Fitness favours Mister Smartee
A slight edge in fitness and a diet of hard racing over the past 12 weeks could well tip the scales in favour of Mister Smartee against the brilliant Never Ending when the superstars clash in the $200,000 Retravision Golden Nugget over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr had to deliberate hard and long before choosing to handle Mister Smartee, prepared by his father and Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr, in preference to the Justin Prentice-trained Never Ending.
It was an agonising decision by Hall jnr, who has driven Mister Smartee at 13 of his 15 starts in Western Australia for 12 wins and a second placing, compared with his record of driving Never Ending at 21 of his 24 starts for 14 victories.
A major factor in favour of Never Ending is that he has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, while Mister Smartee is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2.
Prentice, who has driven Never Ending three times for two wins and a second placing, plans to take full advantage of the WA-bred gelding’s natural gate speed by attempting an all-the-way win.
On the other hand, Hall will go into the race with a clear mind keeping his options open as he assesses his tactics in what is sure to develop into an enthralling contest between two outstanding four-year-olds.
The New Zealand-bred Mister Smartee has raced 17 times for 14 wins and a second placing for earnings of $440,211, while Never Ending has had 24 starts for 16 wins, five placings and stakes of $680,839.
Mister Smartee warmed up for this week’s group 1 event with a comfortable victory in the group 2 Four-Year-Old Classic last Friday week when he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to beat Lusaka by a length, rating 1.53.9 over 2130m. He covered the final 400m sections in 27.66sec. and 27.72sec.
Never Ending resumed after a 13-week absence when he began from the outside in the field of seven in a 2130m Free-For-All last Friday night and was driven conservatively by Hall.
He relaxed in last place before Hall sent him forward, three wide, with 600m to travel. He ran home strongly to finish third behind Jumpingjackmac and Lavra Joe, with final quarters of 27.18sec. and 27.96sec.
This was an excellent first-up effort from Never Ending, who also was produced by Prentice in wonderful shape for a first-up run for 12 weeks in the 2536m Winter Cup on July 12 when he was eighth at the bell and tenth with 450m to travel before going five wide on the home turn and flying home to snatch a last-stride victory over Tenzing Bromac.
Outstanding records and the times recorded by both Never Ending and Mister Smartee reveal that very little separates these super pacers, who will be clashing in a race for the second time.
Their only meeting was in the 2536m WA Derby on November 3, 2023, when Never Ending (barrier No. 2 on the back line) finished second to Skylou, and Mister Smartee (out wide at barrier eight) finished ninth.
Never Ending settled in fifth place before dashing forward after 450m to take the lead 150m later and then was overhauled 60m from the post by Skylou, who had trailed him for the final two laps.
Mister Smartee had no luck. He was inconvenienced 300 metres after the start and lost two lengths before then being restrained to the rear. He then went forward in the second lap to move to the breeze 1200m from home. But he wilted in the final stages to finish ninth.
Never Ending and Mister Smartee will dominate betting on Friday night’s race, with the likely prospect of many of the other runners fighting it out for the third and fourth placings.
Trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper will be looking forward to a comfortable passage on the pegs after starting from the inside of the back line with OK Boomer, a winner at four of his past five starts.
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo has Sorridere racing with great heart, and from barrier four the Sunshine Beach gelding has the class to make his presence felt.
Prentice’s No. 2 runner Rolling Fire will be driven by Trent Wheeler from barrier No. 6. Rolling Fire, a winner at eleven of his 30 starts, overcame the No. 8 barrier in the Four-Year-Old Classic when he was tenth at the bell before finishing strongly to be fourth behind Mister Smartee.
Deni Roberts will handle the consistent Lusaka for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond. Lusaka, a winner at 14 of his 34 starts, trailed the pacemaker Chivalry before taking the lead 220m from home and finishing second to Mister Smartee last Friday week.
Prentice will be looking for his third Golden Nugget success after driving Im Victorious to victory for trainer Michael Brennan in 2012 and preparing Tricky Miki (driven by Maddison Brown) 12 months ago.
Hall jnr has won the Nugget with The Gold Ace (2011) and Beaudiene Boaz (2015), with both pacers being trained by his father, who guided the Des Parr-trained Valley Champ to victory in the 1993 Nugget.
Middlepage gets his chance
Veteran pacer Middlepage has sound prospects of ending a sequence of 13 unplaced efforts when he begins from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the opening event, the 2130m Retravision.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Part-owned, trained and driven by Lindsay Harper, the seven-year-old veteran of 109 starts put the writing on the wall three Fridays ago when Lauren Harper drove him into fourth place behind Alta Rhett.
Middlepage began from barrier five and raced three wide early and then in the breeze before taking the lead 450m from home.
From the inside barrier this week Middlepage is sure to have a far less onerous task. He is a good frontrunner, having set the pace at four of his Gloucester Park wins in a career of 109 starts for 18 wins, 21 placings and $188,261 in prizemoney.
His most recent victory was in April this year when he began from the No. 1 barrier and trailed the pacemaker The Code Breaker before finishing solidly to beat Jett Star, rating 1.55.8 over 2130m.
Major Overs (barrier three), Showpony (four) and Mister Macedon (nine) appear his major rivals. Major Overs, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by Maddison Brown, is a speedy beginner who is sure to appreciate a drop in class and has sound claims of breaking through for an overdue success after only one win from his past 27 starts.
The David Young-trained Showpony’s recent efforts have been encouraging, and he also will benefit from a drop in class. He will be driven by Aiden De Campo.
Mister Macedon has struck form for trainer Nathan Turvey with tough all-the-way wins at his past two outings. He will be driven for the first time by Gary Hall jnr, who replaces Emily Suvaljko, who has a full book of drives at the eight-race program at Albany on Friday night.
