Minstrel out to join the greats
Star pacer Minstrel became an equine millionaire last week with his superb second to Catch A Wave in the Nullarbor slot race, and he has excellent prospects of joining an exclusive list of multiple winners of the Fremantle Cup when he contests the group 1 $300,000 feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Fremantle Cup has been run 94 times, with the only multiple winners being Lincoln Storm, Village Kid, The Falcon Strike, Im Themightyquinn and Chicago Bull.
Minstrel, to be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has run in the past two Retravision Fremantle Cups over 2536m for an all-the-way victory from barrier No. 1 in January 2022 when he defeated stablemate Patronus Star by a nose, and when he began from the outside of the back line and raced in the breeze for most of the way before taking a narrow lead approaching the home turn and finishing a half-neck second to Mighty Ronaldo in January 2023.
Roberts described Minstrel’s performance in the Nullarbor as exceptional and predicted the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old was primed for another outstanding effort this week.
Minstrel will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in the 2936m Cup, with the Bond stable also being represented by Ideal Agent (to be driven by Trent Wheeler from the No. 4 barrier on the front line) and Tenzing Bromac (Dylan Egerton-Green, inside of the back line).
“Minstrel should settle midfield, and from there how I will drive him will depend on the speed of the race,” she Roberts. “I will be looking to put him into the race at some point, and they will know he’s there.
“He was obviously a bit tired last Saturday after his tough run the night before. But since then, his work has been good.”
Minstrel’s form has been fantastic, with his past eight runs producing six wins and two second placings. He started from the outside of the front line (barrier nine) in the Nullarbor and settled in last place before dashing forward after a lap and then racing in the breeze outside the pacemaker Spirit Of St Louis and taking a narrow lead 420m from home and finishing a splendid second to Catch A Wave.
The biggest talking point surrounding the Cup has been whether Lavra Joe will lead from the prized No. 1 barrier and whether he will break through for his first success in a group 1 event.
Owner-trainer Ray Jones dispensed with the services of reinsman Kyle Harper after Lavra Joe had put up a remarkable performance to finish fourth in the Nullarbor after the six-year-old had begun speedily from out wide at barrier eight, was unable to cross to the front, raced three wide for the first lap before being restrained back to last and then charging home from last at the 300m to finish fourth.
Jones has engaged champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr to drive Lavra Joe for the first time after the gelding’s first 70-starts produced 33 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $734,883.
Hall, who has won the Fremantle Cup a record nine times, scoring with The Falcon Strike (twice) Im Themightyquinn (three times), Im Victorious, Beaudeine Boaz and Chicago Bull (twice), Is looking forward to sitting behind Lavra Joe for the first time.
“Lavra Joe’s run last week was super,” said Hall. “The intention on Friday night will be to lead from barrier one. We don’t want to sit and then try to work things out.”
Hall will be the fourth driver to handle Lavra Joe in a race, following Shane Young (six drives for two wins and two thirds), Chris Lewis (28 wins from 54 starts) and Harper (ten starts for three wins and three thirds).
Lavra Joe has begun from the No. 1 barrier at Gloucester Park seven times for six all-the-way wins followed by his fifth behind Mighty Ronaldo when the $2.65 favourite in the Fremantle Cup in January of last year. He galloped for a couple of strides at the start and then trailed the pacemaker Diego.
Lavra Joe has contested nine group 1 events, in which he has managed to be placed only once --- when second to Jett Star in the two-year-old Pearl Classic in June 2020. He has finished fourth twice, fifth twice and seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth.
He has raced ten times in group 2 events for six wins, one second, one third, a fourth and a seventh, and his ten group 3 runs have produced five wins, two thirds, two fourths and a tenth placing.
Champion trainer Gary Hall snr will be pinning his faith in Jumpingjackmac in an attempt to win the Fremantle Cup for a record eleventh time. Jumpingjackmac will be handled by Stuart McDonald from an awkward draw at barrier No. 6.
Jumpingjackmac was an unlucky fifth in last week’s Nullarbor when he raced three back on the pegs and met with interference approaching the home turn.
Catch A Wave, the brilliant winner of the Nullarbor for trainer Andy Gath and driver Kate Gath, also has an unfavourable draw at barrier seven, and he is once again expected to be driven conservatively and saved up for a powerful finishing burst. He is certainly capable of notching another major race victory.
