Winter Cup Is On The Agenda
The $50,000 group 3 Winter Cup on the agenda for Hotly Pursued after the big six-year-old had scored an easy victory in the $31,000 Western Australian of the Year, Dr Jim Giumelli Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Breeder, owner and trainer Murray Lindau was delighted with Hotly Pursued’s second-up win and said he was looking forward to the gelding competing against the State’s best pacers in feature events.
In the short term, Hotly Pursued will be set for the 2536m Winter Cup on July 10 and the 2536m $50,000 August Cup on August 21.
“I’d like Hotly Pursued to have a crack at some of the feature races,” said Lindau. “I think he is up to that level, and then I would love to see him take the next step up and mix it with the best horses in the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on December 11.”
Hotly Pursued is a noted frontrunner, but Lindau insisted that the horse was not one-dimensional, saying that he was very competitive when racing with a sit.
Lindau, who bred and races Hotly Pursued with his partner Claire McNaughton, said that he had experienced health issues with Hotly Pursued earlier in the year.
“I had to go away and get him healthy,” he said. “It wasn’t anything serious; I had some bloods taken and I have been able to get him back on track.”
Hotly Pursued is by American sire Huntsville and is the third and final foal out of the New South Wales-bred Blissfull Hall mare Besos Baci, who was trained by Lindau throughout her career of 57 starts for eight wins, 14 placings and $53,397 between 2012 and 2015.
Hotly Pursued has been a splendid performer who has earned $250,837 from 14 wins, eleven seconds and four thirds from 51 starts.
He was handled confidently on Friday night by 22-year-old Kylah Madden, who gained her experience with pacers under the guidance of veteran trainers Colin Brown and Lindau. “They have been a great help over the years, and I appreciate everything they have done,” said Madden.
Hotly Pursued began from barrier six and was the $3.30 favourite in Friday night’s event when Madden gained a vital advantage over the opposition by dashing the gelding to the front after 100m, and after a solid lead time of 36.9sec. was able to give her drive a breather with opening quarters of 31sec. and 30.2sec. before sprinting over the both the final 400m sections in 27.9sec.
“I was a bit worried at the start when they all came out (and threatened to cross) but I gave him a tap and he just took off in another gear and did it easily,” said Madden.
Hotly Pursued rated 1.56.3 and beat Master Publisher ($19) by two lengths, with Alcopony ($17) in third place. Justcallmemiki, the $4.80 third fancy, raced without cover before wilting to finish sixth.
Madden continued in fine form with wins with Katama at Bunbury on Saturday night and Tiger Lou and Del Bocavista Bay at Kellerberrin on Sunday afternoon.
Katama, the $1.10 favourite trained by Michael Young, led and defeated Miss Bejeweled at Bunbury, and Tiger Lou ($4.40) won race two at Kellerberrin and Del Bocavista Bay ($1.60) beat Major Freeway in the Kellerberrin Cup.
Harper Does It Again
Donald Harper maintained his reputation as West Australia’s most successful driver of long-priced winners when he scored with $98.10 outsider Louie Lebeau in the $21,000 Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The 38-year-old Harper has always been a cool and calculating reinsman and he made the correct choice to surrender the lead to $14 chance Cams Boulder 120m after the start.
Louie Lebeau was hopelessly hemmed in and blocked for a clear passage on the home turn before Harper took advantage of a stroke of luck to guide the gelding through on the inside of Cams Boulder, who hung out under pressure in the home straight.
Ultimate Miki, the $3.50 second fancy, who had raced in the breeze, looked the winner when he gained a narrow lead 50m from the post. But he was grabbed in the final stages when Louie Lebeau sprinted strongly along the inside.
This was just a chance drive by Harper, who was engaged to handle Louie Lebeau for trainer and lessee-owner Craig Hynam after the seven-year-old’s regular driver Callan Suvaljko had opted to handle the polemarker Kurious Boy ($14) for trainer Kevin Keys.
Hynam explained that he had told Harper that Kurious Boy was not a reliable beginner from the No. 1 barrier and to make a bid for the early lead.
