Prentice is aiming high
Astute trainer Kim Prentice has thrown inexperienced pacer Soho Shakedown in the deep end by setting him the task of competing against superstar Magnificent Storm in the $31,000 Trotsynd August Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The tyro will start from the coveted No. 1 barrier, with a record of just eleven starts for eight victories and $70,343 in prizemoney, and he will be handled for the first time by brilliant 20-year-old lightweight driver Abbey Vidovich.
On the surface Soho Shakedown faces an enormous challenge, racing against nine older and vastly more experienced rivals, who between have had 425 starts for 143 wins, 107 placings and $3,371,738 in stakes.
Prentice has a high opinion of the four-year-old Soho Shakedown, who will be making his second appearance after a four-month absence, and he was pleased after driving him in a track workout with stablemates Soho Moonraker and Wake Up Geoff at Pinjarra on Tuesday morning.
No doubt, Prentice is hoping that Soho Shakedown will follow in the footsteps of four of the five four-year-olds who have begun from barrier No. 1 in the August Cup this century.
The winners have been Mister Odds On in 2009, Northview Punter in 2024, Lavra Joe in 2022, and Aardiebytheseaside in 2024, while the one to miss out was the $1.95 favourite Our Corelli in 2019 when he was beaten in the final stride by five-year-old Vampiro.
Prentice has had mixed luck in the August Cup. He was the trainer and driver when seven-year-old Jailbird overcame the outside barrier (No. 9) to win by a neck from Ohoka Ace in 2006, after he prepared and drove six-year-old Next Ruler, the 5/4 favourite in 2002 who began from the No. 1 barrier and was badly blocked for a run in the last lap, finishing seventh behind Sokys Raider.
Soho Shakedown resumed after a spell last Friday week when he began from barrier one and driven by Mitch Miller, he set a fast pace and won from Lucca, rating 1.55.4 over 2130m. Miller was injured in a fall in a later event, leaving him unable to drive for a few weeks, thus providing Vidovich the opportunity to replace him on Friday night.
“I’m very happy to get the drive and am very excited to be in a race against Magnificent Storm for the first time, and it should be fun,” said Vidovich. “He hasn’t got the experience of his rivals, but he definitely has the ability.”
At the other end of the scale, octogenarian trainer Ray Williams thoroughly enjoys preparing Magnificent Storm and watching the nine-year-old champion in action.
Under the preferential barrier draw conditions of the Cup, Magnificent Storm, a winner of 50 races and $1,838,288, must begin the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
He has raced twice in his current campaign for brilliant victories without being extended, and the handsome and seemingly indestructible pacer has outstanding prospects of making amends for his surprise defeat in last year’s August Cup in which he also began from the outside barrier.
Magnificent Storm, the $2.20 favourite, raced wide early, was restrained back to last before surging forward with a fast move after about a lap and being trapped three wide and then in the breeze before getting to the front with 450m to travel and wilting late to finish fifth behind $84.80 outsider Menemsha, driven by Joey Suvaljko, who thundered home, out four wide, from last at the 550m to win from Rolling Fire.
Menemsha, trained by Aiden De Campo, was the third four-year-old to win the August Cup in the space of four years.
Williams is hoping to win the August Cup for the first time, after having gone close in the 2012 Cup when five-year-old Cromac Johnny, a $26.40 outsider driven by Nathan Turvey, ran home strongly from the rear to finish a half-neck behind Dasher VC.
One of Magnificent Storm’s rivals is Bettors Pride, who has been placed behind Magnificent Storm at two of his past three starts. Bettors Pride, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, is trained by Kevin Keys, who drove Zakara to victory in the 1991 August Cup. Bettors Pride is a versatile pacer who will start from the No. 6 barrier.
Gary Hall Jnr has driven six winners of the August Cup --- Im Themightyquinn (2010), Uppy Son (2013), Northview Punter (2014), Chicago Bull (2018 and 2020) and Mighty Ronaldo (2023). He has chosen to drive Sweet Pins ahead of stablemates Alta Tribute (Maddison Brown) and Youre So Fine (Stuart McDonald), with the trio trained by Gary Hall Snr.
Sweet Pins is the sole runner on the back line, with Hall Jnr saying: “He should probably get an economical run, three back on the pegs.”
McDonald is hoping that Youre So Fine overcomes his wide draw at No. 8 and causes an upset similar to his effort in 2017 when he positioned $96.10 outsider Jambiani three back on the pegs from a back-line draw and brought him home with a spirited burst to win by two lengths from Ideal Alice.
Williams said that Magnificent Storm was bright and had pulled up extremely well after his effortless victory at a 1.54.6 rate in a 2130m event last Friday night.
“He eats everything that is put in front of him and looking at him there is no reason to give him a break,” he said. “But I’m going to give him a small break, and he will have two to three weeks off before I’ll be getting him ready for the lead-up events before the Pacing Cup.”
Float My Boat ready to sail
Two perfect getaways in mobile trials have boosted Abbey Vidovich’s confidence that the Kim Prentice-trained four-year-old Float My Boat will be on his best behaviour when she drives him from the No. 1 barrier in the Free Entry Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Float My Boat was a well-fancied $3.70 chance in a race at Gloucester Park last Friday week, but he ruined his chances when he galloped badly 50 metres after the start and then trailed his rivals before finishing a distant last.
