Mighty Ronaldo nears a milestone
Star pacer Mighty Ronaldo moved a step closer to becoming an equine millionaire when he gave a superb performance to win the $31,000 $9 Pints In Steelos or JP’s Free-For-All over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The WA-bred seven-year-old rated a smart 1.52.6 in defeating eight-year-old superstar Magnificent Storm to boost his earnings to $982,563 from 15 wins and 22 placings from 71 starts.
Remarkably, this was Mighty Ronaldo’s only fifth appearance in a 1730m event, and his first since he won a heat of the Gold Bullion for four-year-old entires and geldings at Gloucester Park on April 5, 2022. At his next start he finished third, a length behind the winner Beyond Delight, who rated 1.51.6 in winning the $10,000 final of the Gold Bullion over 1609m at Menangle on May 7.
“He was super tonight,” said his trainer Justin Prentice. “It was a good drive by Junior (Gary Hall jnr). “And it’s exciting to be able to beat a horse like Magnificent Storm. It makes it feel like you have won a big race.
“The plan now is to run in the $50,000 August Cup on August 22. He will probably have another start before that race, next week or the week after, and then freshen him up before getting him ready for the WA Pacing Cup.”
Mighty Ronaldo was the $4.20 second favourite, with Magnificent Storm the $1.60 favourite at his second start after an absence of just over four months, and Hall made the most of drawing barrier No. 8, on the inside of Magnificent Storm (on the outside at barrier nine) by sending Mighty Ronaldo forward, out three wide, to get past the early leader Rockandrollartist ($31) and take the lead after about 400m and leaving Magnificent Storm in the breeze.
Magnificent Storm, driven by Auden De Campo, challenged Mighty Ronaldo strongly in the final circuit, but Mighty Ronaldo prevailed and won by just under a length, with $13 chance Alcopony 10m away in third place.
After a comparatively comfortable opening 400m in 29.5sec. Hall increased the tempo and Mighty Ronaldo sped over the final three quarters in 28.5sec., 27.7sec. and 27.8sec.
“I didn’t want to get caught out by going too hard too early,” said Hall. “Magnificent Storm never lies down, and you never actually think you’ve got him. But I was pretty confident at the 400m when Ronnie was going pretty good.
But Storm got within a half-length of us before straightening before Mighty Ronaldo kicked on very well. He has never raced better.”
Prentice praised Hall, saying: “He summed it up very well. He just wanted to come out and make sure he stayed under Aiden, and work his way to the front, and then was able to run a comfortable opening quarter.”
Copy Cat Queen set for a big prize
Outstanding trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo described Copy Cat Queen’s high speed as electric after driving her to an effortless victory in the Thank You Tim Walker Free-For-All for fillies and mares over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She has been lightning lately, and I will be setting her for the $100,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-old mares on September 5,” he said.
Copy Cat Queen was the $1.30 favourite from out wide at barrier eight when she was restrained at the start and settled down in seventh position in the field of nine.
Polemarker Jaxs Ideal ($17) led for the first 400m before Chris Voak dashed Sweet Vivienne ($14) to the front, and at the bell Copy Cat Queen was in eighth position before Copy Cat Queen swamped her rivals to burst to the lead with 200m to travel and go on and win by two lengths from $23 chance Rebline, who finished solidly after enjoying the favourable one-out, one-back position.
The final quarters, off the front, were run in 28.2sec. and 28.7sec. and Copy Cat Queen rated 1.55.7 in notching her fourth win in a row and her fifth win from five starts in her current campaign.
In all those five wins Copy Cat Queen has unleashed a dazzling late burst, and De Campo said that it would be interesting to see how she performs when driven differently.
“When we have to, we will test her by driving her in a field,” he said. “She is more mature this time in, and we should be able to use her a bit. Tonight, I went a bit earlier than she has been driven in her previous wins. I went at the 700m instead of the 500m.”
Hynam’s successful season
Byford trainer Craig Hynam was delighted when his veteran pacer Make It Quick finished with a sparkling burst to win the $21,000 Event Parking Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I’ve had him for four years and he’s one of my favourites,” said Hynam, who celebrated his 41ST birthday the previous Friday.
“I’m having a good season, and that was my eleventh winner for the year. My best year was when I won 14 races in 2021, and I’m hoping to do better than that this year.”
Make It Quick was a $15.50 chance from an awkward draw at barrier seven, and Callan Suvaljko did not bustle the WA-bred seven-year-old who raced in seventh place while $19 chance Ideal Secret was setting the pace after the polemarker and $1.65 favourite Cherry On The Cake was beaten for early speed and then raced in the breeze.
