Unwanted Filly Is A Star
Prospective buyers missed a bargain at last year’s APG Perth yearling sale when they showed little interest in lot 368 who was passed in when nobody wanted to buy her, and the Downbytheseaside filly failed to reach her reserve price of $30,000.
Subsequently, the filly, the second foal out of Group 1 winner Tenniele Erin and named Seaside Serenade, was bought by prominent owner Albert Walmsley, who will be looking forward to a strong performance from her in the $250,000 Group 1 Trotsynd Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Interestingly, Seaside Serenade, bred by Kevin Charles, is following in the footsteps of the New South Wales-bred Tenniele Erin, who was owned by Charles and was passed in after failing to reach her reserve price of $12,000 at the 2016 WA yearling sale.
Charles then decided to race Tenniele Erin, who was trained by Justin Prentice and won the Group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in April 2017 when she led from the No. 3 barrier and beat breeze runner Lady de la Renta.
After that Charles sent Tenniele Erin to Victoria to be prepared by Emma Stewart, and after three wins in minor events there the filly was retired to the breeding barn with a record of 14 starts for five wins, seven placings and stakes of $88,180.
Seaside Serenade is prepared by Ryan Bell and has been driven at her five starts by Liam Elliott for four wins, one third placing and $89,073 in prizemoney as well bonuses.
Bell produced Seaside Serenade in fine fettle for her first-up run after a five-month absence in a heat of the Diamond on Monday of last week in which she was involved in a scorching early pace and then raced without cover in the middle stages, before taking the lead 400m from home and finishing third behind Im Catastrophic and Some Dancer.
“They don’t go any quicker in any grade like first 200 metres when Seaside Serenade and Scandaleyes were flying in the qualifying heat,” said Bell.
“And then Seaside Serenade worked in the breeze, and it took them (the first two placegetters) all the length of the straight to get past her. You couldn’t have asked much more from her effort, and I am in awe of how well she has bounced back from that run.
“Her task this week is not a simple one and she will have her work cut out. But she is pretty slick off the gate, and she has options at the start.”
Seaside Serenade is favourably drawn at barrier two but is not certain of bursting straight to the front, with the polemarker All Out Of Aces also a speedy beginner who won the start from barrier three and set the pace before winning from Seaspirit over 1730m three starts ago.
All Out Of Aces finished a well-beaten second to Ilikeitlikethat in a qualifying heat when she raced wide early and then in the breeze. All Out Of Aces, to be driven by Trent Wheeler, is one of four runners in the race who are prepared by Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green.
Egerton-Green has chosen to drive heat winner Nevele Arma, who will start from the outside of the back line. His other runners are Some Dancer (Mitch Miller; barrier seven) and Arvannas Wish (Chris Lewis; barrier nine).
Nevele Arma impressed when she began from the No. 1 barrier in a heat and set the pace before winning by three lengths from Pocket Of Dreams, who fought on strongly after racing without cover.
Some Dancer trailed the pacemaker Scandaleyes in a heat and was hampered for room in the late stages when second to Im Catastrophic, who is one of two runners in Friday night’s final who are trained by Murray Lindau, the other being Our Robyn Hood. Lindau’s runners will begin from the back line.
Ilikeitlikethat, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six. But she cannot be underestimated after winning easily at her two appearances after resuming from a spell.
She led from barrier three in a heat and won by three lengths from All Out Of Aces nine nights after finishing strongly from sixth at the bell to win by more than four lengths from Funny As over 2190m at Northam.
“Six is not a great draw but it’s not the end of the world,” said Roberts. “She’s versatile but she needs the speed to be on early. She has been driven forward in all her races, but she can come from behind, too.
“Her work behind the scenes has been really good and she has been a lot more on the bit at her past two track runs at home.”
Trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo, who drove hot favourite Wishing Belle to victory in last year’s Diamond Classic, has two runners in the big race on Friday night, Modest Molly (barrier five) and Bush Queen (three). He will handle speedy beginner Modest Molly, and Joey Suvaljko will drive Bush Queen.
Hall Seeks His Seventh Pearl
Star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is poised to notch his seventh victory in the prestigious $250,000 Hoist Torque Pearl Classic for two-year-old colts and gelding at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he drives brilliant gelding Hez The Boss from the prized No. 1 barrier.
In the weeks leading up to the Group 1 feature event Hall was deliberating between the Colin Brown-trained Hez The Boss and the Justin Prentice-trained Ideal Whisper as his drive.
He has driven Hez The Boss five times for five wins and Ideal Whisper twice for two victories, and when Hez The Boss drew barrier one and Ideal Whisper barrier four, he had no hesitation in choosing Hez The Boss.
Hall faced a similar dilemma four years ago when he thought long and hard before choosing to handle the Prentice-trained Never Ending (barrier three) ahead of his brilliant stablemate Valedictorian (barrier five) in the Pearl. His judgment was impeccable, with Never Ending winning and beating Valedictorian (Dylan Egerton-Green) into second place.
