Luvbite Smashes Track Record
Veteran pacer Luvbite, who arrived in WA early this year with a losing sequence of 31, continued his remarkable rise to the top when he surged home from last to score a superb victory in race and track record time in the $30,000 Westside Auto Marathon Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven confidently by Gary Hall Jnr, the seven-year-old Luvbite smashed the 3309-metre record, rating 1.58.9 which bettered the 1.59.4 recorded by ten-year-old gelding Rocket Reign when he was the co-backmarker off 40m and finished powerfully from tenth at the bell to win by six lengths from fellow backmarker This Time Dylan in August 2014.
Rocket Reign, trained by Debbie Padberg, ended a losing sequence of 22 when he won the Marathon as a $11.20 chance. He then was unsuccessful at his following 36 starts before being retired.
Interestingly, Mrs Padberg’s husband John is one nine part-owners of the Michael Young-trained Luvbite, who appears certain to improve his record which stands as an impressive 163 starts for 21 wins, 59 placings and $331,685 in prizemoney.
Luvbite was the sole backmarker off 50m and the $4.80 third favourite on Friday night, with Hall saying: “I thought that with his closing speed and over the long trip he was going to be hard to beat.”
Hall wisely conserved Luvbite’s energy by allowing the gelding to relax in twelfth and last place on the pegs while Captains Creek, the $4.60 second fancy, was racing fiercely in the lead.
Stormy Vista, a stablemate of Luvbite and the $4.30 favourite, broke briefly in the early stages and settled down in tenth position before dashing forward after 650m to move to the breeze.
Hall eased Luvbite off the pegs with about 900m to travel and then gained a perfect run, out three wide, following $7.50 chance Brookies Dream’s spirited burst from the rear.
Brookies Dream went four wide 350m from home, and Luvbite was switched five wide approaching the home turn before getting to the front 130m from the post and winning by a neck from Brickies Dream, with $41 chance Machnificent coming from eleventh at the bell with a splendid late burst to finish a half-length farther back in third place.
The victory gave Hall a record sixth success in the Marathon, following wins with Im Themightyquinn (2010), Code Red (2012), Runrunjimmydunn (2019), Rebel With A Grin (2020) and Youre So Fine (2023).
“Luvbite was a bit fortunate that there was plenty of tempo up front, which helped him,” said Young, who is hoping that the veteran pacer will qualify for a start in the $450,000 WA pacing Cup over 2536m on December 11.
“We plan to run him in all the lead-up races before the Pacing Cup,” he said.
Luvbite arrived in WA early this year and won first-up, rating 1.56.3 over 2130m At Gloucester Park on April 3 before disappointing with unplaced at his four following starts.
“Extra work has proved the secret of his success,” explained Young. “After his first-up win his form went right off, and it was then that we decided to up his work, and he hasn’t stopped winning since.
“Initially, we were just jogging him between his races before we found that he needed fast work between his races. And he has thrived on having a hoppled workout on the Tuesday before he races on the Friday.” Luvbite has now raced 16 times in WA for eight wins and two placings.
Magnificent Storm In Elite Company
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to compare pacing horses from different eras, but Magnificent Storm deserves to be ranked among Western Australia’s greatest pacers, alongside champions past and present.
He improved his winning percentage to 62.5 after his wonderful victory in the 2130m Vale Roselyn MacKinnon Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night which took his record to 80 starts for 50 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $1,838,287.
San Simeon has, by far, the best winning percentage of any WA pacing star, 84.6 after retiring following an outstanding career of 33 wins, three placings and $383,799 from 39 starts. And in the early 1970s the mighty Mount Eden had a 70 per cent record after winning at 14 of his 20 starts.
In the 1950s glamour pacer Frosty Nelson won at 50 of his 104 starts for a winning percentage of 48.1.
Current champion Minstrel has raced 81 times for 32 wins, 27 placings and $2,100,323, with a 39.5 winning percentage. Im Themightyquinn had 111 starts for 58 wins, 34 placings and $4,567,456, with a 52.2 winning percentage.
Chicago Bull retired with a winning percentage of 54.8 from 62 wins, 36 placings and $2,417,890, and The Falcon Strike raced 78 times for 41 wins, 17 placings and $1,224,094 for a winning percentage of 52.5.