Liam Elliott sent Cherry On The Cake to the front with 570m to travel before Gota Good Warhol ($9.50) took the lead 50m from the post after enjoying a perfect sit behind the frontrunning Ideal Secret.
Make It Quick was seventh with 300m to travel before he sprinted strongly, out five wide, to get up and win by a head from Gota Good Warhol, rating 2.0.3.
“He has a good kick and has to be driven like that --- with a sit, unless he has drawn No. 1.”
Make It Quick has now won eleven times for Hynam, and he now has earned $94,861 from 13 wins and 15 placings from 109 starts. He is by Follow The Stars and is the fourth foal out of the unraced Jeremes Jet mare Quick Remark.
Vanderbilt is tough
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Vanderbilt enhanced his reputation as one of the State’s toughest pacers when he overcame a wide barrier and a testing run in the breeze before he scored a fighting win in the $27,000 TABtouch Punters Club Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Vanderbilt, trained by Ray Williams and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, was excellent value as a $14.40 chance from out wide at barrier seven.
Egerton-Green sent Vanderbilt forward three wide to quickly move to the breeze while the polemarker Caberneigh ($3.80) was setting the pace while the $2.25 favourite Mikis Pride was enjoying a good run in sixth position, one-out and two-back.
In-former pacer Mr Fantastic ($7) had a perfect sit behind the pacemaker before suffering an atrial fibrillation approaching the ball and then being retired from the race.
Caberneigh sprinted over the third quarter of the final mile in 28.3sec. but was unable to hold out the strong-finishing Vanderbilt, who won by a half-length from $11 chance Rolling Fire, with Caberneigh a half-head away in third place, just ahead of Mikis Pride.
The final 400m was covered in 28.6sec. and Vanderbilt rated 1.58.4. This improved his record to 28 starts for twelve wins, six placings and stakes of $115,880. He is by Always B Miki and is the fifth foal out of Traceys Delight, who managed four placings from 14 starts before being retired.
Egerton-Green was impressed with Vanderbilt’s performance at his second start after a three-month absence, saying: “everything worked out well after he got an easy first quarter (31.3sec.). And then he ran a nice final 1200 metres.”
Candy Apple is getting better
Trainer Michael Munro has five-year-old mare Candy Apple racing in top form --- and he is confident she will improve even further.
Candy Apple, driven by Toby Lynn, was the $2 favourite from barrier No. 3 in the $23,000 Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m, and she was not extended in setting the pace and winning by two lengths from the $4 second fancy Blaze Away, who fought on doggedly after racing without cover for the final two laps.
Candy Apple rated 1.56.8 after dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.6sec. and 28.2sec. Her past seven starts have resulted in three wins, three seconds and a fading seventh after working in the breeze.
“She is starting to get to the top of her game,” said Munro. “She is improving every week, and I don’t think I have reached the bottom of her. Toby is driving her really well and things are going to plan.”
Munro is enjoying a highly successful time. He prepared seven-year-old mare Paroquet (driven by Lynn) when she produced a powerful performance to score a two-length victory over Lenora Jane over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Monday.
Paroquet began from the back line before surging forward to the breeze and then hitting the front 550m from home to record her 15TH win from 89 starts. She was a $22.60 chance after $51 was available earlier on the fixed market.
“Paroquet is a big horse who doesn’t like racing back in the field,” explained Munro. “She likes to race outside the leader where she goes about her own thing. She likes pressuring the leader.”
While Munro is more than happy with the form of Paroquet and Candy Apple, he is extremely frustrated at being unable to get four-year-old Rock N Roll World mare Queenie Daisy to the racetrack.
“Queenie Daisy is possibly the best of the three mares,” said Munro. “She has won easily at her only three starts (as a two-year-old at Pinjarra and as a three-year-old twice at Bunbury) but I can’t control her.
“She is worse than any stallion; she just attacks you and it takes about half an hour to get her in the cart, and then she kicks the cart and messes around. We plan to put her in foal to see if she quietens down.”
Insta Gator likes the breeze
Up-and-coming five-year-old Insta Gator returned to racing after a five-month absence in fine style when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before winning narrowly from the fast-finishing No Noney in the $23,000 Taste Of WA Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I wasn’t sure how he would perform first-up, but after looking at the field we thought that there wasn’t a breeze horse and we decided that if we rolled there he could second,” said Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young.
Insta Gator was the $3.20 second fancy, with Maximum Rock the $2.20 favourite from barrier five. Insta Gator raced three wide before Kyle Symington got him to the breeze after 550m, with Maximum Rock bowling along in front.