Hot And Treacherous (barrier two) and Swingband (barrier three) are drawn to make their presence felt, particularly Swingband who surged home from ninth at the bell to finish an eye-catching third in the Nullarbor for trainer Ryan Bell and reinsman Kyle Symington.
Trainer Michael Brennan and driver Chris Voak are approaching the big race with plenty of confidence after Pinny Tiger’s easy victory in the 2536m Parliamentarians Cup last Friday night when the gelding began speedily from barrier seven, set the pace and won by almost two lengths from Steel The Show and Tenzing Bromac, rating 1.55.6 over the 2536m journey.
“Whether Pinny Tiger crosses Lavra Joe will depend on the start we get from barrier five,” said Voak. “Like I’ve done in all my races with Pinny Tiger I’ve had the intent of going forward. It is all about timing my start.
“I’ll just come out with his natural speed and then after fifty to a hundred metres I’ll assess in the next hundred metres whether we will be able to get to the front or whether we will need to find some cover.”
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, who won the Fremantle Cup for the first time when Emily Suvaljko brought $31.20 chance Mighty Ronaldo home with a well-timed run after enjoying the one-out, one-back trail to win narrowly from Minstrel in January last year, will be looking for strong runs from Mighty Ronaldo (barrier eight) and Tricky Miki (outside of the back line). Both pacers are racing in excellent form.
Waverider cheats death
A brilliant first-up victory by Waverider has boosted trainer Ryan Bell’s confidence that the colt will prove hard to beat in the $50,000 group 3 Caduceus Club Classic for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Waverider, who cheated death last September, has made a wonderful recovery and he was most impressive at his first appearance for seven months when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) and worked hard in the breeze before defeating Quinton and Dark Eyes, rating 1.56.2 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
He will be driven by Kyle Symington from an awkward draw at barrier six in a bid to notch his sixth win at his eighth start in a race.
“Waverider had a few feet issues when his final two runs as a two-year-old (when unplaced behind Menemsha in the group 2 Pearl Classic and the group 1 Westbred Classic) were a bit off,” explained Bell.
“When he went for a spell, he was bitten by something and nearly died. He was in hospital for two weeks and lived on drips.
“He has made a full recovery and we have brought him back nice and slowly to build his muscles because he had lost a fair bit of condition. He now looks a million dollars.”
Bell won the Caduceus Club Classic in March 2022 when Swingband, the $4.10 second favourite, raced in the one-out, one-back position and finished strongly to beat the $1.55 favourite The Miki Taker, who dashed to the front 500m after the start and then set the pace.
The Miki Taker was driven by his trainer Aiden De Campo, who will be looking for his first win in this event in which he will handle the promising gelding Ideal Muscle from the No. 3 barrier.
Ideal Muscle has had two country runs earlier this month since resuming after a five-month absence, and he showed good form, finishing solidly to be a half-head second to The Van Gogh Camel over 2185m at Pinjarra and running home with a spirited burst to finish second to Cork Can Run over 2100m at Bunbury.
His final three runs as a two-year-old were at Gloucester Park in October and November for two seconds behind Artful Major and a victory over Arma Believer at a 1.57.1 rate over 2130m.
“Both his runs in this campaign have been good, and I have a lot of time for him,” said De Campo. “There are two good horses drawn inside of him on Friday night, but he gives his all every time he goes out on the track.”
De Campo also expects a strong showing from Grevis, who will be driven by Trent Wheeler from the No. 2 barrier on the back line. “Grevis is consistent, and you can never count him out in these big races,” said De Campo.
Opal Hunter, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, has won at five of his 13 starts, including impressive victories at two of his four starts as a two-year-old, beating the speedy Golden Lode and that gelding’s stablemate Thenu Came Along.
Opal Hunter will start from the prime No. 1 barrier and Williams is expected to make a bold bid for an all-the-way win.
Bet The House has won at four of his seven starts for Byford trainer Ron Huston and he is capable of strong effort, despite starting from the outside of the back line. “This is an intriguing gate, and hopefully we can get to the one-out, one-back position,” said reinsman Chris Voak. “And then we’ll be thereabouts.”
Artful Major also will have many admirers. Gary Hall jnr will drive the Justin Prentice-trained gelding, who will start from the inside of the back line. Convincing victories at his past two starts have taken his record to five wins and three placings from nine starts.
Steel The Show set to lead
The all-conquering Bond stable should improve its excellent record in the Memorial Day Stakes by winning the $25,000 event over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night with the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Steel The Show.
