Beach Diamond Is On A Mission
Brilliant New South Wales-bred mare Beach Diamond will be the star attraction at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she makes her West Australian debut in the $25,000 Beth Richardson Memorial Free-For-All over 1730m.
Beach Diamond has been sent to Western Australia in a bullish bid to win the upcoming rich feature events for mares, including the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 6 and the $150,000 Mares Classic a fortnight later.
She has been transferred from Emma Stewart’s Victorian stables to be prepared by Michael Young, who is confident the four-year-old will prove too good for her seven rivals on Friday night.
Beach Diamond, the least experienced runner in the race with a record of 16 starts for ten wins, four seconds and $220,155 in prizemoney, will be handled by Emily Suvaljko, who drove her in an impressive trial win over 2185m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
She began from barrier five in the trial field of six when she raced three wide early and then in the breeze before going on to beat Arma Believer by two lengths, rating 1.57.7 after final 400m sections of 27.2sec. and 27.7sec.
She simply coasted home, and Suvaljko did not bother to release the ear plugs.
“Beach Diamond worked with Penny Black on the Jandakot track today (Tuesday) and beat her comfortably,” said Young.
Beach Diamond will be having her first start for three months when she begins out wide at barrier No. 7 on Friday night. At her most recent start she began from barrier five and enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back for most of the 1609m journey at Geelong before just plugging on to finish fifth in the field of six.
That was her first appearance since she won the Group 2 $100,000 Breeders Crown for three-year-old fillies at Melton on December 13 when she raced wide early, made an unsuccessful challenge for the lead and then worked without cover before taking the lead 600m from home and winning by three lengths from Soho Americano, rating 1.54.2 over 2240m after final quarters of 27.7sec. and 28.5sec.
Beach Diamond made a successful debut on June 16, 2024, at her only appearance as a two-year-old when she won by five lengths from Isla Athena over 1609m at Elwick, a suburb of Hobart.
Her next run was on April 4, 2025, when she won by four lengths from Dealin Diamonds, rating 1.54.3 over 1720m at Melton. She went on to finish a neck second to Soho Americano in the Group 1 Victoria Oaks at Melton last October.
Young’s second-string runner in Friday night’s event is the speedy eight-year-old Heavenly Gipsy, who will start from the outside in the field of seven., with Kylah Madden in the sulky.
Heavenly Gipsy, a winner of 14 races and $196,607 in prizemoney, should be placed, along with six-year-old Sweet Coco, who is trained and driven by Gary Hall Jnr.
The New Zealand-bred Sweet Coco has won at eleven of her 46 starts, and she warmed up for this assignment in good style with a smart win in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
She began from the outside barrier in the field of seven and raced three wide early and then in the breeze before beating Majestic Reale by two lengths, rating 1.58.3 after final quarters of 28sec. and 28.1sec.
“Sweet Coco got home in 56sec. and won the trial easily,” said Hall. “If the race is run upside down, she will run home strongly. She is quick for a half.”
Egerton-Green’s Chance
Ace reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green made the most of the opportunity to drive brilliant pacer Minstrel when he won the BOTRA Cup in July 2021, and he would love to repeat the dose when he handles quality pacer Alta Tribute in the $35,000 Nutrimate BOTRA Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He gained the drive behind Alta Tribute, trained by Gary Hall, Snr, when Gary Hall Jnr opted to drive the Justin Prentice-trained last-start winner Artful Major in the 2503m standing-start Cup.
Minstrel began from the 30m mark, and he sustained a strong run to beat the frontrunning Awaitinginstructions in the 2021 Cup, and Alta Tribute will also begin off 30m this week.
The Victorian-bred Alta Tribute drops in class. He is not a reliable beginner in stands, but if Egerton-Green is able to get him away smoothly the five-year-old’s winning prospects will soar. Egerton-Green has handled Alta Tribute once, when the gelding began from the outside of the back line in a 2130m mobile event and fought on from the rear to finish seventh behind Menemsha on May 8 this year.
Hall Snr has won the BOTRA Cup with Spirit Of Shard (2008), Albert Jaccka (2010) and Classic American (2015), and Hall Jnr has driven the Cup winner five times, scoring with Spirit Of Shard, Classic American, Strike A Blow (2002), Naughty Maravu (2016) and The Bucket List (2018).
Serpentine trainer Matt Scott prepared Awaitinginstructions when he finished second in the 2021 Cup, and his runner Always Arjay finished second to The Bucket List in 2018.
He is hopeful that his seemingly indestructible 11-year-old Rock Me Over will run a bold race when the gelding starts from the inside barrier on the front line.
Rock Me Over, who has had 309 starts for 32 wins, 87 placings and stakes of $552,854, will be driven by Aiden De Campo, who drove the veteran to an overdue victory two starts ago, in a 2185m mobile event at Pinjarra last month.
“Rock Me Over is capable of leading, and if he does, he will be a good chance,” said De Campo. Rock Me Over has contested 20 standing-start events for four seconds and one third placing.
Banjup trainer Michael Young holds a strong hand in Friday night’s Cup with three runners, Blaze Away (front line), Stormy Vista (10m) and Luvbite (40m).
