American Blaze Delivers The Goods
It was as a young boy in Western Australia that Steve Levar developed a keen interest in horses, and as a 14-year-old he broadcast harness racing trials at Byford before calling meetings at the trots and gallops.
Now in his 40s, he has been living and working in Singapore for the past 20-odd years, and he retains his love of harness racing as well as owning a publishing business and being involved in entrepreneurial and investment activities.
As a sideline, he studies form and breeding of pacers in New Zealand, and he made a well-informed choice last year to purchase a three-year-old gelding American Blaze, who had shown glimpses of form with two wins and two placings from eleven starts.
It is proving to be a wise decision, and the lightly-raced American Blaze produced a sample of his class when he won an extremely exciting $50,000 John Higgins Memorial over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was American Blaze’s third win from four starts for Levar, who races the four-year-old in partnership with his father, Steve Levar senior.
American Blaze is unbeaten at his two starts for Blythewood trainer-reinsman Michael Munro, who produced the American Ideal gelding in fine fettle for a smart first-up victory in a heat of the Higgins at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park on July 11 when he took the lead after 650m and defeated Major Disco.
Munro repeated the dose on Friday night when American Blaze, the $1.50 favourite from barrier four, dashed to the front after 120m, with Aiden De Campo content to take the sit with the $3.90 second fancy.
Curadh, the $11 third fancy, began from the outside of the back line and settled at the rear before Dylan Egerton-Green enlivened proceedings after about 550m by urging the five-year-old forward with a lightning burst which enabled him to charge to the front.
But moments after gaining the lead Curadh broke into a gallop. Munro immediately was able to ease off the inside running and dash past the galloper to regain the lead.
From Tigerland ($17) then moved to the breeze, leaving Major Disco in a watertight pocket behind the pacemaker. Major Disco gained an inside run 120m from the post when American Blaze shifted out, and Major Disco got his nose in front in the final couple of strides before American Blaze fought back to win by a short half-head, rating 1.58.6 after final quarters of 29.2sec. and 28.4sec.
“Major Disco headed us, but American Blaze was up for the fight, and he kicked back and won,” said Munro. “There is plenty of improvement in American Blaze. Only good horses win this race, and hopefully he measures up to run in the big races for four-year-olds later in the year.”
American Blaze, who has earned $71,959 from five wins and two placings from 15 starts, is the tenth and final foal out of the In the Pocket mare Ballymahon, who was retired after racing 24 times for one win, one placings and $7139 in prizemoney.
WA pacing fans will remember American Blaze’s half-brother Sir Brutus having the final five runs (unplaced) of his 113-start career at Gloucester Park in 2015 and 2016. Sir Brutus was a handy performer who earned $82,083 from 14 wins and 17 placings from 64 starts. Another half-brother, Classiemahon raced 113 times for 15 wins, 25 placings and $85,485 in stakes.
Magnificent Storm Is Poised
Veteran superstar Pacer Magnificent Storm is poised to be a major player in the upcoming rich summer feature events, notably the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup, the $1.2 million Nullarbor slot race and the $300,000 Fremantle Cup.
That’s the obvious conclusion after the sensational nine-year-old resumed after a spell in dazzling style at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he overcame the disadvantage of the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line to score an easy win in the 1730m $9 Swan Draught Pints Free-For-All.
He was the $1.50 favourite who settled at the rear before racing in the breeze and winning by more than a length from the $7 second fancy Bettors Pride, rating a slick 1.52.8. The quarters of the final mile were run in 28.3sec., 28.7sec., 28.4sec. and 28.5sec.
“He looks a bit fat, but in fact he is nice and hard and returned with a heart rate of just 85,” said his trainer Ray Williams.
“The Pacing Cup and the Nullarbor, that’s the dream, providing he stays sound. I was planning to give him three or four runs in August and then giving him a couple of weeks off before getting him ready to race in November and the Pacing Cup in December. The $50,000 August Cup in three weeks’ time is on the cards, but it all depends on how he pulls up after tonight’s run.”
Before Friday night’s event Williams and reinsman Aiden De Campo were undecided about what tactics to employ, with Williams saying: “I expected him to go good first-up but when he drew nine, I thought we should go back at the start.
“Aiden reckoned that we should go forward, and in the end, he made the right decision which he normally does.”
De Campo said: “Pre-race I was planning to launch Magnificent Storm, but in the warm-up, I thought better of it. And then I probably made the wrong move. I anticipated the pace coming off (slackening) and when I got to the breeze the leader (Beach Diamond) was pulling quite hard.
“So, I had to work hard from the 1200m to the thousand, around that corner, to get to the breeze. Lucky, he was good enough.
“He is a funny horse. He knows what it is like first-up and second-up when he thinks it is all a game. He comes out and is pricking his ears in the warm-up and travels kindly on the bit. Then as soon as he gets a couple of runs under his belt, he gets sharper and sharper and puts his head on his chest. He knows when it is game time.”
Magnificent Storm settled down in eleventh position before De Campo sent him forward, with a sharp three-wide burst after 550m to get to race without cover with about 900m to travel. He surged to the front 270m from home and won by 4m from Bettors Pride, who ran home solidly after trailing the pacemaker Beach Diamond, who wilted to finish eighth.
