did amazing jobs, and Mister Smartee still had to do a good job, following that speed and coming off their backs. I got excited half way up the straight but I held my nerve because I know that Swayzee and Minstrel can always come back.”
Mister Smartee had two starts in New Zealand for a win and a second placing at Addington in October and November 2022 before being purchased for $250,000 by Hall for eight stable clients.
His 20 starts for the Hall stable in WA have produced 16 wins and two seconds, taking his career record to 22 starts for 17 wins, two seconds and $1,090,770 in prizemoney. He is by American sire Always B Miki and is the second foal out of unraced mare Luna Danza, whose dam Lento was a two-time group 1 winner who raced 64 times for 15 wins, 15 placings and $272,110.
Prince Of Pleasure is a Cup hope
Veteran pacer Prince Of Pleasure enhanced his prospects of gaining a start in the $300,000 Fremantle Cup next Friday night with a bold frontrunning display to score an easy win in the $31,000 TABtouch Parliamentarians Cup over 2536m at Gloucester Park Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred eight-year-old was making his third appearance after a 17-month absence as he recovered from his third bowed tendon.
He was the $1.80 favourite from the coveted No.1 barrier and Gary Hall jnr rated him perfectly with final quarters of 30.1sec., 28.6sec. 28.1sec. and 28.7sec. to win by just over two lengths from $23 chance Ima Fivestar General, who trailed him throughout.
Prince Of Pleasure, trained by Gary Hall snr, rated 1.56.5 and improved his record to 42 starts for 16 wins and nine placings for stakes of $247,583. He is by Bettors Delight and is the second foal out of the Christian Cullen mare Holly Madison, who raced 17 times for five wins, five placings and $43,101.
Prince Of Pleasure had eight starts as a two and three-year-old in New Zealand for one win before being purchased by a WA syndicate. He won at his first seven WA starts in 2022 and his WA record is an impressive 34 starts for 15 wins and eight placings.
“He went super tonight,” said Hall snr. “Running those times tonight showed that he is good enough to be competitive in the Fremantle Cup in which the distance of 2936m will suit him. With all my horses the further the distance the better they go.”
Hall holds the record of ten wins in the Fremantle Cup, and twelve months ago his sole runner Jumpingjackmac ($13) set the pace and finished a neck second to Catch A Wave.
Cyclone Jordy warms up for classic
Exciting three-year-old Cyclone Jordy warmed up for next Friday night’s $50,000 Caduceus Club Classic in wonderful fashion when he led his four rivals on a merry dance in a prelude of the race at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the hot $1.10 favourite who began like a flash from the outside barrier and was not extended in bowling along at his leisure and winning by one and a half lengths from Control The Room ($31), with Scooter B ($5.50) a nose away in third place.
Cyclone Jordy sprinted over the final 400m in 27sec. and rated 1.57.4 to extend his winning sequence to nine which improved his record to 13 starts for eleven wins and one second placing and stakes of $249,965. He won at three at his five New Zealand starts and is unbeaten at his eight starts in WA.
“It is hard to work out how far he will go,” said reinsman Hall jnr. “He is doing it so easily at the moment.”
Trainer Gary Hall snr was even more effusive, saying: “He is a really good horse, who is foolproof and has point-to-point speed. There is no three-year-old here who can pressure him. He is a better driving horse than Mister Smartee, who takes time to wind up.”
No trouble for Franco Encore
Young reinsman Kyle Symington enjoyed a pressure-free trip when he guided the $2.40 favourite Franco Encore to an effortless victory in the $25,000 You’ve Got The Touch With TABtouch Pace for four-year-olds over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“His speed is his main asset, but we went extremely slow early, and I was happy with that,” said Symington after Franco Encore had coasted to a two-length win over $7 chance Chilli Punter, rating 1.57.2.
Franco Encore was smartest into stride from barrier five and he strolled through the lead time in 38.1sec. before a dawdling opening 400m section of 32.2sec. was followed by quarters of 29.2sec., 27.3sec. and 28.3sec.
Quinton, the $4.80 second fancy, was beaten for early pace and settled down behind Franco Encore before Shannon Suvaljko moved the gelding to the breeze with 900m to travel. However, Quinton did not threaten danger and finished fourth.
Franco Encore, trained by Ryan Bell, has resumed racing after a spell in fine form with two wins and a fourth placing (when he ruined his chances by racing fiercely in the breeze). He is by Captaintreacherous and is out of the unraced Changeover mare Edinburgh Franco.
He has earned $75,581 from six wins and eight placings from 24 starts is likely to be set for the $50,000 Four And Five-Year-Old Championship next Friday week.
Franco Sheriff has a lot to learn
Lightly-raced four-year-old Franco Sheriff has a lot to learn, according to trainer Robbie Williams after driving the gelding to a fighting win in the $21,000 Westside Auto Wholesale Financing Available Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is a laid-back customer who doesn’t exert himself,” said Williams. “This was only his ninth start who has had three starts here and has a lot of learning to do. The WA up-tempo racing is quite a bit different to the Kiwi style.”
