Hall Admires Im Stealthy
New Zealand-bred gelding Im Stealthy is green, inexperienced and has a lot to learn. But champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr predicts the three-year-old is capable of becoming a star performer.
“It will take a good one to beat him in the WA Derby,” said Hall after driving Im Stealthy to an easy victory in the 2130m Demolition Services Perth Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He can beat D Mac if he draws inside him in the Derby (the $200,000 classic on October 30).”
On the surface that sounds rather like an ambitious forecast, considering that D Mac, driven by Hall, is unbeaten at his two WA appearances last September when he scored decisive victories in a prelude and the final of the prestigious Golden Slipper, races in which Im Stealthy finished third in the prelude and fifth in the final.
D Mac and Im Stealthy are prepared by Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr and they are both by American sire Downbytheseaside. D Mac has already accumulated $101,288 from his two wins and one second placing (in New Zealand) while Im Stealthy has earned $33,900.
“There is not much between the two horses,” said Hall Jnr. “But Im Stealthy still has much to learn. I haven’t got much nice to say about Im Stealthy at the moment, and it is lucky he is so good.
“He is winning but is not doing much else right. When he won first-up at Pinjarra (11 days earlier) he travelled strongly (and won by three lengths at a 1.55.2 rate over 2185m). Tonight, he was lazier and had a good look around.
“I could have stoked him up a bit more in the run. I’m trying to teach him, and he’s making that difficult by not concentrating.”
On Friday night Im Stealthy, the $1.04 favourite from barrier three, hung out at the start before getting to the front after 450m. After a slow lead time of 38sec. and a dawdling opening quarter of 31.2sec. Im Stealthy covered the final three 400m sections in 29.9sec., 28.7sec. and 27.9sec. to win by just over two lengths from $31 chance Chugach, who led early and then enjoyed a perfect trip behind the pacemaker. The winner rated 1.57.6.
Im Stealthy has a lot to live up to. He is the seventh foal out of Bay Jet, whose first foal is Wildwest, who won at his first seven starts in WA for the Hall stable in 2019 and went on to score a thrilling last-stride victory over Miracle Moose in the 2936m WA Pacing Cup in February 2022, with Chicago Bull finishing third, Magnificent Storm fourth and Minstrel fifth.
Flying Start Aids Rockandrollartist
A flying start from the No. 4 barrier enabled Rockandrollartist to burst to the front after 200m and paved the way for his convincing win in the $30,000 Ascot Group WA Im Themightyquinn Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Rockandrollartist, a WA-bred seven-year-old trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, was a $12.60 chance who ended a losing sequence of ten and just two placings from his nine previous starts when he dictated the terms of the event and cruised to a 7m win over Petes Honour ($14), with the $4.60 equal favourites Minos and Justcallmemiki finishing in the next two placings.
“Lighting him up in Free For All grade is a little bit harder than lighting him up back in a (lower) grade,” said De Campo. “He comes out as he always has but the rest come out faster.
“After Longreach Bay ($81) crossed to the front and then looked like he was going to take a trail ensured we took the lead and after a first quarter of 31.2sec. I thought he wasn’t going to get beaten.
“Going into the back straight the last time, horses on our back and in the breeze were struggling, so when we ran that quick quarter (27.6sec.) down the back it put the pressure on the horses back in the field to make up ground. And Rockandrollartist ran through the line strongly.”
Rockandrollartist has been a wonderful performer for his breeder and owner Adrian Shanks, and he now has raced 99 times for 17 wins, 28 placings for $234,793 in prizemoney.
Justcallmemiki, making his first appearance for 14 weeks, should pay to follow. He began from the outside (No. 9) on the front line and was ninth at the bell before surging home strongly out wide on the track to finish an eye-catching fourth. The final quarters, off the front, were covered in 27.6sec. and 28.2sec.
Five Screws Help Ta In Advance
It was almost three years ago when Ta In Advance fractured his offside hind pastern during an event in which he finished third at Wagin.