Magnificent Storm shows no signs of losing his brilliance, and he is sure to improve on his record of 79 starts for 49 wins, 15 placings and $1,820,487 in stakes.
Grumpee Resumes In Style
Pinjarra trainer David Young has enjoyed great success with talented and versatile trotter Patched and now is looking forward to another former Victorian horse Grumpee taking over as his stable’s star square gaiter.
Six-year-old Grumpee notched his fifth win from nine WA starts when Aiden De Campo drove him to a narrow victory in the Bridge Bar Trot, a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Nine-year-old Patched was due to resume after a spell in this race, but Young scratched him after the gelding’s appetite and work ethic declined during the week.
“Patched is retired,” said Young who prepared him for 24 victories over the past four and a half years. “He had a solid hit-out the other day and he didn’t eat up that night.
“He’s getting older and it’s all a bit harder for him. I think the time has come; he’s done his job, and I don’t want him going around just to make up the numbers. I will now talk things over with Vicki Woodhouse (owner) and Chris and Alison Alford, who sent him over to me.”
Patched earned $326,571 from 28 wins and 40 placings from 111 starts, with his notable victories being the 2023 and 2025 Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park.
And now Young is full of hope that Grumpee will equal Patched by notching his second victory in the $50,000 Trotters Cup next January. Grumpee won the Cup last January when he began from the 20m mark and worked hard in the breeze before beating My Lightning McQueen and Majestic Ga Ga.
On Friday night Grumpee was resuming after a six-month absence when he started off 30m and raced in third place in the Indian file affair before he sustained a solid finishing burst to get to the front on the home turn and hold on to beat the 60m backmarker Majestic Ga Ga, who raced in seventh and last position before flying home to fail by a half-head to draw level with Grumpee on the line.
Grumpee is the first trotter owned by Brian Simeon, a nephew of former top-flight reinsman Lindsay Smith. Simeon has been involved in harness racing for more than 50 years as a breeder, owner and trainer of pacers.
“I bought him from Victoria last year and he has proved to be a good purchase, and I’ well in front with him,” said Simeon.
Young said that Grumpee was a difficult horse to drive. “He didn’t hang in his races in Victoria, but here I think that our tracks are a bit softer, and he gets on to one of his bumpers quite badly,” he said.
“He doesn’t steer very straight. He probably won’t finish with a record as good as Patched, but on raw ability he is quicker and is the better horse. And he has time on his side for us to be able to turn him around.”
Hall’s Derby Assault
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr has laid down the challenge to rival owners and trainers that they will need to have their young pacers on song when the $200,000 WA Derby is run on October 30.
This message came through loud and clear when Hall produced four classy three-year-olds, all by boom American sire Downbytheseaside, in the1730m Calcio Italiano Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and they filled the first four placings.
Im Stealthy, the $2.80 second fancy from out wide at barrier eight, was driven confidently by Stuart McDonald for an impressive victory.
He won by almost a length from the $2.35 favourite and last year’s Golden Slipper winner D Mac, driven by Gary Hall Jnr, with $9 chance He Is Talking (Dylan Egerton-Green) 4m away in third place and just a nose ahead of Bumrah ($4.80; Deni Roberts).
Bumrah led early before Egerton-Green sent He Is Talking to the front after 350m. And then Im Stealthy, after racing four wide early, zoomed to the top 200m later.
The opening 400m section was covered in a blistering 27.2sec. before the next two quarters were run in 29.7sec. and 29.6sec. The final quarter whizzed by in 27.9sec., with the winner rating a smart 1.53.3.
“Im Stealthy is a big dummy and is still learning,” said McDonald. “To run a mile like that, first-up (for four and a half months) and to run the first quarter in 27.2sec. shows that he is a horse on the way up.”
D Mac began from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line and settled down at the rear before starting a three-wide burst after 750m. He was seventh at the bell and finished determinedly.
Im Stealthy now has had seven starts for five wins and stakes of $45,958. He is the seventh foal out of the unraced Jeremes Jet mare Bay Jet, whose first foal Wildwest was a star for the Hall stable and was retired with a fine record of 66 starts for 17 wins, 14 placings and earnings of $619,218.
The highlight of Wildwest’s career was his last-stride victory as a $91 outsider in the WA Pacing Cup in February 2022 when he beat Miracle Moose by a half-head, with that pair beating home Chicago Bull, Magnificent Storm and Minstrel.
The Hall stable also produced another brilliant first-up winner on Friday night when Gary Hall Jnr drove New Zealand-bred four-year-old Scooter B to a runaway victory in the 2130m King Of Swing Pace.
Scooter B, making his first appearance for 15 months, was a hot $1.10 favourite from barrier six. He sped to an early lead and was untroubled to bowl along in front and coast to a three-length win over $101 outsider Jamie Kim, rating 1.58.2.
“I didn’t want to blast him early when I felt he could have got out quicker,” said Hall Jnr. “He has been plagued with injuries and we’re hoping to get a full preparation into him”.
Scooter B, a Bettors Delight gelding, has raced ten times for four wins, four placings and stakes of $47,815.
