Roberts Picks Mad Monday
“Golden Lode is probably the better horse at this stage, but it is very hard to jump off Mad Monday,” said star driver Deni Roberts when choosing the latter as her drive in the $50,000 Group 3 Allwood Stud Four and Five-Year-Old Championship over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Roberts has handled four-year-old Mad Monday for impressive victories at his past five starts, taking his career record to 23 starts for ten wins, five seconds and $166,078 in prizemoney, and she has been in the sulky for eight of five-year-old Golden Lode’s 13 wins.
Both pacers are owned by Team Bond and are trained by Greg and Skye Bond, with Golden Lode amassing $489,308 in stakes from 13 wins, 12 seconds and five thirds from 48 starts.
Kyle Symington has been engaged to handle the New Zealand-bred Golden Lode, a speedy Always B Miki gelding he has driven only once, when charging home from the rear to finish second to Max Delight in the $1.25 million Nullarbor slot race two starts ago.
A week after that outstanding performance Roberts drove Golden Lode from the inside of the back line in the $300,000 Fremantle Cup when he trailed the pacemaker Magnificent Storm and finished second to the champion pacer over 2936m.
“Both horses are winning chances,” said Roberts. Mad Monday produced an exceptional performance last Friday night when he began from the back line and was eighth at the bell before being switched three wide at the 300m and bursting to the front 50m from post and winning by almost a length from Im Lightning Banner, rating 1.55.1 over 2130m.
Gary Hall Jnr has opted to drive Sweet Pins in preference to Double Parked, a recent arrival from New Zealand who will begin from the outside barrier on the back line.
Sweet Pins, trained by Gary Hall Snr, is ideally drawn at barrier one and should fight out the finish providing he reproduces the form which enabled him to surge home from eighth at the bell and win easily from Del Bocavista Bay, rating 157.2 over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. The final three quarters were covered in 28.6sec., 28.6sec. and 28.4sec.
“He went super,” said Hall Jnr, who trains five-year-old Double Parked, who will be making his Australian debut on Friday night with Stuart McDonald in the sulky.
Double Parked will be making his first appearance for 14 weeks and is sure to be driven patiently with a sit before being called on for a strong finishing effort. He has raced 24 times in New Zealand for five wins and eight placings.
Runkle Crunch, the WA Derby winner late last October, is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line and is capable of a bold effort for trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. He has been forced to work hard at his four starts in his current campaign for two strong wins, a second placing behind Mad Monday and a last-start eighth behind Mad Monday when he covered a lot of extra ground.
Opal Hunter, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, is favourably drawn at barrier two and will have admirers after promising placings at his past two starts, while trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green will be looking for a strong effort from Im Lightning Banner (barrier three) after the five-year-old’s excellent second to Mad Monday last Friday night.
Ultimate Miki Looks Hall’s Best
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr has seven excellent drives at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with the much travelled and lightly-raced Ultimate Miki looking his best winning chance.
Four-year-old Ultimate Miki, trained by Gary Hall Snr, will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in the Larkhill Vets Your Equine Specialists Pace over 2130m, with Hall Jnr saying: “He is a nice type who will be hard to beat. He is versatile and probably will be driven aggressively.”
Ultimate Miki finished second at his two Victorian starts at Bendigo as a two-year-old and then won for trainer Michael Brennan at his five appearances in Queensland as a three-year-old last year before he was a $2.40 favourite in a 2300m event at Menangle on September 13 last year when he raced in the breeze before fading to finish last behind the frontrunning Miki Cohen.
He made his West Australian debut at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he dashed to an early lead from barrier four and ambled through the opening quarters in 31.5sec. and 30.1sec. before sprinting home with 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 27.8sec. to win by two and a half lengths from Charivari, rating 1.58 over 2130m.
“He got away with a bit (with the slow early pace), and I was surprised with the way he finished off with those (fast) quarters,” said Hall. “At home he is lazy, but he did it pretty easily and went to the line with plenty left.”
Ultimate Miki’s main danger is likely to be the polemarker Pinny Noir, a lightly-raced four-year-old who will be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer by Michael Young.
Pinny Noir began from the outside of the front line in a 2130m event last Friday night when he raced three wide early and then without cover before wilting to finish sixth behind Wave Rebellion.
“He did a bit of work early before dropping out of it,” said Young. “He is not a breeze horse, and he has always gone better when on the rails. He has good gate speed, and we will be aiming to lead.”
Hall gives A Little Silence a good winning chance in the 2130m Pegasus and Milne Feeds Pace, in which the classy five-year-old will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9). The New Zealand-bred gelding mustered good early pace from the No. 4 barrier when he dashed to the front after 350m and was untroubled to reel off the final three 400m sections in 29.7sec., 28.4sec. and 27.9sec. and win by two lengths from Whos The Dad, rating 1.56.7, last Friday week.
“A Little Silence is racing well and is in with a chance despite the draw,” said Hall.