He underwent surgery when five screws were inserted in his leg, and they were still in place when he won the $21,000 Trusted Asbestos Removal WA Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The win by the seven-year-old Ta In Advance as the $5 second favourite gave his breeder, part-owner and trainer Kaiden Hayter his first metro-class success since he trained and drove Hoiho to win by a head from While They Pray at Gloucester Park on February 14, 2020.
This gave the 34-year-old Hayter his 63RD victory as a trainer. A mechanic by trade, he is the workshop foreman at a car yard in Bunbury, and he has a team of two pacers in work, Ta In Advance and that pacer’s unraced two-year-old brother, a colt by former smart pacer Wesley.
Hayter races Ta In Advance in partnership with his wife Kate, his parents Sharon and Mick, and his cousins Heath and Liam Stewart. Ta In Advance is the most successful pacer raced by Hayter, and the gelding is the first horse bred by him and his parents.
“We bought the dam Ta For Mumma, an untried two-year-old, from Bob Mellsop for $5000,” said Hayter. “She won a few races but had chronic hock issues and we had to retire her early (with earnings of $23,992 from five wins and five placings from 24 starts).”
Ta For Mumma’s dam Uma Tada was a good performer who raced 46 times for 12 wins, 16 placings and $85,291 in stakes. Ta In Advance now has earned $71,818 from seven wins and 21 placings from 65 starts.
Eleven days before Friday night’s success Ta In Advance ended a losing sequence of 23 when Emily Suvaljko drove him to a very easy win in a female invitation event at Pinjarra in which drivers were selected in a ballot.
Hayter rewarded Suvaljko for her winning drive by engaging her to handle the gelding again on Friday night. “I’ve now got a hundred per cent record with Kaiden, two drives for two wins,” beamed Suvaljko.
Eclipse Line Continues To Amaze
The once despised gelding Eclipse Line continues to amaze with his splendid performances in WA since being purchased for $4000 late last year.
He was a $4.30 chance when he made most of the running and scored an easy win over Gee Smith and Strauny in the Ascot Home Renovations Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
That was his seventh win (three in metro-class events) from 19 starts in WA for his owners, trainer Michael Young, Matt Leppard and Ollie Cownie. Eclipse Line has also been placed five times in WA and his return to his new owners is $69,532, and they are confident he will boost his earnings when he contests another standing-start event next Friday night.
Eclipse Line arrived in WA with a losing sequence of 22 (including two placings at Penrith) and his only success from four Victorian starts and 24 in New South Wales was at Newcastle in September 2024.
“We bought him from the same connections who sold us Our Thunder and Bobby Waterhouse last year,” said Young.
Our Thunder arrived in WA with a losing sequence of 63, and his six starts in the space of six weeks for his new owners produced three wins, two seconds and one third placing before he was retired.
Bobby Waterhouse, who arrived in WA with a losing sequence of 35, won at Pinjarra, Kellerberrin and Collie last year as well as being placed four times.
Eclipse Line began from the 10m mark on Friday night and Emily Suvaljko sent him forward soon after the start to get to the front after 600m. He then enjoyed an unchallenged time in the lead and coasted to victory by just under two lengths.
This gave Suvaljko the second of her three winners on the night. She won earlier in the program with Ta In Advance, and she drove the Young-trained mare Majestic Ga Ga to victory in the Perth Construction Specialists Free-For-All Trot.
Majestic Ga Ga, the $1.50 favourite, began from the outside barrier in the field of eight and she raced three wide for the first 500m before racing in the breeze while $17 chance Luvaflair was setting a solid pace. Majestic Ga Ga gained the upper hand about 90m from the finish and went on to beat $23 chance Line The Starzzz, who trailed the pacemaker before finishing with a determined burst.
This extended Majestic Ga Ga’s winning sequence to four and improved her career record to 59 starts for 22 wins, 17 placings and $200,858.
Majestic Ga Ga thrives on racing and she will make her next appearance when she begins off the 60m mark over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, while stable star Penny Black will contest the $35,000 Golden Girls Mile over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday.
