Jumpingjackmac ready for the test
Three-year-old Jumpingjackmac is the youngest and least experienced runner in the $30,000 Kersley Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but he has the natural speed and strength to prove the master of his 11 rivals in the group 3 feature event.
Jumpingjackmac, prepared by Gary Hall snr, is awkwardly drawn at barrier No. 5, but reinsman Gary Hall jnr is not particularly concerned, saying: “I’ll work forward and will be happy with either spot, leading or in the breeze.”
Jumpingjackmac made a successful return to racing after a spell last Friday night when he scored a fighting victory by a half-head over Otis after racing without cover over the final 1300m. That was his eighth win from 11 starts.
“He has done well since last week’s win,” said Hall. “He seems bit silly and a bit dopey, but he is a very smart horse who takes everything in his stride.”
The Hall stable has a good second-string runner in the Kersley Pace in seven-year-old Alta Intrigue, who is favourably drawn at barrier two and will be driven by Callan Suvaljko. Alta Intrigue drops in class after finishing fifth behind Perfect Major in the group 2 Stratton Cup last Friday night. He finished strongly when a half-head second to Alta Engen the previous week.
Alta Engen, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, is likely to be one of the hardest horses for Jumpingjackmac to beat on Friday night when he will start from the No. 6 barrier.
Alta Engen notched his twelfth win from 23 starts when he set the pace and won from Alta Intrigue the previous week. He is one of six smart four-year-olds in the field, the others being Manning, Jaspervellabeach, Whatabro, Medieval Man and Typhoon Banner.
Jaspervellabeach is racing with great enthusiasm for owner-trainer Kristy Elson. He was seventh in the middle stages before sustaining a powerful three-wide burst to take the lead 250m from home and finishing second to the fast-finishing Mandy Joan last Friday night. He worked hard in the breeze before winning from Alta Rhett the previous Friday night.
Caris Hamilton-Smith’s talented six-year-old Rockaball, fresh from his powerful finishing burst to win the group 3 Warwick Pace a fortnight ago, fared poorly in the draw and will start out wide at barrier eight. However, he is capable of unwinding another surging late run.
Suvaljko labels Vivere Damore
Six-year-old mare Vivere Damore was a $91 outsider who finished last in last week’s Stratton Cup, and this week her reinsman Shannon Suvaljko is brimming with confidence that she will bounce back at her third appearance after a spell and win the $22,000 Channel 7 Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Vivere Damore, who is trained by Peter Tilbrook, is handily drawn in the 2130m event at barrier No. 3 on the front line, and Suvaljko is planning an all-the-way victory.
“She is flying and will lead and win,” said a bullish Suvaljko. “She was unlucky last week when she didn’t get a run and was bolting on the line when she finished only ten metres behind the winner Perfect Major.”
Vivere Damore started from barrier six and Suvaljko restrained her to the rear. She raced in seventh position, four back on the pegs, and was hopelessly blocked for a clear run in the final circuit and was bolting all the way in the home straight.
“She would have beaten home Texas Tiger, Medieval Man and Hurricane Harley if she had been able to get clear,” said Suvaljko. “The previous week (when she finished a first-up fourth behind Vespa) she was in need of the run.
“This week I am confident she will win, rating 1.54 or 1.55. Her form when she has led has been excellent. She led when she won the group 2 Christmas Gift (rating 1.55 over 2130m) last December. She beat Patronus Star by two and a half lengths, with a final 800m in 56.3sec.”
In previous seasons Vivere Damore led and won the Coulson Pace for mares, rating 1.56, in December 2019, and she also led when she won by a head from Queen Shenandoah, rating 1.56.3, in 2020.
A win for Vivere Damore will be no easy task, with Wainui Creek, Star Of Diamonds and Mandy Joan all racing in wonderful form. They have drawn out wide at barriers nine, eight and seven, respectively, but are capable of overcoming this disadvantage.
Wainui Creek, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is sure to prove very hard to beat, having won at five of her past six starts. At her most recent appearance Wainui Creek started from barrier nine, settled at the rear and then charged forward after 400m to race outside the pacemaker Alta Louisa and go on and win by a head from the fast-finishing Star Of Diamonds, with Mini Mine Yet charging home, six wide, from last at the bell to be third.
Wainui Creek set the pace when she won from Star Of Diamonds over 2130m at her previous outing. Star Of Diamonds, trained by Barry Howlett, maintained her outstanding form when she trailed the pacemaker Vampiro and was hampered for room before finishing resolutely to be third behind Perfect Major in last week’s Stratton Cup.
Mandy Joan, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, will have admirers after her impressive victory last Friday night when she finished strongly from eighth at the bell to beat Jaspervellabeach and Pierre Whitby.