Franco Sheriff won once from six starts in New Zealand before being purchased by Williams on behalf of 19 stable clients.
“A long-time fiend of mine in New Zealand recommended him, saying he was a nice well-mannered horse,” said Williams. “He wasn’t expensive, and I decided to take him and syndicate him.
“He ran a reasonable race to win at his first WA start, but at his next start he was very lackadaisical and went terrible (finishing in 11TH place at Gloucester Park).”
Franco Sheriff was a $3.90 chance from barrier four on Friday night when he raced in the breeze outside the polemarker and $2.70 favourite Ya Bettor Followme.
“I wanted to race in the breeze because I thought that being outside the leader he might switch on a bit better,” explained Williams. “I think I had to work harder than he did in the final stages.
“I flicked him up, but I wasn’t sure he would’ve got past the leader if there hadn’t been that horse (Feeling Aces) coming on the outside. That’s when he tugs the bit and takes off.”
Franco Sheriff is by Vincent and is the second foal out of Bettors Delight mare My Shieldmaiden, who raced 16 times for one win, six placings and $13,117. My
Shieldmaiden’s dam is Alta Serena, who earned $593,618 from 21 wins and 21 placings from 62 starts, including group 1 wins at Addington in 2003 and 2005 as well as seconds in the New Zealand and Auckland Cups in 2005.
Bettors Pride impresses
Victorian-bred pacer Bettors Pride has recovered from a leg injury, and he impressed with a runaway victory in the TABtouch Same Game Multi final over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A damaged tendon kept him on the sidelines for eight months, and he now has resumed racing in fine style with three wins from five appearances in his current campaign.
Driven by Shannon Suvaljko, he was the $3.90 second fancy who stole a march on his chief rival and $1.60 favourite Mikis Beach when he beat him out at the start and then was able to relax with a slow lead time of 38sec. and a dawdling opening quarter of 31.3sec.
Mikis Beach, who began from the No. 3 barrier on the immediate inside of Bettors Pride, was forced to race without cover all the way before finishing a 13m second after final quarters of 29.1sec., 27.9sec. and 28.4sec.
“We weren’t a hundred per cent sure he could lead but we decided to have a crack and see what happens,” said trainer Mike Reed. “And everything turned out perfectly.”
“Bettors Pride looked like he was going to be a very good horse before he hurt a tendon about 12 months ago. It wasn’t bowed; he had just knocked it, so we gave him a spell. I now think he is capable of going to fast class.”
Bettors Pride is by Bettors Delight and is the eighth foal out of Art Start, who raced 56 times for 14 wins, 12 placings and $45,936. Art Start has produced seven winners of 92 races, including Expensive Ego, who earned $992,307 from 25 wins and 13 placings from 57 starts. A winner of three group 1 events, Expensive Ego finished a head second to Boncel Benjamin in the final of the Interdominion championship at Menangle in December 2021.
Bettors Pride has won at four of his seven starts for earnings of $31,258.
Bloxsome’s generous gesture
Bunbury trainer Simone Strachan declared her gratitude to retired Yornup businessman Peter Bloxsome after Dylan Egerton-Green had driven Arionrock to a decisive all-the-way win in the Westside Auto Cars Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Earlier in the week Bloxsome gave Mrs Strachan and her husband Paul a half share in four-year-old Arionrock, who ended a losing sequence of 18, including nine seconds and two thirds.
“Peter is such a generous and kind person,” said Mrs Strachan, who was delighted with Arionrock’s striking performance as the $2 favourite on Friday night when he began from the No. 1 barrier, set the pace and won by a length and a half from $23 chance Sound Wave, rating 1.57.5 after dashing over the final 800m in 56.6sec.
“Arionrock was one-dimensional as a two and three-year-old and we had to race him with a sit,” said Mrs Strachan. “He has improved with age and is now a bit stronger.”
Arionrock was purchased by Bloxsome for $21,000 at the 2022 APG Perth yearling sale, and he now has had 53 starts for seven wins, 16 placings and $93,268.
Arionrock is by American sire Rock n Roll World and is the ninth foal out of Albert Albert mare Red Hot Mumma, who was retired after being unplaced at her four starts as a three-year-old in New South Wales in August 2006.
Medieval Man thrives on racing
Medieval Man is an indestructible eight-year-old who thrives on racing, and he notched his 23RD win at his 159TH start when he relished the task of racing without cover all the way before getting to the front 75m from the post and beating Marbeechsam and Kingseat comfortably in the $23,000 TABtouch Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Medieval Man, driven by Kyle Symington, was a solidly-supported $3.90 chance behind the $3.30 favourite Kingseat and Frankie J Holden ($3.60).
“He loves racing and will race again on Tuesday when he can win again,” said trainer Kiara Davies, who races Medieval Man in partnership with her sister Patrice and their father Graeme, who bred the gelding.
