Learning curve for Catch A Wave
Champion Victorian trainer Andy Gath is looking forward to his outstanding five-year-old Catch A Wave gaining vital experience of racing on the 804m Gloucester Park track on Friday night when the gelding contests the $31,000 Sky Racing Free-For-All over 2130m.
“I’m keen for him to race at Gloucester Park a week before the Nullarbor, to see if he is able to handle the track okay,” said Gath, whose 2839 winners include a remarkable 57 at group 1 level.
“It’s a learning curve for the horse, for the trainer and the driver, but I can’t see any problems. My track is 800 metres and Catch A Wave gets around it pretty good.”
Catch A Wave will be driven by Gath’s wife Kate, who has handled the pacer in all of his 35 starts for 20 wins (five in group 1 events), seven placings and stakes of $1,298,130.
Kate Gath will be driving at Gloucester Park for the first time. She will drive Navy Street in race two on the program, the 2130m JP Pacing Pace, and after the Free-For-All she will be in the sulky behind Flyin Disco in the $100,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-old entires and geldings.
Andy Gath is hoping for his initial success in Western Australia at his third visit as a trainer at Gloucester Park. He started the Fake Left filly Sky Rainbow when Jodie Quinlan drove her into fourth place behind Onassis Legacy in the WA Oaks in May 2003, and at his previous visit his four-year-old Little I Do finished eighth behind Countess Kala in the Golden Nugget in December 1999.
Catch A Wave will be having his first start since he began speedily, set the pace and won a 1720m Free-For-All from Better Eclipse at Melton last Saturday week. He rated 1.52 after sprinting over the final quarters in 27.7sec. and 26sec.
Catch A Wave will begin from the No. 2 barrier in Friday night’s race, a draw which Gath described as “ideal” and a perfect lead into the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race the following Friday night.
“He probably will be driven as a sit-sprinter, and we want him to hit the line strongly,” he said. “He will need the run, and he is so much better racing week after week. He looks well and is in good order.
“He is well but a bit tired after arriving in Perth by air from Sydney on Monday night. It was a pretty long trip, with the flight coming after I had taken him by road from Melbourne to Sydney last Sunday.”
Catch A Wave has revealed his class with group 1 victories in the Crown Classic for two-year-olds over 2240m at Melton in November 2021, and over 1609m in the Chariots Of Fire (1.49.1) and the Miracle Mile (1.48.8) in February and March last year.
He has raced only four times in races beyond 2240m --- and was unplaced at all four of those runs.
“But I don’t expect the 2536m of the Nullarbor to pose a problem,” said Gath. “If you looked at the results of those four longer-distant events you would say he’s no good.”
He had no luck when seventh in a 2760m heat of the Victoria Derby at Melton in October 2022, he hadn’t eaten for two days before his eighth in the 2400m Eureka at Menangle in September 2023, he finished fourth in the 2710m Ballarat Cup in January this year, and he choked down before finishing last in the 2760m Hunter Cup at Melton in February this year.
“I don’t think that the distance of the Nullarbor will be a concern for him,” said Gath. “His main strength is his speed; he has unbelievable speed. He is also quick out of the gate.”
Another Nullarbor runner, Jumpingjackmac, will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line in Friday night’s race, and Stuart McDonald is sure to make full use of the six-year-old excellent sit-sprint ability.
Jumpingjackmac, trained by Gary Hall snr, finished third behind Betterzippit and Spirit Of St Louis in the inaugural Nullarbor event twelve months ago, and he was most impressive when he finished powerfully to win the 2569m Bunbury Cup from Pinny Tiger and Swingband two starts ago.
An interesting runner in Friday night’s race will be To Fast To Serious, who will be making his first appearance in WA since finishing sixth behind Magnificent Storm in the Brennan Memorial at Gloucester Park on November 11, 2022.
Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green is expecting a strong performance from the WA-bred eight-year-old, following an excellent trial when second to Steno in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
To Fast To Serious, who is handily drawn at barrier No. 3 on the front line, set a fast pace in the trial in which the final 400m sections were run in 28.9sec., 26.6sec. and 27.5sec. Steno, who raced three back on the pegs in the field of four, took the lead in the final 25m and rated 1.54.6.