Know When To Run resumes
When Know When To Run goes on to the track at Gloucester Park on Friday night to contest the Get The Taste of WA @ Beau Rivage Pace it will be 658 days ago since his previous outing, when he ran home solidly from eighth at the bell to finish fifth behind Shockwave in the Golden Nugget Championship in December 2019.
Soon after that encouraging performance Know When To Run suffered a tendon injury, and he has made a full recovery and is ready to perform strongly.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice tested him in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago when ace reinsman Gary Hall jnr was happy with his effort in finishing fourth behind Chance Eclipse in a field of seven.
Know When To Run was not extended in racing in third position in an Indian file trial. He was ten lengths behind the leader Mad Magic at the bell before finishing strongly to be fourth, two lengths behind the winner, who rated 1.59.
“The trial was good, and he made up good ground late,” said Hall. “I didn’t knock him about and he could have won quite easily. However, it is a big step up this week at his first start for such a long time. He has very good gate speed, and I’ll see what Justin wants to do at the start.”
Know When To Run, a son of American stallion Roll With Joe, showed plenty of promise in his first couple of preparations, with his 15 starts producing six wins and six placings.
There is little doubt that the five-year-old Know When To Run (who will start from the No. 4 barrier) will face serious opposition from the race-hardened three-year-old Otis, who is in top form and has netted $81,420 from eight wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 27 starts. Both pacers were bred in WA by Steve Johnson.
Otis maintained his excellent form when he trailed the pacemaker Stamford before finishing determinedly with a three-wide burst to finish a half-head second to Jumpingjackmac over 2130m last Friday night.
Otis is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 and Dylan Egerton-Green is expected to use the colt’s good gate speed in a bid to get to the front and then dictate terms.
Hall gave punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive Know When To Run in preference to the in-form Michael Young pacers Doc Holliday (barrier eight) and Zazu (barrier nine). Doc Holliday will be driven by Chris Voak, with Maddison Brown in the sulky behind Zazu.
The New Zealand-bred Doc Holliday has impressed with his first four starts in Australia producing a first-up second to Pontevivo, followed by an easy win at Northam when he covered a lot of extra ground, a narrow all-the-way victory over 2130m at Gloucester Park and another good frontrunning win over 2536m on the same track.
Zazu, a former Victorian performer, has had three starts in WA for two wins and two seconds. He raced wide early and then in the breeze when an excellent second to Euphoria over 1730m last Friday night.
Alice Kay is firing
Former Victorian mare Alice Kay has struck top form for Byford trainer Katja Warwick, and star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko aims to take full advantage of her perfect draw at barrier No. 1 in the 2130m Battle of the Codes for Telethon Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She is back in form and is driving straight,” said Suvaljko. “She should have enough speed to lead and will be hard to beat. She is flying and she put in a super run last Friday night when she got home in 56.4sec. when second to Born To Boogie.”
Alice Kay raced in sixth position in last week’s 2130m event before starting a three-wide move 600m from home to prove that she is not purely a frontrunner. At her previous appearance Alice Kay led from barrier two and won by three lengths from Our Star Watch, rating 1.57.8 over 2536m.
Alice Kay and Euphoria look set to dominate betting in Friday night’s event. Euphoria, who will start from barrier four, relished his frontrunning role last Friday night when he won easily from Zazu and Classic Choice at a 1.55.7 rate over 1730m.
Reinsman Gary Hall jnr said that he expected Euphoria to fight out the finish this week. “He could end up in the breeze, but will run a good race,” he said.
The Nathan Turvey-trained Blue Blazer also is poised to be prominent from barrier seven in an event in which he is sure to appreciate a drop in class after having raced against pacers of the calibre of Minstrel, Perfect Major, Wainui Creek, Magnificent Storm, Alta Engen and Vampiro in recent starts.
Hall, who has drives in nine of the ten events, has several bright prospects, with astute punters looking to him to send them home in high spirits by landing the winner in the final two events --- with Always An Angel and High Price.
He will handle the Justin Prentice-trained filly Always An Angel in race nine, the Direct Trade Supplies Pace, in which she will clash with the Greg and Skye Bond-trained pair of Newsy (Dylan Egerton-Green) and Booraa (Ryan Warwick).
Always An Angel has won at 11 of her 18 starts and is sure to appreciate a favourable draw after beginning from wide barriers at her past five starts.
“She is racing so well,” said Hall. “She’s got the good ones outside of her, so I’ll be trying to keep in front of them.
“High Price has drawn poorly (on the outside barrier in the field of seven in the 2130m Cowden Limited The Insurance Brokers Pace), but he has good gate speed and plenty of ability. This will be another test for him after leading and winning from barrier one at his debut last week.”
Hall said he expected plenty of opposition from the David Thompson-trained Paul Edward, who ran home powerfully from eighth (and last) at the bell to finish a two-length second to High Price last Friday week.
“Paul Edward is a good horse,” said Hall. “He got a long way out of his ground at his last start and ran home very well.”