Mister Macedon is a dour type of pacer who faces a tough test from the outside barrier.
Goodfellaz, trained by Debra Lewis and to be driven by her husband Chris, looks a star bet when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the Retravision, For All The Electrical Stuff You Love Pace.
Five-year-old Goodfellaz is a bold frontrunner, as he showed two starts ago when he won by two lengths from Navy Street at a 1.55.5 rate over 2130m.
Then, last Friday night he was most impressive when he began out wide at barrier eight and raced in the breeze throughout before finishing second to the classy Swingband. He finished four lengths ahead of the third placegetter, Rupert Of Lincoln.
Star Casino, placed at his past two starts, will begin from the inside of the back line and should trail Goodfellaz all the way and looks a certain placegetter.
Vanderbilt set to shine
New Zealand-bred gelding Vanderbilt has been a work in progress and the rising five-year-old looks set for a successful campaign for astute Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams.
Vanderbilt will be having only his 18TH start in a race when he begins from the No. 5 barrier in the $21,000 Retravision, Lowest Price Guarantee Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be his third appearance after a five-month absence, and only his fourth start at Gloucester Park. He will be driven by Ryan Warwick, and his clash with several other smart four-year-olds, including Mikis Beach, Spicey Major and Frisky Styx, and exciting three-year-old Waverider should provide abundant action.
Vanderbilt warmed up for this assignment in fine style with an impressive victory over the fast-finishing Blazing Reactor in a 2185m event at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
He began speedily from the outside barrier in the field of six and raced in the breeze outside the pacemaker Soho Skyfall before forging to the front 100m from the post. The final quarters were run in 28.8sec. and 27.4sec.
Vanderbilt has had 13 starts in WA for seven wins (four at Northam, two at Pinjarra and one at Gloucester Park) and two seconds. He raced twice in New Zealand in stands at Addington in June 2023 when he impressed greatly with his powerful finishing bursts.
On debut, he galloped from the inside of the front line, and he settled down a distant last in the field of eleven. He was in last place, ten lengths behind the leader with 600m to travel, and he was still last at the 200m mark before he charged home, out five wide, to finish fourth behind Choco Lou in the 2000m stand.
Then at his next outing, in a 2600m event, he was trapped three wide early before being restrained to 13TH in the field of 14. He was 11TH at the 400m before running home powerfully to finish a close third behind Winnyzback and Don Juan.
Vanderbilt has had 13 starts in WA for seven wins and two seconds. His chief rivals on Friday night are expected to be Mikis Beach, Spicey Major, Waverider and Travelban.
Gary Hall jnr has chosen to drive his own nomination Spicey Major (barrier eight) ahead of Mikis Beach (barrier seven), with Deni Roberts being engaged to handle Waverider for trainer Ryan Bell.
Hall drove Spicey Major to an all-the-way victory over Travelban at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon, and he has also driven Mikis Beach for wins at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at his past two runs.
Justin Prentice trains Mikis Beach, and he will handle the speedy four-year-old on Friday night.
My Copy attracts attention
One of Australasia’s superstar pacers in recent times is Copy That, and the appearance of his younger half-brother My Copy at his Australian debut at Gloucester Park on Friday night deserves great attention.
My Copy, a winner at seven of his 57 New Zealand starts, will be having his first start for Mardella trainer Michael Young and star reinsman Gary Hall jnr when he begins from the 10m mark in the 2503m Retravision, Buy Now, Pay Later Handicap.
He is certainly not in the same class as his illustrious half-brother Copy That, who has amassed $2,019,937 from 33 wins and 18 placings from 68 starts.
Copy That has won six group 1 feature events, six at group 2 level, three in group 3s and one in a listed $100,000 event. His group 1 victories have been in the 3200m New Zealand Cup at Addington in 2021 and 2022, the 2021 Taylor Mile and the Messenger Free-For-All at Alexandra Park in 2021, the Sunshine Sprint at Albion Park in July 2021 when he beat King Of Swing by a nose and the Ballarat Cup in January 2022.
My Copy certainly stands well in the shade below Copy That, but he has a reasonable New Zealand record of seven wins, eight seconds, two thirds and stakes of $89,400 from 57 starts. He is by former star pacer Highview Tommy, who earned $990,015 from 17 wins and 27 placings from 104 starts. His two wins from seven Australian appearances included a memorable victory over Sushi Sushi and Smoken Up in the 2012 Ballarat Cup.
My Copy has not been produced at trials in WA, and all eyes will be on him when he lines up in the standing start event in which the Chris Voak-trained Caliente is the likely favourite from the inside barrier on the front line, with star reinsman Chris Lewis planning to repeat the gelding’s success of two starts ago when he led all the way in a stand and won from Brickies Dream and Coney Island Lou.
Brickies Dream, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, will start from the 10m mark on Friday night and should fight out the finish.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice holds a powerful hand in the $31,000 Pat Cranley Memorial Free-For-All over 2536m, with Tricky Miki drawing the prized No. 1 barrier and Jawsoflincoln, a dashing winner at three of his past four starts, favourably drawn at barrier No. 3.
Prentice will drive Jawsoflincoln and Gary Hall jnr will drive Tricky Miki, who has been unplaced at his four starts since he led from the No. 1 barrier and defeated Lavra Joe in a Free-For-All on October 18.
Life will not be easy for the Prentice pair who are sure to meet with stiff opposition from Jumpingjackmac (barrier seven) and Lavra Joe (barrier nine).
Jumpingjackmac, trained by Gary Hall snr and driven by Stuart McDonald, led from barrier six in a 2130m Free-For-All last Friday night and rated 1.55.5 when he beat Lavra Joe by a neck, with Never Ending a length farther back in third place.
