Youre So Fine’s Grand Comeback
Seven-year-old Youre So Fine has recovered from crippling injuries that have twice threatened to end his career, and he returned to action after a 19-week absence in a blaze of glory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Prepared and produced in fine fettle by master trainer Gary Hall Snr, the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old made a mockery of his handsome odds of $17.20 from the outside of the back line in the $31,000 Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m when he scored a brilliant victory.
Maddison Brown, driving Youre So Fine for the first time in a race, deputising in the sulky for Gary Hall Jnr, who is enjoying a well-deserved fishing holiday in the south of the State, handled the Always B Miki gelding with aplomb, guiding him to victory over the fast-finishing Menemsha.
Brown got Youre So Fine away smoothly and he settled down in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before he was sent forward, out three wide, with 900m to travel. He sustained a determined burst to take the lead on the home turn and beat $8.50 chance Menemsha by a head, with Maximum Rock ($19) a length farther back. He rated 1.55.3 after the final 800m was covered in 56.8sec.
This was Youre So Fine’s 31ST start in a race and took his record to 13 wins and seven placings for earnings of $224,980. This would have been considerably better had it not been for the gelding’s serious leg and hoof injuries, problems which caused him to be out of action for lengthy periods of 19 months and 17 months.
Brown paid a special tribute to Hall Jnr, explaining that she went into the race with high expectations. “I was confident because Junior had given me a lot of confidence,” she said.
“He told me not to worry about the horse’s long price and said that Youre So Fine had been working in super fashion at home. Therefore, drive him full of confidence.”
And that is just what Brown did, being the first driver to make a positive move approaching the bell.
“I took Youre So Fine three deep about 900m from home,” she said. “I wanted to be the first one to go, and obviously trying to keep Hugotastic (the $2.70 favourite) as far back as I could to give my horse every chance.
“So, as soon as I pulled him out it was game on. He was travelling super but got a bit tired late, but he did enough to hang on. Earlier, I was a bit worried when he was a bit keen in the warm-up. But as soon as he went up (in the score-up behind the mobile barrier) he relaxed.”
Youre So Fine was purchased by New Zealand trainer Brett Gray for $14,000 at the 2020 yearling sale in Christchurch, and the following year he showed his class by winning the Group two Diamond Creek Farm Classic at Invercargill when he finished strongly from fifth at the 500m to beat Franco Indie, rating 1.56.7 over 2200m which set a New Zealand record for a two-year-old colt or gelding.
After that one win and a placing from three starts in New Zealand, Youre So Fine was purchased for a considerably higher price by a syndicate of owners linked to the Hall stable.
At his WA debut, Youre So Fine finished third to Tricky Miki in the Golden Slipper at Gloucester Park in July 2021 and then had three more runs as a two-year-old at Gloucester Park for two wins and a nose second to Floewriter before suffering tendon injuries in both front legs.
After an injury-enforced absence of 19 months Youre So Fine reappeared in July 2023 when he scored seven wins in a row, including the 3309m Marathon Handicap at Gloucester Park when he defeated Steel The Show.
But five months later Youre So Fine broke down again when he dropped out to finish eleventh behind Tricky Miki in the Golden Nugget, with leg problems forcing him out of action for 17 months.
Youre So Fine’s victory on Friday night was his first for 23 months, since he raced without cover and beat Benji by a half-neck over 2130m at Gloucester Park on June 28, 2024.
And the win completed a winning treble in successive events for Hall Snr, following the wins of Sweet Pins ($8.90) and Ultimate Miki ($1.80).
A Long Time Between Drinks
A little more than13 years ago, 4788 days to be exact, Dylan Egerton-Green drove a horse for leading trainer Gary Hall Snr for the first time, and he celebrated the occasion by winning the 2130m metro-class event with $26.90 chance Alpeegee at Gloucester Park on April 5, 2013.