Kurious Boy galloped at the start and Harper was able to dash Louie Lebeau straight to the front before surrendering the lead to Cams Boulder.
There were plenty of fireworks early in the race. Ultimate Miki, who started from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, was trapped five wide early before Gary Hall Jnr restrained him back to last while the $1.80 favourite Rumble Strip was going forward.
Then about 250m after the start Hall made a pre-emptive strike by charging forward, out four wide, and moving to the outside the frontrunning Cams Boulder.
“With the doubts about Kurious Boy I decided to roll the dice,” said Harper. “We wanted to take the lead or take up a forward position because if we went back at the start, it would be too hard.
“Cams Boulder ran up the track a fair bit in the back straight in the final lap, and I thought that the lane (inside run) might be there. Sometimes you wait for the opening, and it doesn’t happen. Things worked out for us tonight.”
Louie Lebeau is by American Ideal and is the first foal and only one of two to race. He was placed third once from five New Zealand starts before arriving in WA. He now as had 101 starts for ten wins, 37 placings and $163,869 in stakes. He has had 48 starts for 41-year-old Hynam for five wins, 11 placings and $93,648.
Harper has driven the Hynam-trained Manea for four wins in the past two years, scoring as an $8 chance at Kellerberrin and at Pinjarra at odds of $4, $13 and $14. And at the Kellerberrin meeting on Sunday Harper landed a double in 1730m events with Hot Cinder and The Dark Night to move within a couple of winners of joining the 500 Club.
Hot Cinder was a $12.20 chance who led and beat the $1.10 favourite Shes A Mare by a head, while The Dark Night ($6.90) raced three back on the pegs before running on to win from Alta Hurrah.
Harper has a formidable list of long-priced winners which include Sir Artsplace, Gallymont Cohort, Irockmyworld and The Mighty Rock.
Sir Artsplace was a $121.70 chance when he beat Wrongly Accused in the Pat Cranley Sprint at Gloucester Park on September 30, 2011; Gallymont Cohort was a nine-year-old when he led and beat Calais and Rocky Marciano at Northam on December 15, 2016 as a $91.50 outsider; Irockmyworld ($48.60) beat All The Torque in the Kellerberrin Cup on April 13, 2017; and The Mighty Rock’s only win or placing in a 13-start career was at Pinjarra on May 8, 2017 when he won a 2185m R0-class event in which he ran on out five wide from eleventh at the bell to win from King Of Cougars and Son Of A Digger as a $193.20 outsider.
Hynam also has had his share of long-priced winners, including $59.80 rank outsider Illawong Mustang, who trailed the pacemaker Hale Saint Louie before getting clear in the final stages to get up and beat that horse by a head at Gloucester Park on September 12 last year.
Stormy Vista Set For York Cup
Recent New Zealand import Stormy Vista notched his first Australian win when he set the pace and held on to beat A Little Silence in the Bridge Bar Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The tempo of stands suits him at this stage of his career,” said ace trainer Michael Young. “And now he will go for the $30,000 York Cup, a standing-start event at Northam’s Burwood Park next Saturday night.”
Four-year-old Stormy Vista, a gelding by Sweet Lou, is a standing-star specialist, having contested stands at 27 of his 31 race appearances for all of his four victories. He has also been placed ten times and has earned $51,982 in prizemoney.
Purchased by a band of Young’s faithful stable clients for what is sure to prove to be a bargain at $18,000, the gelding has had three starts for the Young stable for a win, a third and a fourth placing for stakes of $14,969.
He was the $2 favourite from the front line, and he took up the running after 250m, and the lead time went by in a slow 72.3sec. before A Little Silence (20m and the $6.50 second fancy) dashed forward to the breeze. Alta Tribute ($7) galloped away from the 30m mark and settled down in last place before Stuart McDonald urged him forward to move to the breeze with just under two laps to travel.