Insta Gator got on terms with the leader 250m from home before getting to the front 30m later and holding on to beat $8.50 chance No Noney by a half-head, rating 1.58.6 after final quarters of 29sec. and 28.8sec. No Noney was tenth and last at the bell and impressed when he flew home, out five wide.
“I was pretty confident at the 300m,” said Symington. “I hadn’t turned the whip, and he was still travelling really well. He is the type of horse who once he gets his head in front he can knock off a bit. So, I had to drive him (out) in the straight. He’s always had ability, but he has had some tractability issues.”
Insta Gator, who is by American sire Huntsville, has earned $120,236 from eleven wins and 15 placings from 38 starts.
Dame Valour’s breakthrough win
Dame Valour went into Friday night’s $21,000 Beau Rivage Pace over 2130m as the winner of eight races --- four at Northam, two at Bunbury and one each at Pinjarra and Narrogin --- but with only five placings from 13 appearances at Gloucester Park.
She finally but the record straight at headquarters when she was the $2.80 favourite who thundered home from eighth at the bell to take the lead 50m from the post and win by almost a length from $17 chance Tubbs Farquhar.
Trainer Aiden De Campo restrained Dame Valour from her wide draw at barrier seven and she settled down in ninth position while Off The Charts ($4.20) was setting the pace after wresting the early lead from Tubbs Farquhar.
Dame Valour, who put the writing on the wall with a fast-finishing second to Chilli Punter the previous Friday night, looks set for further successes. She now has had 30 starts for nine wins, nine seconds and two thirds for stakes of $80,769.
She is by Sweet Lou and is the fourth foal out of Brush With Courage, who raced nine times as a two and three-year-old in 2010 for three wins, two placings and $33,895. Brush With Courage also produced Seeryanfly, who earned $127,603 from 14 wins and 15 placings from 55 starts.
“Dame Valour has had a lot of problems, and these might hold her back at the next level,” said De Campo. “I went to make a move at the 700m tonight, but Shannon (Suvaljko) went in front of us with Heez Good As Gold, and this made it easy for us.
“Dame Valour then had good cover (following the three-wide run of Heez Good As Gold) and we were travelling super down the back.”
Reeves likes being busy
Few trainers are as busy as the hard-working Coolup horseman Hayden Reeves, who had 18 starters --- eleven at Gloucester Park on Friday night and all seven runners in a 2560m stand at Northam on Saturday night --- for two winners, three seconds and three thirds.
Most of his team enjoy a diet of constant racing, with Recover Lover, Del Bocavista Bay, Mega Mach and Riche Reactor competing at both meetings.
Recover Lover was the star of the team, winning the $21,000 Thank You TAB Radio and Tim Walker Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park before almost exactly 24 hours later at Northam, finishing second to Del Bocavista Bay.
Those two wins and six placings took the record for Reeves in 2025 to 34 wins, 97 placings and stakes of $392,481, putting him in seventh place in the State’s trainers’ premiership table. The 43-year-old Reeves now has prepared 370 winners, with many of them cast-offs from other stables.
He outlaid $4000 about six months ago to purchase six-year-old mare Recover Lover after having raced her on lease for the previous twelve months. The mare now has earned $93,584 from nine wins and 25 placings from 86 starts for Reeves.
Recover Lover’s win on Friday night took her career record to 93 starts for eleven wins, 27 placings and $105,858 in prizemoney. Her second at Northam netted another $1569.
The WA-bred Recover Lover is by Rock N Roll Heaven and is the fourth foal out of champion race mare Bettor Cover Lover, who raced 39 times for 19 wins, 14 placings and $1,026,427.
Bettor Cover Lover’s main victories included three group 1 feature events in New Zealand as a two-year-old in 2010, the 2011 and 2012 Queen Of Hearts at Alexandra Park and the group 1 Breeders Stakes at Addington in February 2013, as well as the group 1 Victoria Oaks at Melton in April 2011.
Recover Lover was a $9.40 chnace from barrier two in Friday night’s event in which Minor Catastrophe was the $3.40 favourite from barrier four.
Minor Catastrophe set the pace, with Stuart McDonald enjoying a perfect trail with Recover Lover behind the leader. Minor Catastrophe began to weaken over the final stages and Recover Lover dashed to the front with 50m to travel and won by 2m from Minor Catastrophe.
“I knew if I got a gap late Recover Lover would go pretty close,” said reinsman Stuart McDonald. “The gap came in time, and we got there.”