“Luvbite (to be driven Kylah Madden) faces a tough task as the sole backmarker, particularly as he has to give a start to proven Free-For-All performers Petes Honour and Alta Tribute (both off 30m),” said Young.
“I am hoping that Blaze Away (Shannon Suvaljko) and Stormy Vista (Emily Suvaljko) will get away and that one of them sets the pace. Whichever one leads will be hard to beat but if neither leads Luvbite will be my best chance.
“Blaze Away only tries when he leads, and when he finds the front, he is a different horse.”
Chris Voak, who has won the BOTRA Cup with Carabao (2023) and Maximum Rock (2025), will be looking for a strong effort from the Jemma Hayman-trained Petes Honour, who gave a sample of his class two starts ago when he finished a half-neck second to Bettors Pride in a 2130m Free-For-All.
Dawson, who began off 20m and moved to the breeze with 1400m to travel when a sound third behind Maximum Rock and Bluto in last year’s BOTRA Cup, looks well placed off the front in this year’s Cup in which he will be driven by Maddison Brown for her father, the renowned trainer Colin Brown, who prepared Gamby Pride for his victory in the 1990 BOTRA Cup.
Consistent Major Disco Favoured
Consistent four-year-old Major Disco (barrier eight) and the highly promising five-year-old Curadh (barrier nine) will start from the outside barriers in the 2130m BOTRA Life Member Warren Robinson Westbred Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. But they should fight out the finish.
“Major Disco’s second to American Blaze at Bunbury last Saturday night was a super run,” said his trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo.
“He did all the work (in the breeze), and they ran a quick last half (with final quarters of 28sec. and 28.3sec.). He doesn’t win out of turn, but I was very pleased with his effort.”
Major Disco has won at four of his 25 starts as well as being placed 17 times.
Five-year-old Curadh, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, looks set for a successful career. He impressed in a heat of the John Higgins Memorial at Northam last Saturday week when he set the pace and won easily by two lengths from Yawoma, rating 1.58.7 over 2190m after final 400m sections of 27.9sec. and 28.3sec.
Curadh produced powerful finishing efforts when placed at his three previous starts, behind in-form pacers Medieval Man, Eastbro Chrissy and Illawong Mustang.
Charivari, to be driven by Liam Elliott for trainer Ryan Bell, is overdue for a change of luck when he starts from an awkward barrier at No. 7 in the BOTRA Thanks Budget Stockfeeds Pace over 2130m.
He has been placed at five of his six starts this season and he appears to be best suited when driven with a sit and held up for a strong finishing effort.
His main dangers appear to be Ideal Interest (barrier four) and Era, who will start from the inside of the back line. Ideal Interest, to be driven Ryan Warwick for Pinjarra trainer Russell Eddy, is a versatile pacer who has been placed at three of his past five starts.
Era, trained by Phil Costello and to be driven by Mitch Miller, has a losing sequence of 20 but his second to Stirup Iron Jack at Gloucester Park and his third behind Leaveamessage at Pinjarra early this month have been encouraging efforts.
Hez The Boss Resumes
Hez The Boss, a brilliant two-year-old performer early this year, will resume racing after a spell when he begins from the outside barrier in a field of eight in the 2130m BOTRA Thanks Milne Feeds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is trained by Colin Brown and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, who handled the Poster Boy gelding in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he began from barrier five in a field of six.
Hez The Boss was restrained to the rear before moving to the breeze and going on to win by a head from George Myboy, rating 1.58.8 after sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28sec. and 27.9sec.
“Browny is keen on the way Hez The Boss goes, and he said that he has improved a fair bit off his recent trial,” said Hall. “But this is tough race for him, first-up and from the outside barrier. The small field helps, and he should be thereabouts.”
Hez The Boss made a spectacular debut at Pinjarra on January 26 when he flew home from last in a field of six to finish a nose second to Seaside Serenade over 1684m. He then won at his following three starts before going for a spell.
He raced one-out and one-back before beating George Myboy by almost two lengths over 1684m at Pinjarra and then enjoyed a similar trip when he beat Jetpack by three lengths, rating 1.56.3 over 1730m at Gloucester Park.
And then at his fourth appearance Hez The Boss scored a brilliant victory in the $125,000 Sales Classic final for two-year-old colts and geldings on February 27 when he began out wide at barrier seven and raced three wide for the first 500m before taking the lead and going on to win by two lengths from Rip Tide.
Toughest for Hez The Boss to beat are likely to be Rock The Tour (barrier four), Benoa Bay (five) and Ideal Whisper (six).
Rock The Tour, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, will be having his first start since he trailed the pacemaker and ran home along the sprint lane to win by a length from Our Robyn Hood over 1684m at Pinjarra on May 18.
“Rock The Tour is a handy little horse who has a lot of high speed,” said De Campo. “I will probably sit him in before letting him get home. This is quite a good field, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
Ideal Whisper is trained by Justin Prentice and will be driven by Trent Wheeler. He will be having his first start since finishing third behind Hez The Boss in the Sales Classic in February.
Benoa Boy, trained by Ron Huston and to be handled by Shannon Suvaljko, will also be resuming after a spell. He showed promise early in the year with his three starts producing an all-the-way win at Gloucester Park and second placings at Pinjarra to George Myboy and Fore Shore.