Mad Monday, trained by Greg and Skye Bond and driven by Deni Roberts, made a sparkling return to racing after a four-month absence when he outclassed his eleven rivals in the 2130m Ascot Group Made In WA Pace.
Mad Monday was the $1.90 favourite from barrier four, and Roberts sent him to the front after 450m. He dashed over the final three quarters in 28.9sec., 28.7sec. and 27.8sec. and won without his earplugs being released, scoring by seven lengths from $13 chance Spitfire, who overraced in the breeze and fought of gamely.
“Mad Monday has taken the next step and has matured a lot,” said Roberts. “His work has been good, and he was even better tonight.”
Mad Monday has had 20 starts for seven wins and five seconds and is giving every indication that he will be a strong candidate for the rich feature events for four-year-olds later in the year.
Terror In Texas Triumphs
Veteran pacer Terror In Texas has emerged from the wilderness and is again making his mark as a quality performer.
The nine-year-old has thrived on a special preparation of galloping in the sand and swimming at South Beach, and his three runs for Fremantle trainer Keith Frost after resuming from a 23-month absence have resulted in two seconds followed by a tough victory in the 2130m AGWA Building Maintenance Services Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Terror In Texas, driven by Chris Lewis, was the $2.20 favourite from the No. 3 barrier, and he revealed great strength to work hard in the breeze outside the $3 second fancy Sugar Shake before fighting on with great determination to snatch a head victory from Sugar Shake, rating 1.57.3 after final quarters of 28.2sec. and 29.1sec.
His breeder and owner Dene Bickers said that Terror In Texas had enormous potential, saying: “He was troubled by bone chips in his legs and other niggling issues have prevented him from realising his full potential. When he suffered from bone chips it put pressure on other parts of his body. “
Terror In Texas is by New Zealand sire Terror To Love and is the eleventh foal out of the Fake Left mare Texan Cowgirl, a modest performer in WA who raced 31 times for six wins (four in Kalgoorlie and two in Geraldton), ten placings and $20,645 in stakes.
Texan Cowgirl’s second foal (bred by Ross Torre) was Aussie Reactor, who was retired with earnings of $616,425 from 44 wins and 47 placings from 182 starts. His most memorable victory was when he finished powerfully to snatch a dramatic final-stride win from the hot favourite James Matthew in the Group 1 Golden Slipper in July 2008.
Aussie Reactor won 20 times in WA before racing in America where he won another 24 times.
Bickers purchased Texan Cowgirl at Torre’s dispersal sale more than 15 years ago, and the first foal he bred from that mare was Aussie Delight, who won the Group 2 Binshaw Pace in December 2017 and was retired with earnings of $124,452 from 12 wins and ten placings from 54 starts.
Terror In Texas is the fifth foal bred by Bickers out of Texan Cowgirl, and the old gelding has now had 29 starts for nine wins, 12 placings and $63,031.
As a three-year-old, trained and driven by Gary Butler, Terror In Texas won four times, and in the following year he finished tenth behind Minstrel in the Group 1 Golden Nugget in February 2021. He then was badly affected by a damaged nearside hind leg and was off the scene for 23 months before resuming racing in January 2023.
He had five starts at Pinjarra early in 2023, resulting in one second and two third placings, and then was not sighted for the next eleven months as he recovered from the surgery to remove the bone chips in his legs. But after seven starts for a win at Gloucester Park and three placings in that campaign he did not race for another 23 months.
Terror In Texas then reappeared in a race at Pinjarra last month when he finished a well-beaten second before improving with a close second to Louie Lebeau at Gloucester Park the following week. He derived good benefit from those runs and was primed to run a big race on Friday night.
Bickers said that six months ago he had asked the 72-year-old Frost to take over the preparation of Terror In Texas to give the pacer a diet of swimming and galloping on the sand at South Beach.
“He is thriving on this program and is bright eyed and happy,” said Bickers.
Terror In Texas is the only pacer being trained by Frost, whose previous training success was with Road Closure, who won a $9360 event at Gloucester Park on June 3 last year.