Prentice has now engaged Deni Roberts to drive Ideal Whisper, who was handled by Hall in a heat of the Pearl on Monday of last week when he began swiftly from barrier six, burst to the front after 120m, set the pace and sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 28.3sec. to win, unextended, by two lengths from breeder, part-owner and trainer Sarah Wall’s promising gelding Ignite The Furnace, who fought on gamely after racing without cover.
Hez The Boss warmed up for the final with an effortless heat victory last week when he began from barrier five, strolled to the front after 450m, ambled through the opening quarters in 31.6sec. and 30.9sec. before giving a sample of his class with final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 27.9sec. He won by two and a half lengths from Rock The Tour.
Ideal Whisper was the fastest of the three heat winners, rating 1.57 over the 2130m trip, with Hez The Boss rating 1.58.3 in his heat, and Beau Para, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, not extended in rating 2.2.7 when he set the pace and dashed home with a 28.5sec. quarter to win from the breeze horse Rip Tide.
Egerton-Green won the 2021 Pearl with the De Campo-trained The Miki Taker. De Campo also trained and drove Menemsha for his victory in the 2023 classic, and he won with Rich Yankee for trainer Jesse Moore in 2015. Brown has also tasted success in the Pearl, having driven Isaiah Artois for trainer David Thompson in 2014.
Prentice’s three Pearl winners as a trainer have been Manning (2019), Never Ending (2022) and Ideal Beach (2025), while Hall has won the classic with The Jobs On (2004), Itsallabout Nicole (2009), Go West U Terror (2010), Swagga (2013), Never Ending (2022) and Ideal Beach (2025).
Chris Lewis, who has driven the winner of the Pearl five times, will handle rank outsider Seaya Rocknroll for trainer Ross Olivieri, who prepared Lombo Laredo (1994) and Argent Treasure (2007) for their Pearl victories.
Trainers Kim Prentice (Bonebuster) and Terry Ferguson (Rip Tide) will be seeking to win the big race for the second time.
Trial Points To Captain Stirling
A dashing workout in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago was a strong pointer to Captain Stirling’s winning prospects in the opening event, the 2130m Free Entry Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven by his trainer Dylan Egerton-Green, Captain Stirling impressed when he rated a smart 1.55.3 when he finished strongly to win by a length and a half from Goodfellaz in the six-horse trial field in which the quarters of the final mile were covered in 29.4sec., 29.9sec., 28.7sec. and 27.9sec.
The Captain Crunch four-year-old has raced 27 times for five wins, ten seconds and two thirds. He gave a sample of his class last October when he raced four back on the pegs before running home strongly to finish second to Runkle Crunch in the 2536m WA Derby.
Captain Stirling has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier seven in a strong event in which several runners have sound each-way claims.
Trent Wheeler will be anxious to take advantage of Travelban’s favourable barrier at No. 1. However, he is expected to receive plenty of early pressure for the lead from fast beginners Art Ideal, Lady Camel and Rakero Raider.
Art Ideal, to be driven by Kylah Madden for trainer Philip Henwood, possesses sparkling gate speed, and he is expected to fly out from the No. 6 barrier. He led from barrier seven and won from Era and Ideal Interest at a 1.55.5 rate over 1730m two starts ago and last Friday night he revealed his versatility when he began from the outside of the back line and raced at the rear before surging home, out wide, from ninth at the bell to finish third behind Scooter B over 2130m.
Rakero Raider has struck top form for Wanneroo trainer Craig Saligari. He will start from the No. 5 barrier and should fight out the finish. He was in eleventh place at the bell and caught the eye when he charged home to finish fifth behind Scooter B.
Adding interest to the race will be the appearance of Lazarus five-year-old Atlas The Titan, who is trained by Gary Hall Snr and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr. He will begin from the No. 3 barrier at his first start since finishing a close second to Loch Tay in the Great Southern Derby at Narrogin on October 26, 2024.
Egerton-Green faces a busy night with nine stable runners engaged, with last-start winner Major Miki Whitby looking one of the main chances in the 1730m HTA Access Solutions Pace in which the four-year-old gelding will start from the No. 4 barrier.
Major Miki Whitby began from the back line, and he sprinted fast to dash to the front in the first lap before going on to win by more than five lengths from Mighty Magician over 2190m at Northam last Saturday week, rating 1.57 after the final three 400m sections whizzed by in 28.7sec., 27.6sec. and 28.7sec.
Balingup Boy ran home solidly to finish third in that event and the John Oldroyd-trained six-year-old, a winner at Bunbury and Pinjarra at his two previous outings, appeals as Major Miki Whitby’s most serious rival. Balingup Boy will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr and he will begin from the No. 2 barrier, a significant advantage over Major Miki Whitby.
Trainer Michael Young has engaged Hall to drive Luvbite, the sole backmarker off 40m in the 2503m HTA Rent A Gen Handicap, and his clash with in-form stablemate and standing-start specialist Stormy Vista should provide plenty of action.
Luvbite started from the 30m mark last Friday night when he was sixth at the bell and dashed forward to get on terms with the frontrunning Stormy Vista 300m from home before finishing a 2m second to that smart pacer.