Emily Suvaljko increased the tempo noticeably and Stormy Vista whizzed over the final 400m sections in 27.9sec. and 28.9sec. before the gelding held on to win by a half-neck from A Little Silence, with Alta Tribute a half-head away in third place.
Luvbite, a stablemate of Stormy Vista and the 40m backmarker as a $9.50 chance, was last at the bell and seventh on the home turn before charging home with a brilliant burst to finish a close-up fourth. He, too, will be nominated for the York Cup.
Opal Hunter, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, produced a carbon copy of his performance a week earlier when he set the pace and won the $25,000 Christmas In July Pace over 2130m.
The five-year-old was the $3.20 second favourite from the coveted No. 1 barrier, and he set a modest early pace with a lead time of 37.6sec. and opening quarters of 31.1sec. and 30.5sec. before surging home with final 400m sections of 27.7sec. and 28.2sec. to won by 2m from fast-finishing dead-heaters Sweet Pins ($3.10 favourite) and Bettors Pride ($13).
“We put Opal Hunter up a grade this week knowing he would draw one,” said Williams. “Barrier one is an advantage, and he felt good in the warm-up, so I knew he was ready. He does tend to knock off, so he has got to learn very quickly to change that when racing against the better ones.”
Easy for Eastbro Chrissy
South Australian-bred and former Victorian performer Eastbro Chrissy showed she would be a formidable opponent in upcoming feature events for mares when she coasted to victory in the $25,000 Beau Rivage Christmas In July Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This followed her West Australian debut the previous week when she covered extra ground and was an easy winner in moderate company at Pinjarra.
The Alta Christiano five-year-old, trained and driven by Gary Hall jnr, was the $1.80 favourite from the No. 1 barrier and was beaten for early speed by $7 chance Captainshavtime, who began fast from barrier five and led by three-quarters of a length but was unable to cross to the front.
Fakenit ($3.20) quickly moved to the breeze, giving Captainshavtime an ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position. After a fast first 100m the tempo decreased and the lead time was run in a leisurely 37.3sec. before comfortable opening quarters of 31.7sec. and 30.7sec.
Eastbro Chrissy then dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 28.1sec. and won by a length from Fakenit, with Ruby Lovera ($23) an unlucky third after being blocked for a run in the final circuit.
Captainshavtime wilted to sixth, while top-flight mares Heavenly Gipsy ($16) and Aardiebytheseaside ($7) did not threaten danger after beginning from the two outside positions and racing at the rear.
Eastbro Chrissy rated a modest 1.57.9, with Hall saying: “She had to burn out for the first few hundred, and once she held the lead it was a bit like trackwork, really.
“She is probably a bit more of a roller but with horse like Aardiebytheseaside and Fakenit behind you, you’ve got to take what you can get (setting a moderate pace) and I expect with a few more runs under her belt she will be able to roll along more strongly.”
Eastbro Chrissy is now likely to have her next start in the $30,000 Lewis Pace next Friday week. She has earned $95,172 from 14 wins, 12 seconds and four thirds from 61 starts. She is the sixth foal out of the Iraklis mare Indianna Rose, who raced 67 times for 16 wins, 19 placings and $94,280.
Eastbro Chrissy’s win completed a training and driving double for Hall, who won the 2130m Steelo’s Pace with the $2.50 favourite Final Collect.
Final Collect, unplaced at his previous nine starts, overcame the wide draw at No. 7 to win comfortably from $6 chance Rellim, who ratted home from eighth at the bell.
Final Collect settled down in ninth place before he was taken three wide after 700m to move to the breeze with about 1150m to travel before getting to the front 220m from the post.
“I almost gave up hope with him before he gradually got better,” said a relieved Hall. The New Zealand-bred six-year-old boasts a good record of 72 starts for ten wins, 16 placings and $191,628 in prizemoney.
Arista, the $1.75 favourite, driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, gave punters a few heart flutters when he held on to beat $71 outsider Jaxon Morgan by a half-head in the 2130m Free Entry Pace.
The Bettors Delight four-year-old has won at four of his five WA starts after winning once from five New Zealand starts.