Steel The Show will start from the No. 1 barrier, and star driver Deni Roberts said: “His latest run was terrific, and he will be leading on Friday night.”
Greg Bond trained Money Magic (2006) and Can Return Fire (2012) for wins in the Memorial Day Stakes before Greg and Skye Bond were successful with Change Stride in 2016 and Ocean Ridge in 2020.
Steel The Show bounced back to his best form last Friday night when, at his fourth run after a spell, he was a $16 chance in the 2536m Parliamentarians Cup and settled down in seventh position before dashing forward in the first lap to the breeze and then gaining the one-out, one-back position and finishing strongly to be second to Pinny Tiger.
Steel The Show’s most serious rival is likely to be the Kevin Keys-trained Alcopony, who will start from barrier four. He will be handled by Gary Hall jnr, who has driven the five-year-old at four of his 67 starts, with his most recent drive behind the gelding being on May 12 last year when he finished second to Magnificent Storm in the Navy Cup.
Alcopony has been very unlucky at several of his recent starts when badly held up for a clear run in the closing stages. Last Friday night Alcopony raced in sixth position, four back on the pegs, and did not get clear until late when he surged home, out four wide, to finish an unlucky fourth behind Pinny Tiger in the Parliamentarians Cup.
Steel The Show is one of several winning prospects for Roberts and the Bond stable on Friday night. Apart from Steel The Show and Minstrel in the Fremantle Cup, the Bond and Roberts combination has excellent chances with Lusaka (race two), Jett Star (race three) and Ladieshavtime (race ten).
Four-year-old Lusaka will start from the outside barrier on the front line in the Retravision Lowest Price Guarantee Pace, but he should overcome this distinct disadvantage and prove too smart for his ten rivals.
Luska has finished close seconds behind Machlani and Navy Street at his past two appearances after working hard without cover. “It’s a tough gate but he is racing so well that he should be right in it,” said Roberts.
Jett Star will begin from barrier five in the third event, with Roberts saying: “This looks a good race for him. His latest run was really good (second to Eldaytona after racing in the breeze) and he is definitely heading in the right direction.”
Ladieshavtime will start from the outside barrier in the field of seven in the 1730m Retravision Online Pace for two-year-old fillies. She has raced three times for a fast-finishing win at Gloucester Park and two seconds at Pinjarra, the latest being on Monday this week when she worked hard in the breeze and fought on determinedly to finish two lengths behind smart colt Soho Shakedown.
“She went good on Monday when she breezed against the boys,” said Roberts. “She is back to a race for fillies, and I think she will run a good race.”
Miller set to cash in
With Kyle Symington having received a reprieve from a suspension to drive in the Fremantle Cup and Caduceus Club Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night but barred from driving in other events at the meeting, in-form reinsman Mitch Miller has leapt at the unexpected opportunity to handle two smart Ryan Bell-trained pacers Machs Bettor and The Code Breaker.
Symington is the regular driver of both those horses, each of whom has excellent winning prospects, with Machs Bettor starting from the prized No. 1 barrier in the opening event, the Retrtavison.com.au Pace, and The Code Breaker starting from barrier two in the third event, the RAC Members Save 5% Every Day at Retravision Pace.
Machs Bettor, a winner at eight of his 32 starts, will be resuming after a five-month absence. He possesses good gate speed and should be capable of setting the pace and proving too good over the 1730m sprint event for his rivals. The main opposition should come from Brookies Dream and Hes Never Been Beta.
Machs Bettor led early and then took the sit behind the frontrunning The Code Breaker in a 2185m Pinjarra trial on Wednesday of last week. He finished a sound third behind The Code Breaker.
The Code Breaker dashed over the final quarters of the trial in 28.2sec. and 27.6sec. and rated 1.56.6 in winning by a half-length from Rolling Fire.
The Code Breaker, whose 80 starts have produced 16 wins and 29 placings, has excellent prospects of leading and winning from Jett Star, Star Casino and El Chema.
Jocelyn Young has bright prospects of notching her 400TH victory when she drives the Debra Lewis-trained Wall Street Girl from the No. 1 barrier in the 1730m Retravision Click’N’Collect Pace.
Wall Street Girl put the writing on the wall with her splendid second to The Wand Waver over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday when the mare settled in last position before making a fast move at the 1450m to the breeze and then taking a narrow lead 80m from the post before being overhauled in the final few strides by The Wand Waver, who finished fast along the sprint lane.
