Brown seeks to go one better
It would take a major earthquake to shake ace trainer Colin Brown’s faith in his star filly Im Category Five, the tough and talented daughter of Typhoon Tiff.
Despite drawing out wide at barrier No. 7 in the $100,000 Trotsynd Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies, Im Category Five is poised to run a mighty race in the group 2 feature event over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Brown trained and drove Typhoon Tiff when she was the $2.10 favourite in the two-year-old Diamond in June 2018 --- when she began from barrier six and was trapped four wide early before racing three wide for the rest of the first circuit and then working in the breeze outside the pacemaker Majorpride.
Typhoon Tiff fought on grimly to finish a half-neck second to Majorpride, and she was retired to the breeding barn two years later after having earned $205,673 from eleven wins and five placings from 24 starts.
Her second foal is Im Category Five, who has impressed with her three wins and two placings from five starts. Im Category Five will be driven by Brown’s daughter Maddison, who handled the filly in a qualifying heat on Monday of last week.
Im Category Five began from barrier five and raced wide early before working hard in the breeze outside the pacemaker Crunchnsip and hitting the front on home turn and winning by 2m from the fast-finishing Shoo Boozy, rating 1.58.8.
The gross time for that heat was 2min. 37.2sec. which was faster than the times recorded by the other two heat winners --- Wishing Belle (2min. 37.9sec.) and Ma Petite Dame (2min. 38.1sec.).
Deni Roberts, who drives Crunchnsip for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is delighted that the Captain Crunch filly has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier.
“She has good gate speed, so we will be trying to hold up at the start, and then have options after that,” she said. “She pulled up quite fat after her third in the heat, and she worked pretty good today (Tuesday).”
Star trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo has high hopes of winning with Wishing Belle, who outclassed her rivals in her qualifying heat in which she began from barrier seven, settled at the rear and then made a fast three-wide move to burst to the front after 550m. Wishing Belle coasted to victory, beating Sovereign Jewel by more than six lengths, rating 1.59.3.
Wishing Belle is a daughter of former star mare Libertybelle Midfrew, who raced 51 times for 19 wins, eleven placings and $640,497 in prizemoney. Wishing Belle, who has won at five of her six starts, will start from the No. 6 barrier.
“It’s not the best barrier, but not the worst, either,” said De Campo who drove Tricky Styx to victory in the two-year-old Diamond in 2014. “We will work forward and see what happens,” he said.
Last year De Campo drove Copper Head Lady for Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell in the Diamond Classic. The filly, a $3 chance, galloped at the start from the No. 2 barrier and covered extra ground before finishing a splendid third in a three-way photo finish from Ruby Lovera and Bettagetonpip.
Bell trains and drives Ma Petite Dame, who will start from the inside of the back line in Friday night’s classic. Ma Petite Dame is by American stallion Bettors Wish, who is also the sire of Wishing Belle.
Ma Petite Dame dashed straight to the front from barrier five in her qualifying heat in which she set the pace and sprinted over the final 400m in 28.7sec. to win comfortably from the Colin Brown-trained The Sea Siren, rating a modest 1.59.5. That was her second win from five starts.
“I’m happy to have drawn barrier ten, but realistically she is only a place chance,” said Bell. “She is better than she was going into the heat after an interrupted preparation.”
Gary Hall jnr, who has won the Diamond Classic for two-year-olds with Before Night Falls (2008), Cimorene (2017), Majorpride (2018), Askmeilltellya (2019) and Always An Angel (2020), will drive Perfect Miki for ace Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice.
Prentice, who has trained the winner of this event with Lady Luca (2016), Majorpride (2018), Always An Angel (2020) and Ruby Lovera (2024), will be pinning his faith in Perfect Miki, who will be driven by Hall from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and will be at liberal odds after being unplaced at her four starts.
Shannon Suvaljko, who won this event with the brilliant Water Lou in 2023, will drive the Mike Howie-trained Maas Attack, who is favourably drawn at barrier two on the back line. She has had three starts for a win and two placings.
