Prentice seeks Cup hat-trick
The Winter Cup has been run 73 times and Justin Prentice has high hopes of creating history by becoming the first trainer to win the event three years in a row when former boom pacer and champion juvenile Never Ending lines up in barrier five in the $50,000 group 3 Nova Winter Cup over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Prentice drove Never Ending when he won the 2024 Winter Cup, beating Tenzing Bromac by a head, and last year he prepared Mighty Ronaldo, a $16.20 chance in the Cup who was driven to a one-length victory over Brickies Dream by star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr.
Prentice has engaged Hall to drive Never Ending on Friday night when the WA-bred six-year-old will be making his first appearance for seven months, with all his eleven rivals race hardened after several starts in recent weeks.
However, it is in favour of Never Ending and is a testament to Prentice’s skill that the Sweet Lou gelding has won first-up after a spell four times in his spectacular 32-start career of 16 wins, six placings and $706,789 in prizemoney.
Hall has driven Never Ending for 14 wins, but he has not handled him in any of his most recent eight starts. Never Ending has a losing sequence of twelve, with his latest success being when Prentice drove him in his one-length victory over Talks Up A Storm in a 1730m Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on July 26, 2024.
Hall boasts a remarkable record of having won the Winter Cup a record of ten times. He has been successful with The Falcon Strike (2003), Lookslikelightning (2005), Washakie (2008), Im Themightyquinn (2009 and 2013), Davy Maguire (2012), Machtu (2015), Run Oneover (2016), Prince Of Pleasure (2023) and Mighty Ronaldo (2025).
It is quite significant that Hall has agreed to drive Never Ending in preference to Sweet Pins, who is racing in fine form for trainer Gary Hall Snr and is handily drawn at barrier three.
Sweet Pins has been most impressive in winning easily over 2130m last Friday week and the previous week before he began from the inside of the back line in a Free-For-All last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Chivalry before that pacer faded badly in the final circuit and cast Sweet Pins back through the field to finish ninth behind Youre So Fine.
“Sweet Pins didn’t get a clear run, and it would pay to disregard that performance,” said Hall Jnr. Sweet Pins will be driven by Stuart McDonald and is capable of a bold showing.
Bettors Pride, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Kevin Keys, has struck top form with powerful wins at his past two outings, and from a favourable draw at barrier No. 2, he looks extremely hard to beat.
He raced without cover early in a 2130m event last Friday night before gaining an ideal passage in the one-out and one-back position and finishing strongly to win by a neck from Petes Honour, who trailed the pacemaker Lucca all the way and fought on with admirable determination.
A fortnight earlier Bettors Pride raced in the breeze for the first 550m before dropping back to race in sixth position in the one-wide line and then charging home, out four wide, to beat the pacemaker Our Crunch Time by a half-neck, rating 1.57.3 over 2536m.
“Bettors Pride is racing very well, is ideally drawn and the distance will suit him,” said Suvaljko. “I’m looking forward to clashing with Never Ending, who is first-up while Bettors Pride is race fit.”
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who won the 2020 Winter Cup with Ocean Ridge, will be pinning their faith in Justcallmemiki, who will begin from the No. 4 barrier with Deni Roberts in the sulky.
Justcallmemiki warmed up in convincing fashion last Friday night when he surged home from eighth at the bell to finish a neck second to Youre So Fine over 2130m.
“He ran home very well last week and should be finishing strongly again this week,” said Roberts.
Trainer Robbie Williams has Opal Hunter (barrier six) and Brickies Dream (barrier two on the back line) in the Cup and has decided to drive Brickies Dream, who thundered home from last at the bell to finish an eye-catching second to Mighty Ronaldo in last year’s Winter Cup.
Williams has handled Opal Hunter in all of his 31 starts for eleven wins, five placings and $101,113 in stakes. The WA-bred five-year-old will be driven by Brad Stampalia.
Seven-year-old Luvbite, trained by Michael Young and to be driven by Emily Suvljko, fared badly in the random draw and will be tested when starting from the outside barrier (No. 9 on the front line).
Luvbite’s past three starts have been in stands, including a win in the 2503m York Cup, and he also revealed his staying ability with an all-the-way victory in a 2536m mobile event at Gloucester Park four starts ago.
“I think Luvbite is going good enough to be in a race like the Winter Cup, but not here from barrier nine,” said Young.
Sheer Rock Lady is ready to roll
Ace reinsman Shannon Suvaljko confidently predicts sharp improvement from Sheer Rock Lady when she contests the opening event, the 2130m Nathan, Nat And Shaun Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The WA-bred mare, trained by Ross Olivieri, will start from the No. 3 barrier at her second appearance after a spell, with Suvaljko planning a fast start in a bid to dash to an early lead.
Sheer Rock Lady resumed racing three Fridays ago after a four-month absence when she revealed good early pace from out wide at barrier seven but was unable to cross to the lead. She then worked in the breeze outside the pacemaker Up And Alive before wilting to finish seventh behind that mare.
“I expect her to lead and prove hard to beat,” said Suvaljko. “She is a good horse in front and her trackwork since her first-up run has been good.”
Sheer Rock Lady’s toughest rivals appear certain to be Captain Said So (barrier four) and Captains Creek (barrier five).
Aiden De Campo, who trains and drives Captain Said So, said: “I’m really happy with him and four is a good draw. He has decent gate speed and should be able to find the front. And I think he should go close (to winning).
