“I don’t know where the ceiling is for him,” said astute trainer Colin Brown after watching his immature two-year-old My Machane crush his rivals in the 2130m Retravision Pace at Gloucester Park on Wednesday night.
The WA-bred American Ideal gelding, the $1.50 favourite, set a brisk pace for Maddison Brown and won by just over a length from $13 chance Nite Sniper, rating 1.55.8 after dashing over the final three 400m sections in 28.7sec., 28sec. and 29.1sec.
“My Machane is not very big, and as much as I like him, I can’t believe those times,” said Brown, one of the best trainers in the history of WA harness racing.
“As much as I like him, I can’t believe he has rated 1.55.8. This is his first real preparation after he went shin sore three times in his first three preparations. The only cure for that is rest.
“The first time he went shin sore was when he said to me ‘I can run’ and he gave me a great feel. And that’s why we rested him and persevered with him.”
Unfortunately, the shin soreness prevented My Machane from contesting any of the rich classics for two-year-olds. But he has shown no signs of soreness in his current preparation which has produced two wins and two second placings from four starts.
Nine days before Wednesday night’s victory My Machane rated 1.57.3 after final quarters of 27.5sec. and 28.2sec. when he won a 2185m event at Pinjarra by 17m from Crowd Pleezer.
“It seems he is a horse who is going to keep on improving, and I think that if we look after him now, he will look after us,” said Brown. “There is the $100,000 Sales Classic for three-year-olds in April.”
My Machane is owned by Brown’s long-time friends and stable clients Liam O’Connor and Jim Currie. He was purchased for $55,000 at the 2024 APG Perth yearling sale. He is the sixth foal out of Bettors Delight mare La Machane, who earned $335,268 from 20 wins and 14 placings from 61 starts.
Highlights of La Machane’s career included her half-length second to Cowgirls N Indians in the group 1 Australasian Breeders Crown for two-year-olds at Melton in August 2011 and her third in the group 1 New South Wales Oaks at Menangle in March 2012.
My Machane’s half-brothers excelled on the track, with La Paddie racing 125 times for 16 wins, 29 placings and $157,587, and La Captain earning $196,840 from his 14 wins and 22 placings from 85 starts.