Lusaka is out to test champion
Smart five-year-old Lusaka fared best in the random draw when he received the prized No. 1 spot in the $31,000 Taste Of WA Returning To GP Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night --- and star driver Deni Roberts is sure to be planning to set the pace in an attempt to win and beat superstar millionaire pacer Magnificent Storm.
Lusaka, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, bounced back to his best form last Friday week when he gave a superb frontrunning exhibition to win a 2130m Free-For-All at a 1.55 rate.
“He loved it in front,” said Roberts. “And regarding our plan, I’ll have to speak to Greg, but I’d say Lusaka will be leading. This will be the biggest test for him, and we will probably find how good he is.
“It would be nice to beat Magnificent Storm; we’ve done it a couple of times.” However, Roberts admitted Friday night’s race would be far from a walk in the park for Lusaka, saying: “Magnificent Storm’s two runs since resuming from a spell have been really good. He’s had two pretty solid runs and I expect to see an even better version of him on Friday.”
Roberts drove Magnificent Storm for the first time when the outstanding eight-year-old resumed after a spell in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on July 18 when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and did plenty of work in the breeze before finishing third behind the frontrunning Heavenly Gipsy, who rated a smart 1.54.7.
A fortnight later, last Friday night, Magnificent Storm was driven by Aiden De Campo, again from the No. 9 barrier, when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before fighting on determinedly to finish second to the pacemaker Mighty Ronaldo, who rated 1.52.6 over 1730m.
De Campo admitted he felt sure that Lusaka was likely to be able to set the pace. “Obviously, Lusaka will be hard to beat from barrier one,” he said. “It will be a really good race.
“I think Magnificent Storm (trained by Ray Williams) will keep getting better, and I expect his best races are ahead of him. He will gain a fair bit from last week and he will be a lot better horse this week.”
Roberts is also looking for strong performances from Thenu Came Along (race one), Vegas Strip (race two), Crunchnsip (race five), Captainshavtime (race seven), Pocket The Change (race eight) and Cordero (race nine).
“I wasn’t happy with Thenu Came Along’s first-up run (when he began out wide, raced at the rear and finished last behind Copy Cat Queen),” said Roberts. “But we have found a few things behind the scenes, and I expect him to go a lot better.
“It was a promising run by Vegas Strip (when third behind Lusaka), and this is not as strong a field for him. He has very good gate speed, so we have that option with him (from barrier eight).
“Pocket The Change has drawn barrier one again, and I don’t think the 2536m trip last start (when a wilting sixth behind Insta Gator) suited her. She is definitely better over shorter distances, and I might give her another go in front over the 2130m this week.”
Newcomer Cashout fancied
Most events for square gaiters in WA are made up of fields of veteran trotters, so it will be an unusual situation to have a three-year-old competing against some of these oldstagers in the $21,000 Book Your TABtouch Punters Club Table Trot over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The youngster is Cashout, an inexperienced trotter who has raced only eight times in Victoria for two wins and two placings.
Cashout’s seven rivals have contested a total of 737 races (an average of 105), and they include 11-year-old Dark Secret, nine-year-olds Aldebaran Sundown and Nickys Son, three seven-year-olds and one five-year-old.
Hayden King, who recently purchased Cashout from Victoria, cast some light on the prospects of the Queensland-bred gelding who is by American sire Centurion Atm and is out of the New Zealand-bred mare Hiona, when he said: “This is an achievable assignment for him. It’s one of the most sedentary trotters Friday night races you’ve seen in recent memory.
“Though he has galloped on occasions, I was impressed with his manners in a few of his starts when he had every excuse to gallop, including his most recent start when he was tightened up in limited room on a couple of occasions, and he performed admirably.
Cashout’s latest appearance was at Geelong on June 13 when he got away smartly from barrier four, raced in the one-out, one-back position before moving to the three pegs position, a spot he vacated 500m from home. He then surged to the front 120m from the post and won easily from In Redwhiteandblue, covering the 1609m in 2.0.8.