Going back earlier, Pure Steel retired with a winning percentage of 53.5 after his 127 starts produced 68 wins, 37 placings and $915,302, and Village Kid earned $2,117,870 from 93 wins and 36 placings from 160 starts, with a winning percentage of 58.12. It must be taken into account that stakemoney was considerably smaller than it is today and during the past couple of decades.
And while admiring the brilliance of Magnificent Storm, it is well worth considering that, unlike all of the above-mentioned champions who were successful in interstate feature events, he was unplaced at his three appearances away from home, at Albion Park in July 2023.
However, he has performed magnificently in WA where his most notable performances have included wins in the 2026 Fremantle Cup, the 2023 WA Pacing Cup, the 2022 Mount Eden Sprint, the 2022 Brennan Memorial, the Village Kid Sprint in 2022 and 2026, as well as a second in the 2025 WA Pacing Cup and his third in the $1.25 million Nullarbor early this year.
Apart from those pacers already mentioned, WA pacing followers have been thrilled over the past century with the brilliance of superstars, who have included Kola Girl, Happy Man, Beau Don, Bintravis, Robert Sheen, Radiant Oro, Royal Force, Binshaw, Daintys Daughter, Red Vicar, Baltic Eagle, Norms Daughter, Preux Chevalier, Classic Garry, My Hard Copy, Jack Morris, Saab and several others who have been on the borderline.
“I just look back and see him out there and I shake my head, watching what he is capable of doing,” said his trainer Ray Williams after Magnificent Storm’s victory on Friday night. “He is a lovely horse, but he has a little bit of arrogance in him.
“He is a character and is the boss who knows what is going on. He expects to do that at the start (beat the others out) like he did tonight. We tried to hold him back (from wide barriers), but he has so much speed and settles down so well that we are happy for him to fly out at the start.
“I remember Has The Answers who used to do that all the time, and Magnificent Storm is virtually the same type of horse who puts his head down and flies away.
“All going well Magnificent Storm will run in the August Cup next Friday night, providing he pulls up okay after his win tonight.”
Magnificent Storm, the $1.10 favourite, began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and he charged straight to the front before relaxing with a modest lead time of 37.1sec. and a slow opening 400m section of 31.5sec. before dashing over the final three quarters in 28.4sec., 27.5sec. and 27.2sec. to win by a length and a half from $18 chance Im Lightning Banner who trailed the leader all the way. The winner rated 1.54.6.
Enigmatic Lucky Copy Shines
Moody mare Lucky Copy was on her best behaviour at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she impressed with a flying finish to win the 2130m Go One Better With Westral Westbred Pace for mares.
Trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, Lucky Copy was the $3.90 second favourite who began from the outside of the back line before quickly moving forward to take up an ideal position in sixth place, one-out and two-back.
A patient De Campo waited as long as possible before easing Lucky Copy three wide 380m from home and sustaining a strong burst to hit the front 70m from the post before winning by 2m from $71 outsider Ciganda, who finished solidly from seventh at the bell.
Jaxs Ideal, the $3.20 favourite from barrier seven, dashed to the front after 220m and set a solid pace before wilting to finish fifth.
“Lucky Copy has mixed her form throughout her career, and I have almost called it quits a few times,” said De Campo. “She is quite a moody mare who sometimes applies herself and sometimes she doesn’t.
“When she is ten per cent off, she goes like 50 per cent off, and when she is 100 per cent she goes like 90 per cent. I‘ll probably aim her at the four-year-old Westbred race for mares (a $100,000 Group Two feature on September 4).
“She’s probably not up to the top-line four-year-old mares but she is good enough to be in the field. Hopefully, I’ll have a three-pronged attack with Lucky Copy, Up And Alive and Its Maa Time.”
De Campo completed a driving treble and a training double when former South Australian performer Magic Captain scored an easy win in the 2130m Garrard’s Pace.
Six-year-Magic Captain, making his third appearance in WA after racing without cover and being placed in races at Bunbury and Pinjarra, was a $4.10 chance from the inside of the back line.
