Hall seeks fifth Higgins win
Four-year-olds have won the past four John Higgins Memorials, and star reinsman Gary Hall jnr is hoping to maintain the trend by winning the $50,000 feature event over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night with the New Zealand-bred gelding Major Jay.
Major Jay, trained at Ravenswood by Nathan Turvey, produced a splendid performance to win a qualifying heat at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park last Saturday week, and he has the ability to overcome the awkward draw at barrier six.
He began from the back line in the heat and settled down in ninth position before he surged forward with a fast three-wide sprint after 450m to move into the breeze, with Tantabiddi setting the pace.
After middle quarters of 28.8sec. and 28.3sec., Hall drove Major Jay vigorously over the final stages, with the Art Major four-year-old getting to the front 120m from the post and fighting on grimly to beat the fast-finishing pair of Onesmartfella and Hunt The Magic in a thrilling three-way photo finish.
Friday night’s race will be the 31st running of the Higgins Memorial, an event in which Hall has been successful with Partywiththedevil (2010), In The Perfect Storm (2014), Rub of The Green (2016) and Mr Fantastic (2022). Turvey drove the Ray Williams-trained Pacific Warrior to victory over the $1.80 favourite Condrieu in the 2013 Higgins.
Hunt The Magic warmed up for Friday night’s race in fine style when she raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, in the qualifying heat at Bunbury. She unwound a spirited finishing sprint, out wide on the track.
Hunt The Magic, to be driven by Kyle Symington for Byford trainer Ian Gossage, will need to buck the odds to win the Higgins, which has been won by only one mare, four-year-old Lucie Boshier, who finished strongly to beat the $2.20 favourite and pacemaker Dashing Christian, who was driven by Hall in July 2012.
Hunt The Magic, who has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, ended a losing sequence of 21three starts ago when she enjoyed a perfect sit behind the pacemaker before finishing solidly to win y a half-length from $34 outsider Del Bocavista Bay over 2130m.
Hunt The Magic won twice when setting the pace early in her career but generally runs her best races when used as a sit-sprinter.
Tantabiddi, trained by Kim Prentice and to be handled by Mitch Miller, is favourably drawn on the inside of the back line. He won a 2242m heat of the Higgins at Narrogin last Saturday night when he raced in the breeze early before setting the pace and winning easily from veteran pacer Cordero.
Prentice has a good record in the Higgins, having trained and driven In The Reign (1999) and Next Ruler (2002) to victory and also driving Our Toto (trained by Gary Hall snr) when he won easily from Rancho Ruler in 2009.
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond will be looking for a strong effort from the freewheeling four-year-old mare Lady Camel, who has drawn out wide at barrier and will be driven by Deni Roberts.
Greg Bond and reinsman Colin Brown combined to score nose victories in the Higgins with Money Magnet (2004) and Richard henry (2005), and Greg and Skye Bond and Roberts have been successful with See Ya Write in 2021 and Peter Petrify in 2023.
Chris Lewis, who turns 70 on Friday, will drive the Jemma Hayman-trained nine-year-old Onesmartfella, who will begin from barrier two on the back line.
Lewis has won the Higgins with Hail the Judge (1997), Our Graedy (1998), Ianalbert (2006) and Sneakyn Down Under (2008).
Dame Valour is ready to win
Lightly-raced six-year-old mare Dame Valour was a $17 chance from barrier seven in a 2130m event last Friday night when she impressed by finishing with a powerful burst from tenth at the bell to finish second, a half-length behind Chilli Punter.
It was a performance which suggested that she will pay to follow, and she get her chance to notch her ninth win from 30 starts when she begins from the No. 7 barrier on the $21,000 Taste of WA in the Beau Rivage Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Sweet Lou mare, who is trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, has also recorded nine second placings and two thirds. She is versatile, having won after leading and also when raced with a sit.
In an open field Dame Valour’s chief opposition is expected to come from The Beach Master, Hold The Ammo, Control The Room and Heez Good As Gold.
The Beach Master, to be driven by Chris Voak for trainer Giles Inwood, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six. He raced three back on the pegs in fifth position and battled on gamely when fourth behind Paroquet over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night this week. That followed a sound third behind Franco Motu three weeks earlier.
