Golden Lode Shows His Class
Emerging star Golden Lode made amends for seconds at his two previous outings in rich Group 1 features, the $1.25 million Nullarbor slot race and the $300,000 Fremantle Cup, when he surged home from last in the middle stages to score an easy victory in the $50,000 Group 3 Allwood Stud Four and Five-Year-Old Championship over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His impressive win over the 2025 WA Derby champion Runkle Crunch gave further proof that he is set for further triumphs in major events and giving his owners Team Bond and co-trainers Greg and Skye Bond thoughts about setting him for the Interdominion Championship series at Brisbane’s Albion Park in July.
Five-year-old Golden Lode was the $2.60 second fancy behind the $2.50 favourite and his four-year-old stablemate Mad Monday.
Golden Lode was restrained from the No. 5 barrier, as was Mad Monday from barrier six, and the pair settled down in the last two positions as the well fancied $5.50 chance Sweet Pins won the start from the No. 1 barrier and sped over the lead time in 36.7sec. and the opening 400m section of the final mile in 28.8sec.
Kyle Symington set Golden Lode alight with a three-wide burst with 950m to travel, and Deni Roberts urged Mad Monday forward to follow his stablemate. The third quarter went by in 28.1sec. and was followed by a fast last 400m in 27.9sec.
Golden Lode burst to the front about 270m from home and he went on to win comfortably by a length from Runkle Crunch, who fought on determinedly after having raced three wide early and then in the breeze.
The winner rated a smart 1.55.1 and improved his record to 49 starts for 14 wins, 17 placings and $518,018 in prizemoney.
“Golden Lode has been racing super and has been versing the best,” said 24-year-old Symington. “You could say it was unfortunate that he was not the Nullarbor winner, and tonight he deserved his win. He was too classy and is capable of being driven that way.
“I wasn’t expecting that there was going to be that early speed and I was quite happy once we settled back in the field, with what was unfolding in the front. I was pretty happy down the back that we had the opposition covered.”
Mad Monday, a winner at his five previous starts, did not threaten danger and finished ninth, while $41 outsider and noted frontrunner Bettors Pride produced an outstanding effort to come from tenth at the bell with a sizzling five-wide burst to finish third.
A Torrid Affair
There was action aplenty in the Larkhill Vets Your Equine Specialists Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night before the hot $1.20 favourite Ultimate Miki came from a virtually impossible position to get up in the final stride to snatch victory.
Ultimate Miki, driven by Gary Hall Jnr, began from the back line and raced in sixth position before beginning a three-wide move with about a lap to travel, and being followed by $17 chance Delulu. And then the race changed dramatically in the back straight when the leader Pinny Noir ($12) began to tire, and Overly Excited ($17) hit the front with 550m to travel, and moments later broke into a gallop, causing interference to following runners.
About 470m from home Ultimate Miki and $20 chance Rox The World, driven by Trent Wheeler, got tangled up and Deni Roberts was able to drive Delulu to the front, out four wide, before Rox The World made up ground on the inside to take the lead 270m from the post.
“I was a hindrance the whole time for Ultimate Miki,” said Hall. “I got into all sorts of trouble down the back when I locked wheels with Trent and nearly tipped him out. I didn’t do him any favours and luckily, he managed to stay in.
“I was on the outside of Trent and just picked up his wheel. And when we got the wheels unlocked my horse’s back leg hit the wheel of Rox The World’s sulky. My horse was hanging down, and that was the problem. I gave him no chance of winning on the home turn (when Wheeler had dashed Rox The World away to a good lead). It was an action-packed affair.”
Ultimate Miki responded gamely to Hall’s urgings in the home straight to get up to snatch a last-stride victory by a head from Rox The World, with Delulu wilting to finish third.
The Victorian-bred Ultimate Miki has won at his first two starts in WA for trainer Gary Hall Snr and boasts a splendid record of ten starts for seven wins, two seconds and earnings of $38,038. He was purchased for $140,000 by a group of the Hall stable’s clients last November at a reduction sale of trainer Michael Brennan’s pacers.
He is by American sire Always B Miki and is the fourth foal out of Our Sir Vancelot mare Maximum Joy, who raced 49 times for six wins, 14 placings and $31,250.
Beetastic Has That Star Quality
Those people who watched in awe when two-year-old Beetastic sprouted wings and flew home, out six wide, from 12TH position 250m from the post to score a thrilling win in a blanket finish to the group 1 2200m Caduceus Club Classic for fillies at Alexandra Park in September 2024 were convinced that they had witnessed an up-and-coming champion pacer.
However, Beetastic failed to win and managed only five placings from eleven starts in New Zealand last year, and the jury was out regarding her racing future.
But WA trainer Michael Young and a band of his stable’s faithful clients had faith in the now four-year-old mare, who they purchased for a six-figure amount in January this year.
Beetastic produced a glimpse of her undoubted ability at her first Australian start, at Gloucester Park on Friday night, when she was in second gear as she scored an effortless victory in the 1730m APG Mixed Sale Pace.
The $1.10 favourite was dashed straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier by Emily Suvaljko, and after a modest lead time of 7.7sec. and quarters of 29.6sec., 31.4sec. and 40.1sec. she sprinted over the final 400m in 28sec. and won by almost three lengths from $41 chance Batavia West, who trailed her throughout. She rated 1.58.