“It was a good trial, and he should be able to hold his own in this company,” said Egerton-Green.
Egerton-Green took To Fast To Serious to Melbourne for the Interdominion Championship series in November and December 2022, and then the gelding continued his career in New South Wales where he had six starts for a win at Newcastle and five unplaced efforts.
“He was plagued by bad barriers (No. 6 twice, No. 9 twice and the back line once),” said Egerton-Green.
Diego, trained by Hall snr, finished sixth in last year’s Nullarbor, and he is sure to appreciate the coveted No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s race in which he will be driven by Maddison Brown, who chose to drive the gelding this week ahead of the outstanding Justin Prentice-trained Tricky Miki and her father’s runner Arma Einstein.
Hall jnr will drive Tricky Miki from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, while Trent Wheeler has been engaged for Arma Einstein (barrier two).
The Greg and Skye Bond-trained Steel The Show, who finished fourth in last year’s Nullarbor, will be driven by Deni Roberts from the No. 4 barrier. He is capable of improvement after unplaced efforts at his first two appearances after a spell.
Zephyra drops in class
Zephyra, winner of two group 1 features as a two-year-old in 2022, should appreciate a drop in class and prove hard to beat from the prized No. 1 barrier in the $100,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-old mares over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She has managed one placing from her past six starts since setting the pace and winning over 1684m at Pinjarra on January 8 this year. But she has an impressive record of nine wins and six placings from 24 starts.
“Zephyra has drawn eight, nine and nine at her past three starts,” said trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green. “She has been racing against Free-For-All grade mares and holding her own. So, hopefully, she will be able to do the same in this event and make every post a winner. She loves leading.”
Egerton-Green holds a strong hand in Friday night’s event in which he will also be represented by Our Lady Jen and Quattrose.
Our Lady Jen, a winner at seven of her 34 starts, will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line with Stuart McDonald in the sulky. “She is racing well with placings at her past two starts, and is a good place chance,” said Egerton-Green.
Quattrose, to be handled by Trent Wheeler, will be an outsider, starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line. “She will be tucked away and is capable of running home well,” said Egerton-Green.
Fly To Fame and Hunt The Magic are likely to prove the toughest for Zephyra to beat. Fly To Fame (barrier five) is trained by Katja Warwick and will be driven by Chris Lewis. She has won seven times from 40 starts and has finished second at each of her past three starts, including a strong finishing effort when a head second to Turn The Page in the 2503m Race For Roses last Friday night.
Hunt The Magic (barrier four) will be driven by Kyle Symington for Byford trainer Ian Gossage. She rises in class after having won convincingly over 1684m at Pinjarra at her past three outings.
Rusinol sets the scene for upsets
Honest six-year-old Rusinol ended a losing sequence of 49 when he set the tone for an evening of upsets at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night by finishing with a spirited burst to win the 2130m Jeavons Racing Slot Holder Pace.
Only one favourite (Golden Lode at $1.04) was successful on the nine-event program when seven of the winners were at handsome odds --- Rusinol ($38.30), Relatively Arma ($15.40), Acoltnamedsu ($17.70), Priddah ($26.20), Montego ($10.80), Rockability ($10.10) and Our Musical Motion ($38.10).
The results also debunked the popular theory that Gloucester Park is purely a frontrunners track. Only two pacers (Relatively Arma and Rockability) were able to lead and win.
Rusinol was restrained from the No. 4 barrier and was eighth at the bell before Trent Wheeler brought him home with a well-timed burst to take the lead 30m from the post and win by a half-length from Ciao Babe.
Rusinol, purchased for $16,000 at the 2019 Perth APG yearling sale, is raced by Amanda Anderson and Ken Casellas. He now has had 89 starts for six wins, 31 placings and $53,773, as well as several more thousands of dollars in bonuses he earned as a two and three-year-old.
Rusinol was named by Casellas after his favourite Spanish artist Santiago Rusinol, who also was a renowned poet and journalist, who died in June 1931 aged 70. The Barcelona-born Rusinol was a mentor of the famous artist Pablo Picasso.
The pacer Rusinol is by the American sire Rock N Roll Heaven and is the first foal out of the unraced Parsons Den mare Royal Combination, whose full-brother James Matthew was a champion youngster who raced 17 times for 12 wins, three placings and $240,981 before his untimely death as a three-year-old.