De Campo quickly got Magic Captain into the one-wide line and the gelding was eighth at the bell before sustaining a strong burst to get to the front in the final 70m and scoring a two-length victory over the $2.15 favourite Raklou, who raced in the breeze outside the pacemaker Lord Publisher, and eventually took the lead with 450m to travel.
“I got a phone call out of the blue from Magic Captain’s South Australian owner Shane Smith, who asked if I would train the horse,” said De Campo. “He told me that Magic Captain was going good enough in Adelaide to race in Perth where there was better stakemoney.
“I had a look at him, and he showed he was quite tough, so I agreed to take him, and he arrived here by truck about eight weeks ago.
“He is a big horse and I over-drove him (in the breeze) at his first two starts here and I decided he would go better with a sit.”
D Mac Is Still Learning
Star three-year-old D Mac is well on truly on target for the $200,000 WA Derby on October 30 despite learning a few tricks in his preparation for the Group 1 classic.
The New Zealand-bred gelding was the $1.30 favourite from barrier five in the 2130m ULE Hoof Oil Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he dashed to the front after 270m and bowled along before sprinting over the final quarters in 27.6sec. and 28.3sec.
He won by a length from $81 outsider Justasmooth Miki, rating a smart 1.54.6, but left champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr scratching his head, saying: “He is still learning, and tonight he threw a new one in there.
“He decided to pull up stumps about the 350m, and it was like the engine just got turned off. I shook him up and he got going again. He was probably a bit fed up after the delay (when the mobile barrier malfunctioned).”
D Mac, who has raced seven times for three wins, four placings and $120,580, gave Hall the first of five winners on the night. He followed with victories with Luvbite, Scooter B, Atlas The Titan and Off Shore.
Gary Hall Snr trains four-year-old Scooter B and five-year-old Atlas The Titan, who are lightly raced and are on the comeback trail after being sidelined with tendon damage.
Scooter B was the $1.70 favourite from the outside of the back line in the 2130m Catalano Truck Sales and Hire Pace when he overcame the odds to score a most impressive victory.
Scooter B raced three wide early before Hall Jnr was forced to restrain him after about 500m back to last in the field of twelve. This followed a scorching lead time of 35.2sec. when $14 chance Overly Excited withstood a spirited challenge for the lead from last-start winner and $3.30 second favourite American Blaze.
Hall sent Scooter B off with a three-wide burst with 950m to travel, and the New Zealand-bred gelding charged to the front 500m from home and went on to beat $31 chance Illawong Mustang by three lengths, rating 1.56.
“The thought process before the race was to get forward ahead of the two out wide (Elite Fleet and American Blaze),” said Hall. “I went along with the plan for too long; it was never an option after the lead time, and to the horse’s credit he performer really well.
“He won despite me. Nothing went right but he still did the job.” Scooter B has won at six of his twelve starts and will be set for the rich feature events for four-year-olds later in the year.
Atlas The Titan, the $2.50 favourite from the outside of the back line in the 2130m TABtouch Pace, notched his sixth win from 19 starts when he settled at the rear before surging forward, three wide, after 600m and then racing outside the pacemaker Spirit Of Sahara ($3.30) and getting to the front 350m from home and winning by a length from $9.50 chance Lou Lamour.
This was Atlas The Titan’s second appearance after a 22-month absence during which he recovered from his tendon injury.
Off Shore, a New Zealand-bred two-year-old colt by Downbytheseaside, gave Hall his fifth winner for the night when he made a successful Australian debut as the $1.10 favourite in the 2130m Allwood Stud Pace.
He began from barrier four and was not extended in setting a modest pace and beating $9 chance Edge Eleven by almost two lengths, rating a slow 1.59.9 after a flying final 400m of 27.9sec.
“He will probably need some head gear on him at some stage,” said Hall. “It’s too much hard work getting him to go. His two races over there (in New Zealand) showed he is lazy and does just what he has to do, while he waited for them to come to him and he has been the same at home.
“I expect him to spark up after tonight’s run when I had to work hard to get him going. Hopefully, he will be a Slipper horse.
“I love his temperament. He wasn’t upset by having to spend the whole night in his stall before running in the final race.”
