Indefatigable veteran Minstrel established himself as one of the greatest pacers in the history of Western Australian harness racing with a remarkable victory in the $450,000 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred eight-year-old now stands comfortably alongside WA’s finest pacers, an exclusive club which includes such champions as Bintravis, Binshaw, Beau Don, Frosty Nelson, Radiant Oro, Red Vicar, Mount Eden, Daintys Daughter, Pure Steel, Preux Chevalier, Village Kid, San Simeon, Baltic Eagle, The Falcon Strike, Im Themightyquinn, Chicago Bull and Magnificent Storm, the wonderful eight-year-old Minstrel narrowly defeated on Friday night after a titanic three-lap duel.
“I’m in awe of him,” said star driver Deni Roberts. “On the corner Storm had him beaten, but to the credit of Minstrel he finds that gear which enabled him to make up a length and a half from the home bend to get up and win. He is unreal.”
Few pacers in the annals of WA pacing have revealed such a wonderful fighting spirit, which was the hallmark of the great Pure Steel, winner of WA Pacing Cup in four successive years a half century ago.
The list of WA’s champions have had contrasting styles of racing, with Minstrel compensating for his lack of dazzling speed with his determination, courage and his refusal to give in when all seemed lost.
And that’s not selling Minstrel short. On Friday night he was able to sprint over the final three 400m sections of the 2536m journey in 28.7sec., 27.7sec. and 27.9sec. to record a mile rate of 1.54.4 --- the fastest rate in all 113 WA Pacing Cups which have been run over a variety of distances and from a standing start over two miles for many years.
The previous fastest rate was the 1.55 set by Minstrel when the 30-year-old Roberts drove him to a half-length victory over Mister Smartee in the 2024 Cup over 2536m in early November last year after racing in the breeze before hitting the front 600m from home.
Minstrel, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was the $1.60 favourite on Friday night, following his previous outstanding performance when he raced on the outside of the frontrunning Magnificent Storm in the 2536m Stratton Cup two weeks earlier and got to the front 120m from the post and won by a half-length from Mister Smartee, rating 1.54.7.
Roberts drove Minstrel hard at the start, but Magnificent Storm, the $6.50 third fancy from out wide at barrier eight, carried too many guns and burst to the front after 200m. Roberts immediately tugged on the right rein and Minstrel moved to the breeze.
“I had no hesitation in pulling out after being crossed and going to the breeze because I didn’t want to be sitting behind the leader at all,” said Roberts. “I would have been happy to lead, but I was unable to do so.
“During the race I knew we could do it, but it was going to be harder than last time. On the home corner probably everyone felt sure that Magnificent Storm was going to beat Minstrel.
“Minstrel labours a bit on the corner and is inclined to shift down. But once he straightens, he gets on with the job and was able to get up and win.”
The winning margin was a rather generous half neck, and the victory took Minstrel’s earnings to $2,024,113 from 31 wins, 18 seconds and eight thirds from 78 starts. He is by American sire Rocknroll Hanover and is out of Mach Three mare Ovaride.
Minstrel has come a long way since he made his debut as a three-year-old in a 1980m event at Addington on August 16, 2019 for trainers David and Catherine Butt. He began from barrier five and led early before taking a sit behind Ascalabus.
The opening quarters were run in 33.6sec. and 31.8sec. and Minstrel, a $13.20 chance, rated 2.2.7 after using the sprint lane to win by a head in a three-way photo finish, and earn $5300.
Minstrel raced ten times in New Zealand for four wins, four seconds, one third and one fourth before being sent to WA where he won at his Australia debut at Narrogin on November 28, 2020. He was driven by Ryan Warwick and scored by six lengths from New Zealand-bred mare Divinia Bellezza, who coincidentally was driven by Roberts in six races for three Gloucester Park wins.
On Friday night, Minstrel and Magnificent Storm finished two lengths ahead of the third placegetter Mighty Ronaldo, a $23 chance driven by Kyle Harper for part-owner and trainer Justin Prentice.
The seven-year-old Mighty Ronaldo enjoyed a perfect trail in the one-out and one-back position and his $41,209 in prizemoney improved his earnings to $1,061,352 from 17 wins and 23 placings from 77 starts, as well as many thousands of dollars more from Westbred bonuses.
He has been a credit for Prentice, who selected him and purchased him for $22,000 at the 2019 Perth APG yearling sale. Prentice shares the ownership with 20-odd stable clients.
Golden Lode, a four-year-old stablemate of Minstrel and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, ran on from sixth at the bell to finish a creditable fourth, with Little Darling ($51) in fifth place, just ahead of Mister Smartee ($5.50). Mister Smartee began from the outside of the back line and was three back on the pegs in fifth place at the bell before being badly hampered for room in the final lap and finishing solidly.
Roberts paid tribute to Skye Bond for her astute care of Minstrel and her dedication which included driving the pacer in his work in the week leading up to the Cup despite the trainer being inconvenienced during her recovery from knee surgery.
Greg Bond said that Minstrel would now have a spell before being prepared for a series of major events in 2026. “He will resume racing in the $50,000 Pinjarra Cup in March in his lead-up to the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on April 17,” he said. Minstrel’s lead-up races are likely to include the $50,000 Bunbury Cup on March 28 and the $50,000 Easter Cup at Gloucester Park on April 3. And a week after the Nullarbor he will contest the $300,000 Fremantle Cup.
Minstrel followed a similar program early in 2025 when he won the Pinjarra Cup, finished third behind Mister Smartee in the Nullarbor and second to the same pacer in the Fremantle Cup.
Sadly, Mister Smartee, trained by Gary Hall snr, will be unable to defend his Nullarbor and Fremantle Cup titles. He pulled up after the Pacing Cup with a damaged tendon, an injury which will keep him out of action for a considerable period of time.