Tuesday night’s meeting ended in memorable fashion with 24-year-old Collie postman Ashley Shepherd celebrating his first winner at his first meeting in the sulky at Gloucester Park with a flamboyant victory salute as he brought the rank outsider Our Musical Motion home with a powerful burst from the rear to beat the odds-on favourite Lady Violetta.
Never Ending is out to lead
Boom pacer Never Ending, a winner at 13 of his 16 starts, will warm up for his tilt at the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on Friday week when he begins from the No. 3 barrier in the $100,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-old entires and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I’ll push forward and it would be nice to run a big race leading into the Nullarbor,” said reinsman Gary Hall jnr.
“Never Ending has been settling pretty good in his recent races, so I’m not particularly worried about him overracing. Hanging has been his biggest problem. I have watched the replay of the Bunbury Cup ten times and I still think that he would’ve run a good second to Jumpingjackmac (not sixth) if he wasn’t hanging.
“Friday night’s race is a drop in grade for him, but there are a few nice horses in the field.”
The Katja Warwick-trained All Is Well (Chris Lewis; barrier one) and the Murray Lindau-trained Hotly Pursued (Kyle Harper; barrier four) are racing in fine form and will have many admirers.
Lewis is likely to press forward at the start in a bid to set the pace. The Foreclosure gelding relished his pacemaking role from barrier one when he dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 28.1sec. and won at a 1.56.4 rate from Mister Montblanc and Arma Xfactor over 2130m last Friday week. That was his 13TH win from 39 starts.
Hotly Pursued is in devastating form. He led and finished a half-head second to Never Ending in the group 3 Preux Chevalier Classic three Fridays ago. That followed a hat-trick of wins over 2130m at Gloucester Park in February.
Kate Gath has been engaged to drive Flyin Disco for Bunbury trainer Sarah Wall. The Betting Line gelding has won in weaker company over 2100m at Bunbury at his past two starts, and he faces a stern test from the outside of the back line.
Skylord, owned, trained and driven by Jocelyn Young, will start from barrier No. 2 on the back line and he is capable of a bold showing at his third appearance after a spell.
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo will be looking for a solid effort from Sorridere, who will begin out wide at barrier eight at his first run since finishing seventh behind Skylou in the WA Derby on November 3.
“I think he has improved from his three-year-old campaign,” said De Campo. “But this looks hard from the wide barrier.”
Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed has two runners, Heez Good As Gold (Shannon Suvaljko) and Mister Linton (Emily Suvaljko). Mister Linton faces a hard task from barrier five, but Heez Good As Gold should be prominent after starting from the inside of the back line.
“I’d be happy if Heez Good As Gold runs a place,” said Reed whose stable will be represented with eight runners at the meeting. Reed will not be on course and his team will be in the care of Michael Tenardi and Kevin Keys. Reed will be in Melbourne for the Nutrien standardbred yearling sale on the weekend.
Reed said that one of his best prospects would be Dark Eyes, who will start from the outside barrier in the field of six to contest the Nullarbor One Week Away Pace for three-year-olds.
Dark Eyes was an impressive was an impressive last-start winner when he led and beat Rock Rosie Rock. “If the speed is on early, I expect he will run a good race,” said Reed.
Artful Major, the polemarker for trainer Justin Prentice and reinsman Gary Hall jnr, has won at four of his eight starts and will be hard to beat at his third appearance after a spell. He led and won by four lengths from Bells Whisper over 2100m at Bunbury last Saturday week.
“It’s a super little field, and we will try to lead,” said Hall. “Artful Major goes better in front than from behind. He is more of a tryer in front, so we will be trying to hold up.”
In-form reinsman Chris Voak is confident that the Ron Huston-trained Bet The House will fight out the finish. Bet The House, who finished strongly to win from Grevis and Menemsha in the Gold Bullion final last Friday night, will begin from barrier No. 5.
“Bet The House is not just a sit-sprinter, and I think that there is some power there as well,” said Voak. “If it’s Indian file he will be able to cruise up to the breeze.”
Hall has several solid winning prospects on the 11-event program, starting with State Of Heaven in race one and including October Reign (race two), Never Ending (race six) and Solesseo Matuca (race eight).