Young said that he was keen to buy Beetastic because of her excellent breeding. She is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is a half-sister to one of the stable’s star performers Hugotastic, who promises to improve significantly on his career record of 27 starts for seven wins, eleven placings and $157,005 in stakes.
Beetastic is also a full-sister to retired pacers Bettor Get It On (51 starts for 11 wins, 19 placings and $191,675) and Mr Fantastic (56 starts for 15 wins, nine placings and $176,136) and Narobi (26 starts for eight wins, 14 placings and $55,478).
Its All On, the dam of those pacers, was exported from New Zealand to Western Australia a few years ago, and she produced a filly by Downbytheseaside, who was purchased by Ryan Bell for $30,000 at the 2025 Perth APG yearling sale and was named Game On Girls. After that, Its All On was in foal to Bettors Delight, but died when having the foal, who did not survive.
“There wasn’t much exciting in tonight’s race,” said Young. “Beetastic probably needed a quiet run. She hadn’t been working that well at home until the past couple of weeks. She was tying up, but we have cured that now.”
Young said that he expected Beetastic to improve steadily and to mature into a candidate for the rich classic events for mares later in the year.
Anderson Enjoys A Big Week
Pinjarra hobby trainer Kyle Anderson enjoys getting out of bed early and working his only pacer Chekker in the dark before heading off to work as a process operator at Alcoa.
And when his four-year-old mare Chekker, a $7.80 chance driven by Stuart McDonald, gained a narrow victory in the 1730m Go To Allwood Stud Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night it completed a wonderful week for the 38-year-old.
“It’s been a good week,” said Anderson. “I’m a member of a syndicate of mates, and our galloper Paint It Red, trained by Luke Fernie, won a race as an $8.50 chance at Ascot on Wednesday.”
Chekker began from barrier six and after Icy Cold ($4.40) galloped at the start and $71 outsider Ciao Babe defied an early challenge from $3.80 chance Minor Catastrophe to set the pace, McDonald bided his time before he sent Chekker forward with a sharp burst to take up the running after 550m.
Chekker led by two lengths on the home turn and then held on gamely to win by a head from $6.50 chance Jolted Charm, who ran on fast from sixth at the bell to finish second, a head behind the pacemaker, who rated 1.56.9.
“Though she is a four-year-old, Chekker is still learning,” said Anderson. “Stuey said that she was looking around at everything up the home straight. She should improve and she is more tough than she is speedy.”
Chekker is by Caribbean Dancer and is the first foal out of the New Zealand-bred mare Our Clarisa, who was bred and owned by Jim Morgan and raced 130 times for six wins, 31 placings and $59,313.
Morgan also bred and owns Chekker, who revealed early promise when she was a $32.10 chance and won the Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies in July last year.
Copy Cat Queen Is At Her Peak
Proud trainer Aiden De Campo heaped praise on WA-bred five-year-old mare Copy Cat Queen after driving her to a superb victory in the $50,000 Group 3 WASBA Breeders Stakes over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“That was her career best run,” he declared. “I have never driven her that way. She has always been a great sit-sprinter, and tonight it was good to see her burn the candle at both ends and go on and do the job.
“I wanted to get to the breeze early and she had to go through a bit of adversity to get there, and then she came back to me nicely after she got cover (in the one-out and one-back position).”
The polemarker Heavenly Gipsy ($5.50) set the pace and ruined her prosects by pulling hard. Fakenit ($4.80) went forward in the first circuit to move to the breeze, and she went to the front 600m from home before being overtaken by $4 chance Copy Cat Queen, who went on to win from the $3.80 favourite Aardiebytheseaside, who ran home determinedly, three wide from sixth at the bell to finish a half-neck from the winner, who rated 1.55.4 after final quarters of 27.9sec. and 29.4sec.
Copy Cat Queen has earned $300,696 from 16 wins and nine placings from 44 starts and will be one of the main fancies in the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 6 and the $150,000 Mares Classic a fortnight later.
Copy Cat Queen completed a double for De Campo, who was successful earlier in the night with $4.30 chance Menemsha, who ended a losing sequence of 13 when he gave a spirited performance to beat the $3.70 favourite Justcallmemiki and Hugotastic ($5.50) in the $31,000 Go First Class With Ramsay’s Horse Transport Pace over 2130m.
Menemsha began from barrier four and raced wide early before moving to the breeze outside the pacemaker Machnificent ($8) and then gaining the one-out, one-back sit 400m later when Justcallmemiki moved to the breeze.
After a solid lead time of 36.5sec. the pace did not slacken, with the 400m sections being run in 29.9sec., 29.6sec., 27.9sec. and 28.9sec., resulting in Menemsha rating a smart 1.55.5.
“Menemsha has been very unlucky,” said De Campo. “Over the past eight to 12 months I have been driving him sit and kick and waiting for a bit of luck. But he hasn’t had much luck. So, last week I decided to drive him more positively, but he ended up getting back in the field and getting home to finish fourth.
“And it was good to get a nice run this week and getting back into the winner’s circle. I always thought he would end up making Free-For-All company. But at the moment he is probably a rung below, and he needs to take the next step.”
Despite those thoughts, Menemsha has been a good money spinner, having earned $378,107 from nine wins and 18 placings from 49 starts.