And to the best of his knowledge, Egerton-Green was engaged to handle a horse from the Hall stable for just the second time, and he was more than happy to drive Sweet Pins, an $8.90 chance in the Trotsynd, Join The Fun Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Sweet Pins was unfavourably drawn on the outside of the front line, with his stablemates Seaside Pond, the $1.70 favourite from barrier four, and A Little Silence, a $6.50 chance from the outside of the back line.
With Seaside Pond, driven by Stuart McDonald, setting the pace, a patient Egerton-Green was content to keep the New Zealand-bred five-year-old in last position in the field of twelve until he sent him forward 900m from home.
Moments after Sweet Pins began his move Chris Voak switched $71 chance Our Vinnie out three wide, thus giving Sweet Pins an ideal trail in the final circuit. Sweet Pins sustained his run and took the lead 100m from the post and won by almost a length from A Little Silence, who flew home for Maddison Brown from the rear with a powerful four-wide burst.
Seaside Pond, driven by Stuart McDonald, hung out for most of the way and wilted over the final stages to finish tenth.
Egerton-Green was delighted to have the opportunity to handle Sweet Pins, who had set the pace before fading to last behind Golden Lode the previous Friday night.
“Sweet Pins had performed well when a Pinjarra winner four days before last week’s run and I thought he was a good chance tonight because there was a bit of heat when he was beaten last Friday night,” said Egerton-Green.
“I was hoping there would be a bit of speed on early tonight and I planned to look after the horse and give him an economical run.”
The 33-year-old Egerton-Green recalled his win with seven-year-old gelding Alpeegee in 2013 when Hall Snr had five runners in the race.
Alpeegee began from barrier two on the back line and raced three back on the pegs before finishing strongly to win by a neck from another Hall-trained pacer, Whos Mistake, who was handled by Gary Hall Jnr. The other stablemates were My Jasami (Kaiden Hayter, fourth), Some Kinda Tactics (Shane Butcher, sixth) and Sanjaya (Aiden De Campo, eleventh).
Luvbite Still Packs A Punch
Luvbite, a winner over star pacer Tims A Trooper in a Free-For-All at Albion Park 13 months ago, failed at his following 31 starts in Queensland before arriving in WA three months ago, and regaining form for trainer Michael Young.
He was purchased for $10,000 by a group of Young’s clients, who are pleased with the seven-year-old’s efforts and two wins from his first six WA appearances for $25,780 in prizemoney.
Luvbite, the $2.30 favourite from the front line in the 2503m standing-start Christmas In July Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night, overcame difficulties to score a neck victory over the $4.80 second fancy and pacemaker My Silver Spoon.
It was a significant first success in a stand after being unplaced at his six starts in stands in a career which now stands at 153 starts for 15 wins, 57 placings and $227,656 in stakes. His first two wins came from 22 starts in Victoria before he continued his career in Queensland for another eleven wins and 44 placings from 125 starts.
He rated 1.53.2 when he defeated Tims A Trooper by a nose over 2138m in April last year, a notable success over a pacer who has amassed $593,137 from 22 wins and 44 placings from 119 starts.
Luvbite has inherited much of his ability from his dam, Mach And Me, who won the Group 1 APG final for two-year-old fillies over 1609m at Moonee Valley in May 2009 before being retired with two wins, four seconds and earnings of $159,885 from nine starts.
He galloped out in Friday night’s race before quickly regaining his pacing action. But Emily Suvaljko’s plans of setting the pace were dashed as Franco Mecca, Twobob Cracker and My Silver Spoon beat him out.
My Silver Spoon quickly assumed the role of pacemaker, and Suvaljko was happy to remain in the breeze until Medieval Man ($12) went forward after about 1000m to race outside the leader and giving Luvbite an ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position.
My Silver Spoon appeared the likely winner on the home turn before Luvbite knuckled down and ran home tenaciously to hit the front in the final couple of strides.
“Luvbite has always shown good promise and now he’s an old veteran with a few tricks,” said Young. “Galloping at the start wasn’t so much his fault; he was still sideways when the starter let them go. He didn’t really get a chance to step, but he got back into his stride quickly.”