He was then ordered back to trials and Vidovich handled him when he began smoothly in trials at Pinjarra two Wednesdays ago, and again at Bunbury two nights later.
“He didn’t put a foot wrong in the trials, and he should go well from the inside barrier on Friday night,” said Vidovich. “Hopefully, he will be the leader or on the leader’s back. I’m looking forward to him making amends.”
Before he galloped at his latest outing Float My Boat impressed with wins over 1177m at Pinjarra and over 2190m at Northam at his two previous starts.
Two of Float My Boat’s main rivals, five-year-olds Curadh and Brought To Light, have drawn out wide but they have shown excellent potential in brief careers.
Curadh, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, will begin from barrier seven, and Brought To Light, to be driven by Chris Voak for trainer Katie Howlett, will start from the No. 8 barrier.
Curadh set the pace when an easy winner at Northam three starts ago, and he is also a versatile performer who has unwound powerful finishing bursts in country and city events.
Brought To Light began out wide at barrier nine when he sustained a strong run from ninth at the bell to finish fourth behind Captain Stirling over 2130m last Friday week. That followed four wins and three placings at his previous seven starts.
Dourado, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is capable of figuring strongly in the finish despite starting from the outside of the back line and having a losing sequence of eleven. “He is working back into form,” declared De Campo, who faces a busy night with drives in nine of the ten events.
Apart from driving Magnificent Storm for trainer Ray Williams, De Campo suggests his best winning prospects are Captain Said So in race seven, and Magic Captain in race ten.
“Captain Said So was unlucky at his last start (when he began out wide at barrier nine and raced six back on the pegs before being hampered for room and finishing fifth behind Sebastian James last Friday night) and he should run a good race this week,” said De Campo.
“Magic Captain has a bad draw (No. 8) to contend with, but this still looks a winnable race. He won very well last week (coming from eighth at the bell to beat Raklou by two lengths).” De Campo added that he expected forward showings from Major Disco (race five), Artful Major (race six) and Gelsomino Amal (race eight).
Hall chooses Scooter B
Ace reinsman Gary Hall Jnr drove Scooter B and Atlas The Titan to smart victories last Friday night, and he has given punters a strong lead by electing to drive Scooter B in preference to Atlas The Titan in the Mick Bandoni Celtic Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Both pacers are trained by Gary Hall Snr, with Scooter B poorly drawn out wide at barrier No. 8, and Atlas The Titan, to be handled by Stuart McDonald, awkwardly drawn at barrier six.
“I think Scooter B is the better horse at this stage,” said Hall Jnr. “His was a good run when he won last Friday when he got home in only 30sec. But he was entitled to drop back.”
Scooter B began from the outside of the back line and raced three wide when the lead time was a swift 35.3sec. He then was restrained to last in the field of twelve before being sent forward 950m from home and taking the lead 450m later on his way to beating Illawong Mustang by three lengths.
Four-year-old Scooter B has overcome a tendon injury and looks capable of improving significantly on his record of twelve starts for six wins and four placings.
Five-year-old Atlas The Titan also is on the comeback trail, and he impressed with his comfortable victory over Lou Lamour and Turbo Jay over 213m last Friday night when he covered extra ground and raced in the breeze for much of the race.
Hall had the choice of driving Raklou (barrier one), Delightful Peg (barrier five) and Eastbro Chrissy (barrier six) in the $25,000 Slot Opportunities Free-For-All for mares, and he has opted to handle Delightful Peg, with Stuart McDonald being engaged for Raklou, and Maddison Brown for Eastbro Chrissy.
Delightful Peg, prepared by Gary Hall Snr, will be appearing for the first time since she began out wide at barrier eight and covered a lot of extra ground before finishing eighth behind Little Darling in the 2536m Empress Stakes on April 17.
That followed splendid victories at Gloucester Park at her four previous outings, and Hall Jnr is looking forward for the four-year-old enjoying another successful season on the track.
“She has come back well and is working in good style, and she should prove hard to beat,” he said. “She has proven that she can lead and beat those good mares before.”
Outstanding mares Little Darling and Penny Black will also have many admirers, with Little Darling resuming after a four-month absence, and Penny Black having her second start after a well-deserved spell.
Jocelyn Young, who will drive Little Darling for trainer Cameron Ross, was full of praise for the mare’s winning trial at Pinjarra last Wednesday week when she rated 1.57.2 in beating Curadh by three lengths after final sections of 30.7sec., 28.9sec., 28.3sec. and 27.9sec.
“In the trial Little Darling raced four back on the fence while there was a tearaway leader, and when I pulled her out, she ran a very quick 200 metres and she ran her final mile in 1.54 something.
“I gave her a good hit-out but starting from barrier nine makes it hard, and I’d say we will probably be happy to give her a (reasonable) run without doing too much crazy from out there. However, I’m sure she will be competitive.”
Penny Black, a brilliant winner at 18 of her 47 starts, will begin out wide at barrier eight, but is sure to prove very hard to beat after an excellent first-up fifth behind Magnificent Storm over 2130m last Friday night when she thundered home from tenth at the bell, with the three final 400m sections (off the front) being run in 28.4sec., 27.5sec. and 27.2sec.
Penny Black will be handled by her regular driver Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, who described the mare’s run last week as “super.”