A Little Silence looks set for a profitable career after his first seven starts have resulted in three wins and four second placings. This week he will be tested by smart four-year-old mare Fabulous Dream, who will start from the No. 5 barrier. She was not extended in setting the pace and winning from Kinky last Friday night.
Heavenly Gipsy is set to lead
Eight-year-old mare Heavenly Gipsy reappeared after a spell three Fridays ago when she was a rank outsider at $151 on the tote, and finished ninth behind Little Darling in the 2536m Empress Stakes.
But there was an excuse for her failure, and her trainer Michael Young predicts she will prove hard to beat when she begins from the prized No. 1 barrier in the $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Heavenly Gipsy was having her first run after a spell when she started from the outside of the back line in the Empress Stakes,” said Young. “And she was nearly going to win before she broke at the top of the straight. She was just joining in and was definitely going to run top three, and I think she was going to win.”
Since then, Heavenly Gipsy contested a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when she set the pace and finished a 2m second to Sweet Pins, rating1.58, with final quarters of 28sec. and 26.8sec.
“Heavenly Gipsy rated 1.54.7 when she won over 2130m last July when she beat Arma Einstein and Magnificent Storm,” said Young. “If she reproduces that form, they won’t beat her this week.”
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond hold a strong hand in Friday night’s event, with Aardiebytheseaside and Captainshavtime sure to be among the major players. Deni Roberts will drive Aardiebytheseaside, who will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, while Kyle Symington will drive Captainshavtime from the favourable No. 2 barrier on the front line.
Aardiebytheseaside notched her 23RD win at her 50TH start when she settled down in sixth place in a 2130m Free-For-All for mares last Friday week in which Captainshavtime burst straight to the front from out wide at barrier No. 8 and set the pace before finishing third, just behind the second placegetter Copy Cat Queen, who ran home fast when the final 400m was covered in a slick 27.3sec.
“Aardiebytheseaside has a good draw, and she should get a nice trail early and race not too far from the leaders and within striking distance,” said Roberts.
Copy Cat Queen should settle down in a prominent position after starting from barrier three for trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo, and she should fight out the finish.
Gary Hall Jnr has chosen to drive Fakenit (barrier six) in preference to Sweet Coco, who will start from out wide at barrier No. 9 with Maddison Brown in the sulky.
Roberts and the Bond stable have high hopes of winning the $35,000 Narrogin Cup over 2662m on Saturday night with Gee Heza Sport, who will start from the outside barrier (No. 4) on the back line.
This will be Gee Heza Sport’s first appearance since he raced at the rear and finished 11TH in the 2936m Fremantle Cup last Friday week. At his previous outing he was an excellent first-up third behind Minstrel and Mighty Ronaldo over 2130m at Gloucester Park on March 20.
Beetastic ready for debut win
A sparkling trial win by recent New Zealand import Beetastic is a strong indication that the four-year-old mare should be successful at her Australian debut when she starts from the No. 3 barrier in the 1730m APG Mixed Sale Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She will be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, who said: “She is Hugotastic’s sister and goes okay. I wasn’t happy with her until I discovered a little problem with her about a week before the trial.
“I was able to sort that out and her trial was good, and since then she has been working like a good horse. She is a group 1 winner in New Zealand, so she should win on Friday.”
Beetastic was driven by Kylah Madden in an eleven-horse 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when she raced in the one-out and two-back position before finishing strongly and winning by a length and a half from Ginnivan, with final quarters of 29.6sec. and 28.3sec.
Beetastic showed her class when she scored a spectacular victory in the Group 1 2200m Caduceus Club Classic at Alexandra Park in September 2024. She raced at the rear and was still 12TH with 250m to travel before she thundered home, out six wide, to snatch victory over Always B Magic in a blanket finish.
She has not raced since finishing third behind Ultimate Racy Girl over 1700m at Alexandra Park on December 31 last year. She has had 16 starts for two wins, six placings and stakes of $85,159.
Young, who also trains top-flight mares Penny Black and Heavenly Gipsy, is looking forward to strengthening his stable with the addition of Victorian-bred four-year-old mare Beach Diamond, who has earned $220,155 from ten wins and four seconds from 16 starts.
Beach Diamond finished a neck second to Soho Americano in the Group 1 Victoria Oaks over 2760m at Melton last October. She also won two group 2 feature events at Melton late last year, the APG Vicbred Super Series and the Nutrien Equine Breeders Crown.
Another strong winning chance from the Young stable on Friday night is Blaze Away, who will begin from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m Shop Budget Stockfeeds In Oakford Pace.
Five-year-old Blaze Away, who will be driven by Madden, will be having his first start since Madden drove him to a strong-finishing victory over Beyond Bling and Elwaddell on December 31.
Blaze Away raced in the breeze early and then three back on the pegs before finishing powerfully to win by eight lengths from the pacemaker Major Overs in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week. He rated 1.57.3 after final quarters of 29sec. and 27.9sec.
“His trial was good,” said Young. “He does his best work in front, so that’s why we will endeavour to lead.”
