Outstanding Boyanup horseman Justin Prentice notched his 800TH career victory as a trainer when Rolling Fire bounced back to his best form to win the $31,000 TABtouch Try Bet Loop Today WA Pacing Cup Consolation over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Rolling Fire was an $8 chance from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line and talented Collie reinsman Trent Wheeler showed skill in getting him away smartly and angling him across to the inside and race him in fifth position, three back on the pegs while the polemarker Hoppys Way ($14) was setting the pace with the $2.60 favourite Star Casino in the breeze, Hillview Bondi ($21) behind the leader and $6.50 chance Sorridere enjoying a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position.
“Justin was happy for me to drive Rolling Fire softly, and we were able to get off the pegs on the home corner,” said Wheeler. “And he then was good enough to tough it out.”
Sorridere, who had gone forward with a three-wide burst at the 500m, had taken a narrow lead 220m from home, and he was beaten by a head by Rolling Fire, who was fifth at the 220m and third at the 50m mark before getting up in the final stride.
The South Australian-bred Rolling Fire ended a losing sequence of seven and improved his record to 47 starts for 14 wins, 12 placings and $246,396. He is by American sire Roll With Joe and is out of the Badlands Hanover mare Incendio, who raced 71 times in WA for six wins, 21 placings and $56,635.
Dylan Egerton-Green completed a double when he drove the Phil Costello-trained five-year-old Era ($10.70) to a fast-finishing win over the $1.55 favourite Skip A Beat, who had set a brisk pace after getting to the front 300m after the start of the 2130m TABtouch Watch Race Replays Pace. Earlier, Egerton-Green trained and drove Maungatahi, who produced a powerful finishing burst to win the second event on the program.
Yarloop breeder-owner-trainer Shane Steele enjoyed an armchair drive to guide $5.50 chance Stormyskyes to an easy all-the-way victory over Kurios Boy ($6.50) and Machane Said ($8.50) in the 2130m TABtouch You’ve Got the Touch Pace.
Eight-year-old Stormyskyes has been a wonderful performer for Steele, and the Mr Feelgood mare now has amassed $235,255 in prizemoney from 16 wins and 37 placings from 150 starts.