Ruby Lou Ends Losing Run Of 11
Handy four-year-old mare Ruby Lou, unplaced at her previous nine starts, ended a losing sequence of eleven when Shannon Suvaljko guided her to an all-the-way win in the 2130m Book Into Steelo’s Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ruby Lou, trained by Kevin Keys and the $4.50 second fancy, owed her success to a cagey drive from Suvaljko, who took full advantage of the prized No. 1 barrier and was able to dawdle through the lead time in 37.5sec. and the opening quarters in 30.5sec. and 30.3sec.
This left the $3.20 favourite Opal Hunter hopelessly hemmed in on the pegs throughout the race after beginning from the inside of the back line and immediately behind Ruby Lou.
“The barrier draw made a big difference tonight and walking in front helped,” said Keys. “Ruby Lou was unlucky when tenth in a race at Pinjarra four days earlier when she was badly held up for a clear run.”
Suvaljko admitted that he was extremely anxious to keep Opal Hunter under lock and key behind Ruby Lou, saying: “We were able to keep Robbie (Williams) in a pocket, especially around this track with no sprint lane. If you can keep the horse behind you boxed in, it pays dividends.
“Opal Hunter is probably the better horse (than Ruby Lou), but from his draw Robbie had to drive him for luck, and we were able to control the race.”
Ruby Lou has raced 45 times for seven wins, nine placings and $119,981.
Keys, Suvaljko and owner Jim Giumelli completed a double when $9.50 chance Koojan was successful in the 2130m $9 Swan Draught Pints Pace when making his first appearance for four months.
Koojan began from the No. 2 barrier and following a fast lead time of 35.6sec. he took up the running after 350m before Suvaljko surrendered the lead soon after to the $1.16 favourite Beetastic, who slowed the tempo noticeably with an opening 400m of 31.8sec.
Koojan was eased off the pegs 250m from home and he ran home strongly to take the lead 30m from the post and win by a half-length from $15 chance Wall Street Girl, who had raced without cover and had got to the front in the home straight. Beetastic was a wilting third.
El Raes Girl Back In Form
“She is a nice filly who has been plagued with bad barriers and bad luck, and it makes it a lot easier when you’re in front,” said trainer Aiden De Campo after driving El Raes Girl to an all-the-way win in the 2130m Pick Your Race Name Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
El Raes Girl, who went into the race with a losing sequence of 14, was a $4.60 chance from the coveted No. 1 barrier, and De Campo was able to give the filly a comfortable time with a slow lead of 38.2sec. and moderate opening quarters of 30.7sec. and 29.9sec.
De Campo then gave El Raes Girl’s rivals little chance by sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 27.9sec. She finished a length clear of $3.20 chance Cinch, who fought on gamely after working in the breeze all the way.
El Raes Girl is by American sire Captain Ahab and is the fifth foal out of Washington VC mare Quick Sunrise, who raced 16 times in WA for two wins (at Bunbury and Pinjarra), four placings and stakes of $7975.
Her win on Friday night completed a double for De Campo, who was successful earlier in the program with the Matt Scott-trained six-year-old gelding Bet On The River in the 2130m Book Into Christmas In July Pace.
Bet On The River, a $12.10 chance, finished solidly from fifth at the bell to win by a metre from Sugar Street ($13) and end a 12-month drought and break a losing sequence of 27.
Deni Roberts also landed a double, driving the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Kinky and Rumble Strip to smart victories.
Kinky ($1.90) surged home from fourth (three wide) at the bell to beat Official Rock ($11) and Up And Alive ($8.50) in the 2130m Free Entry Pace for mares, and classy four-year-old Rumble Strip, the $1.30 favourite, was not extended to race without cover before strolling to an easy win over Rox The World ($11) and Sugar Shake ($6.50) in the 2130m Trotsynd Shares Available Pace.
Ultimate Miki, trained by Gary Hall Snr and driven by Stuart McDonald, was the $1.80 favourite when he outclassed his rivals in the 2130m Bridge Bar Open Pace to remain unbeaten at his three West Australian appearances.