His previous success was in a1720m mobile event at Melton four starts earlier when he began from the inside of the back line and raced four back on the pegs before finishing strongly to beat the $1.75 favourite Exasperation by a metre, rating 2.2.1.
Cashout is the ninth and last foal out of Hiona Mountain, whose only success in 12 starts was in a minor event at Geelong in 2008. Hiona Mountain’s only significant performer was her first foal, Drunken Maniac.
Drunken Maniac raced 54 times for eleven wins, 19 placings and $74,081, and it is interesting that he has eleven starts as a three-year-old in 2013-14, and winning at two of the first three of those runs.
The Nigel Johns-trained Luvaflair, and Dreambigaimhigh, trained by Bruce Stanley, look the most serious rivals for Cashout.
Luvaflair, driven by Donald Harper, notched her 25TH win at her latest outing, when she finished powerfully to beat Yankee Lover by three lengths, rating 1.59.4 over 2130m. Dreambigaimhigh, to be handled by Ryan Warwick, has finished solidly to win at his past two appearances, both in 2503m stands at Gloucester Park.
Cashout is prepared by Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young, who has engaged Kyle Symington to drive the gelding, who will begin from the No. 5 barrier. Having a trotter in her stables has revived memories for Young, who said: “A trotter, Im Not Eyre, gave me my first winner as a trainer when he beat Taimate Angus (driven by younger sister Madeliene) at Pinjarra (on April 29, 2019).
Young and King are hoping that Cashout will give them their second Gloucester Park win this week --- after Young drove I Like What I See to an effortless all-the-way victory in a 2130m event on Tuesday night.
King recently bought the New South Wales-bred I Like What I See, a seven-year-old mare by Four Starzzz Shark who was produced in fine shape for her West Australian debut.
Princess Katie ready for strong first-up effort
Princess Katie is enjoying her best season of racing with four wins and four placings from 14 starts, and she is ready for a strong effort when she resumes after a spell in the $30,000 WASBA Classic for four and five-year-old mares over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from the favourable barrier No. 2, with part-owner and trainer Michael Young saying: “I’m looking forward to getting her back in action. She is working really good, as good as Penny Black works.
“She hasn’t drawn to lead very often, but she goes well in front.”
Four-year-old Princess Katie has been off the scene since she raced the one-out, two-back position for Kate Gath in the 2536m Empress Stakes on April 11 when she disappointed in fading to finish last in the field of eleven.
She faces a stern test against five-year-old Candy Apple, who is racing in wonderful form for trainer Michael Munro and reinsman Toby Lynn, and is handily drawn at barrier three. Candy Apple’s past seven starts have resulted in three wins, three seconds and one seventh (when she had a tough run without cover).
Hunt The Magic, trained by Ian Gossage and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, also is in fine form. She trailed the pacemaker Cee Dee Three in the 2130m Higgins Memorial last Friday night and was most unlucky when she was badly hampered for room in the home straight and finished fifth, just over a half-length from Major Jay and Onesmartfella, who dead-heated for first.
Bakers Hill trainer Mike Williams has four-year-old Loch Tay racing in career-best form, with wins at Narrogin, Gloucester Park and Northam at her past three outings. She is awkwardly drawn at barrier six and will be driven by Ryan Warwick.
Michael Young also has high hopes for Blaze Away, despite the four-year-old starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace over 2536m.
Young has called on junior driver Abbey Vidovich to use her novice claim to handle Blaze Away in this event.
“Blaze Away is some chance (of winning), and the 2500m helps him to get into it,” said Young.
Blaze Away ran a good trial for this week’s race when he began from the back line, dashed forward to the breeze after 550m and fought on doggedly to finish second to the pacemaker Candy Apple, who rated 1.56.8 over the 2130m, with final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 28.2sec.
Toughest for Blaze Away to beat appear to be Sound Wave and Cee Dee Three, who performed strongly in the Higgins Memorial last Friday night.
Sound Wave charges home from eleventh at the bell to finish a desperately close third behind the dead-heaters Major Jay and Onesmartfella, while Cee Dee Three set the pace and finished an extremely close fourth.