Suvaljko’s masterly drive
A snap decision by star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko paved the way for veteran pacer Yankee Lincoln’s victory in the $21,000 Trotsynd Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday.
Yankee Lincoln was an $11.10 chance from the outside barrier in the field of seven, with the polemarker Our Thunder the $1.50 favourite from the prized No. 1 barrier.
“I was aiming for three back on the pegs from the start because I saw a lot of the others were hard on the gate, so I grabbed hold really quick and got three back (on the pegs),” said Suvaljko.
“I considered he was the fastest horse in the race, and I just had to drive him that way. When I got off (the inside) between the two corners he zipped home nicely.”
Our Thunder set a moderate pace before he began to wilt over the final stages. Yankee Lincoln got to the front in the final 30m and beat Our Thunder by just under a length, rating 1.57.8 over the sprint journey.
Yankee Lincoln, a New Zealand-bred ten-year-old by American Ideal, broke a 14-month drought and ended a losing sequence of 27 which took his record to 110 starts for 13 wins, 21 placings and $130,957.
“He dropped in grade a fair bit and this was a suitable race for him, though the barrier draw was a bit of a worry,” said Byford trainer Peter Tilbrook, who races the gelding in partnership with Amy Baxter.
“We bought him a couple of years ago and he won first-up for us (at Pinjarra in May 2023) before winning two minor events at Gloucester Park.”
Champions fight out thrilling finish
Hall Of Fame reinsmen Chris Lewis and Gary Hall jnr have between them driven almost eleven thousand winners, and they were seen at their best as they fought out a thrilling finish of the $50,000 John Higgins Memorial over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The photo finish was unable to separate them, and the judge declared a dead-heat between Hall’s drive Major Jay, who had taken a narrow lead 40m from the post, and Onesmartfella, driven by Lewis, who charged home, six wide with a sizzling burst.
For Nathan Turvey, who part-owns and trains Major Jay ($3.90), it was an emotional moment as he revealed this was a feature event he dearly wanted to win in memory of former WA Trotting Association president John Higgins, who died in a road accident in 1994.
“I went to school in Narrogin with John’s daughters, and I was delighted to win tonight, even though it was a dead-heat,” he said.
For Lewis this was a record sixth win in the Higgins Memorial, which was first run in 1995, and nine-year-old Onesmartfella’s victory was a reward for Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman’s patient care after the gelding had broken down with a leg injury in May of last year, a problem which required surgery and the insertion of a screw in a hind fetlock to stabilize the leg.
Remarkably, Major Jay and Onesmartfella almost dead-heated for first place in a qualifying heat at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park on July 19 when the photo finish revealed that Major Jay had held on to win by a half-head from Onesmartfella.
Onesmartfella won four races in New Zealand and two in Victoria, and in his first 64 starts in WA Lewis had driven the gelding only four times for two thirds and two fifth placings. He had not driven Onesmartfella at his 13 starts leading into Friday night’s event.
Interestingly, the dead-heaters were the only New Zealand-bred pacers in Friday night’s field. The other ten runners were bred in WA, with Cee Dee Three the $4.40 favourite. With the dead-heat reducing the price of the winners, Major Day was a $3.90 chance on the tote, and Onesmartfella returned a dividend of $6.80.
Cee Dee Three dashed to an early lead, with Major Jay, from the No. 6 barrier, racing three wide for the first 500m before getting to the breeze and then being hard driven to get to a narrow lead the front about 40m from the post.
Onesmartfella began from barrier two on the back line and he raced in seventh position in the one-wide line before flashing home out wide on the track to dead-heat with Major Jay in a blanket finish.
“I thought I was definitely gone at the top of the straight,” said Hall. “But crossing the line I thought we had done enough to hold on. I didn’t like the way he went anywhere over the final 600m, and he has done a big job to win.”
Lewis said that Onesmartfella had gained “a nice run into the race before getting home good.”
Onesmartfella, owned by Merv and Meg Butterworth, ended a losing sequence of 28, stretching back to his previous victory when he set the pace and beat Sound Wave over 2536m at Gloucester Park on September 19, 2023. Sound Wave ($18) went within centimetres of making the result of Friday night’s race a triple dead-heat after running home strongly from eleventh with a lap to travel.
Onesmartfella has earned $149,967 from 13 wins and 22 placings from 87 starts. Major Jay’s record now stands at 41 starts for seven wins, 18 placings and $80,686 in stakes.
After Major Jay had finished third three times from seven starts in New Zealand he was purchased for $30,000 by Turvey, who then syndicated the Art Major gelding to several stable clients. Major Jay’s 34 WA starts have produced seven wins and 15 placings.