Medieval Man, who has also been placed 28 times, has accumulated $236,474 in prizemoney. His win on Friday night ended a losing sequence of 20.
He is by group 1 star Renaissance Man and is out of the Bettors Delight mare Crimsonandclova, who had 34 starts for six wins, eight placings and $32,253. Kiara Davies drove the Craig Abercromby-trained Crimsonandclova ten times for wins at Kalgoorlie and Harvey in 2013 and 2014.
Quizzed about the secret of Medieval Man’s longevity, Davis said: “He’s an easy horse to train, and I just try to keep him happy and healthy. I’ve been riding him during the week, and sometimes I hopple him for trackwork. I like to change things up, and I take him to the beach as well.
“He loves racing in the breeze because he likes to do just what he wants. I have been training him for the past two weeks from Greg and Skye Bond’s stable where I am now working as a stablehand.”
Mellsop’s one-word instruction
Genial Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop loves a chat and is never lost for a word. But at Gloucester Park on Friday night his instruction to driver Lauren Harper was extremely brief and to the point as she was preparing to take Gully Gum on to the track to contest the $29,000 Westside Auto Memorial Day Stakes over 2130m.
“The plan was to lead,” said Mellsop. “And I said to Lauren I’ve got one word for you, and I said ‘launch’ and she said, ‘you beauty.’
Gully Gum, having his first start for six weeks, was a tote outsider at $36.20 and even better value at $61 on the fixed market, with punters generally disregarding him, mainly because he was starting out wide at barrier seven.
Harper followed Mellsop’s instruction, and she urged Gully Gum forward at the start and the five-year-old quickly dashed past the $1.45 favourite Menemsha, who began speedily from the No. 5 barrier.
The lead time was a fast 35.8sec., but Harper then was able to get Gully Gum to relax through the opening quarters of 30.7sec. and 29.3sec. Gully Gum then sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 28.4sec. and won by a half-length from the $26 chance Major Freeway, who trailed Gully Gum all the way. Golden Lode ($4) was last in the middle stages before sustaining a powerful run to finish third, just ahead of Menemsha.
Harper has enjoyed a good association with Gully Gum, having driven him six times for three wins and a third placing.
The South Australian-bred Gully Gum is by American sire Huntsville and is the second foal out of Modern Art mare Dorothy Hester, who raced 30 times for two wins and eight placings. Five-year-old Gully Gum has now earned $93,002 from 12 wins and 11 placings from 30 starts.
Narrogin Cup is the target
Evergreen veteran pacer Longreach Bay has struck a purple patch, with his recent excellent form coinciding with the retirement from the workforce of his 60-year-old trainer Peter King.
This year since his retirement as an area planner at Alcoa King has given eight-year-old Longreach Bay eleven starts for six wins, one second and $46,409 in prizemoney, taking his career record to 79 starts for 18 wins, eight placings and $190,131.
After Longreach Bay, a $17.50 chance, was driven by Joey Suvaljko to a splendid all-the-way victory in the TABtouch Place A Same Race Multi Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night King said the gelding was enjoying a more consistent hands-on preparation and was racing with youthful enthusiasm.
“I was thinking of giving him a break after tonight,” King said. “But he went so well that I’m likely to keep going with him, and I’m looking to run him in the Narrogin Cup (a $34,300 event over 2662m on May 17).
“Now that I’m retired, I’m able to ride him twice a week in the bush, and he is a happy horse who loves his work. A few changes I’ve made are working with him. And he appreciates having me around more.”
Longreach Bay’s greatest asset is his dazzling gate speed, and Suvaljko made the most of this attribute, despite some anxious moments when the gelding, from out wide at barrier eight, nudged the arm of the mobile barrier.
“I told Joey that Longreach Bay would cross to the front, and even though he hit the mobile he still crossed. Joey said that he then had to pull the plugs, and once he pulled them, he just pinged.
“Dark Eyes, from barrier five, was holding Longreach Bay, and he was losing a bit of momentum, and that’s why Joey pulled the plugs.”
Longreach Bay was bred and is owned by King, his partner Barbara Pellick and King’s son Michael. He is by Renaissance Man and is the sixth foal out of the Armbro Operative mare Back In The Black, who raced 43 times for seven wins, 18 placings and $58,780.
“I bought Back in the Black when she was in foal to Advance Attack,” said King. The resultant foal was named Cott Beach, who possessed brilliant gate speed and had an outstanding career of 41 starts for 15 wins, 14 placings and $275,902.
Cott Beach shone as a two-year-old when she won the group 1 Westbred Classic for fillies in June 2017, the group 2 Champagne Stakes and the group 3 Westsired Pace, as well a finishing second to Jack Mac in the Golden Slipper.
As a three-year-old Cott Beach finished third behind King Of Swing in the WA Derby and third behind Our major Mama in the WA Oaks.
Longreach Bay has inherited much of the brilliance from Cott Beach, and he won the group 3 Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings in June 2020.