Hold The Ammo and Control The Room are promising three-year-olds, with the Katja Warwick-trained Hold the Ammo running home solidly to win at Pinjarra and Narrogin in June, and the Ryan Bell-trained Control The Room reappearing after working hard and winning over 2100m at Bunbury on May 24.
Dame Valour is one of several excellent winning prospects for De Campo, who is looking forward to driving star pacer Magnificent Storm in the $31,000 $9 Pints in Steelos or JPs Free-For-All over 1730m.
Magnificent Storm resumed after a four-month absence when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) in a 2130m event last Friday week. He settled in ninth place and moved to the breeze with 1300m to travel when an excellent third behind the speedy frontrunner Heavenly Gipsy.
He will start from the outside barrier this week but should prove too smart for his nine rivals, who include quality pacers Mighty Ronaldo (barrier eight) and Im The Black Flash, the solitary runner on the back line.
An interesting runner in the race is seven-year-old Tiger Royal, who will start from barrier six and will be driven by his trainer Ryan Bell. The New Zealand-bred gelding will be having his first start since he finished strongly to win in a three-way photo finish from The Miki Taker and Lusaka in the 2936m Fremantle Cup Consolation on May 2.
Tiger Royal warmed up for his return to racing with a runaway win in a 2185m six-horse trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week. He dashed to the front after 400m and went on to beat Purest Copper by ten lengths, rating 1.59.4 with final 400m sections of 27.9sec. and 27.5sec.
Elliott set to take the cake
Teenager Liam Elliott is driving in wonderful form, and he gets a perfect opportunity to land another winner when he handles Cherry On The Cake for owner-trainer Eric Chabros in the Event Parking at the Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Elliott drove the six-year-old mare for the first time last Friday week when she had a tough run without cover for much of the way and took the lead with about 300m to travel before finishing second to Shes A Tiny Dancer.
Cherry On The Cake possesses excellent gate speed and is a capable frontrunner. She is perfectly drawn at the No. 1 barrier and is the likely leader who should take plenty of catching.
She has set the pace from barrier one and has won at Pinjarra and at Gloucester Park. The 19-year-old Elliott has excelled in the sulky this year, landing 33 winners in the first seven months.
Five-year-old Road Star, trained and driven by Chris Voak, appears to be one of Cherry On The Cake’s main rivals, with his past six starts producing a Pinjarra win and four placings, the most recent being at Narrogin last Saturday night when he sustained a strong three-wide burst to finish third behind Your Grace and Shes A Tiny Dancer.
Brilliant mare Copy Cat Queen, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, will be aiming for her fourth win in a row when she begins from out wide at barrier No. 8 in the opening event, the $27,000 Thank You Free-For-All for fillies and mares over 2130m.
Copy Cat Queen meets some smart in-form pacers, but she possesses such a devastating late sprint that she again should prove very hard to beat.
Among her rivals is the only three-year-old in the event, the Michael Young-trained Jaxs Ideal, who will be driven by Emily Suvaljko and is capable of a bold showing from the prized No. 1 barrier. She has led from barrier one and won at Bunbury and Gloucester Park.
Jaxs Ideal looks capable of improvement after unplaced efforts at her first four outings after a spell. She began from barrier four in a 2130m event last Friday night when she raced three wide early and then in the breeze before wilting late to finish sixth behind Chilli Punter.
Chilli Punter, who enjoyed a good sit in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win from Dame Valour and Pushbutton Rock, will start from the outside barrier in Friday night’s field of nine runners.
Sweet Vivienne, trained and driven by Chris Voak, will start from barrier five and will have many admirers after her splendid victory at a 1.58 rate over 2130m on Tuesday night. She dashed to an early lead from the No. 2 barrier and gave her rivals little chance when she sped over the final 400m sections in 28.1sec. and 28.4sec.
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has two smart mares engaged in the race in which he has chosen to drive four-year-old Grand Couteau in preference to six-year-old Rebline, who will be driven by Trent Wheeler.
Rebline impressed when she began from the outside barrier on the front line and was eleventh at the bell before running home strongly, out five wide, to finish fifth behind Chilli Punter last Friday night.