“At his latest start he came from back in the field and won (scoring by three lengths from Switch Blade over 2185m at Pinjarra last Monday week). His only blemishes, a zero and a ninth in his past five runs, were when he was knocked over and when he galloped after breaking gear.”
Deni Roberts, who will drive Captains Creek for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, expects a solid performance from the gelding who has raced 31 times for eight wins and ten placings.
Captains Creek, who will begin from the No. 5 barrier, ran home strongly from sixth at the bell to finish third behind Hillview Bondi and Full Swing Denario last Tuesday week.
“There’s probably a bit of gate speed (inside of him), but it is not an overly strong field,” said Roberts. “Captains Creek was pretty good last start, and he should get a nice spot and be an each-way chance.”
Full Swing Denario, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, has been placed at his past four starts and will be one of the fancied runners in race two, the 1730m Perth’s No. 1 Brekky Show On Nova 93.7 Pace.
He is handily drawn at barrier three, with Up And Alive, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, expected to be the favourite after drawing ideally at barrier No. 2.
“I give Up And Alive a chance (of winning),” said De Campo. “She is racing very well, and it was a career-best run last start when she finished second (to Poppyonthebeach) in a race for Free-For-All mares.”
Up And Alive ran on from sixth at the bell to finish one length behind the frontrunning Poppyonthebeach, who will start from the outside of the back line in Friday night’s race.
Poppyonthebeach, to be driven by Trent Wheeler for trainer Justin Prentice, is in splendid form with her five starts as a four-year-old producing two wins and three very close second placings.
Blaze Away gets his chance
WA-bred five-year-old Blaze Away has been plagued by unfavourable barriers and now he gets his chance to end a losing sequence of seven when he begins from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Nova 93.7 Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He has been crying out for a barrier, so I have put him up in grade this week to guarantee he gets the inside barrier,” said his trainer Michael Young.
“His gate speed has always been hit and miss, but there is not a lot of gate speed across the front line, and he definitely gets his chance to lead.”
Blaze Away, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko, was most impressive last Friday night when he began from out wide at barrier eight and was restrained to the rear. He was last in the field of eleven at the bell and was switched four wide with 450m to travel and surged home, out five wide, to finish fifth, a length and a half behind the winner Fly To The Finish.
“He had no right to finish fifth,” said Young. “I have got him better than he has ever been going but he hasn’t had much racing luck. Now, from barrier one, he can make his own luck, and he is my best winning prospect on the night.”
Blaze Away has begun from the No. 1 barrier in mobile events four times for one win (when leading over 2185m at Pinjarra), a second to Water Lou (when leading over 2130m at Gloucester Park), an eighth behind Copy Cat Queen over 2130m and a second to Nathan Street over 2130m.
Gary Hall Jnr trains two of Blaze Away’s rivals --- Eastbro Chrissy (barrier five) and Final Collect (barrier seven) --- and he has chosen to drive Eastbro Chrissy, whose first four starts in Western Australia have produced wins at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park, followed by an excellent second to the brilliant Fakenit and a ninth behind Poppyonthebeach when she covered extra ground and met with interference.
Final Collect, who will be driven by Maddison Brown, finished solidly when second to Opal Hunter over 2130m last Friday night.
Back line runners Elite Fleet, Spitfire and Soho Moonraker are racing keenly and cannot be left out of calculations.
Apart from Blaze Away, the Young stable has excellent winning prospects with Heavenly Gipsy (race four), Stormy Vista (race seven) and Lincoln Lover (race ten), with the trio to be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
Heavenly Gipsy will start from barrier five in the $25,000 Fresh Hits And Throwbacks On Nova Pace over 2130m and is capable of ending a losing sequence of 15 stretching back to her all-the-way victory over Princess Katie and Nase Vira last October.
“We have been driving Heavenly Gipsy for luck, but it hasn’t been coming,” said Young. “She has been held up at her past two runs and probably would have won both times if she had got clear.”
Heavenly Gipsy’s most serious rival looms as Insta Gator, trained and driven by Jocelyn Young and favourably drawn at barrier two. Insta Gator reappeared after a six-month absence when he impressed in surging home from last the bell to finish fourth to High Price over 2130m last Friday night.
Stormy Vista, a standing-start specialist, will begin from the 20m mark in the Joel Creasey Show On Nova Handicap over 2503m, with Suvaljko hellbent on getting the four-year-old away smoothly in a bid to get to the front and setting a solid pace to make sure that the prospects of the backmarkers are diminished.
Lincoln Lover, a winner at two of his 20 New Zealand starts, has worked hard without cover at his two starts in Western Australia in which he revealed excellent fighting qualities to finish second to Manuka Bay over 2130m at Gloucester Park and a close third behind He Is Talking and A Precious Gem over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday this week.
He was the sole runner on the back line in Monday’s race and raced in the breeze for most of the event before fighting on determinedly to finish just a half-length behind the winner, who sprinted over the final 400m in 27.8sec.
Lincoln Lover will start from the outside barrier in the field of seven on Friday night and will need to be close to his peak to beat very capable opposition.
“Lincoln Lover is not a breeze horse, so his past two runs have been good, considering,” said Michael Young. “I was pleased with his run at Pinjarra on Monday. It looked as though he was all done at the top of the straight and then he actually got through the line as good as any of the others.”
