Chicago Bull, Australia’s latest equine millionaire, is thriving and star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is planning for an all-the-way win in the third heat of the Westral Inter Dominion championship at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The plan is to take full advantage of the good draw (barrier two) and come out as hard as we can and score maximum points,” Hall said. “It will be a matter of all guns blazing.”
Chicago Bull is noted for his devastating finishing bursts, but he is also an accomplished frontrunner, as he showed at his latest appearance, when he set the pace and held off a determined late challenge from Soho Tribeca to beat that pacer by a half-head in the 2536m James Brennan Memorial three Fridays ago.
Hall said that he had no worries that Chicago Bull would be able to handle four tough Inters runs in the space of just 15 days. “I have no concerns at all; that’s one thing that is in his favour,” he said.
In talking up the small, inconspicuous-looking bay gelding’s prospects on Friday night, and in the series, Hall said: “His past few workouts at home have been sensational.”
Drawn inside Chicago Bull at No. 1 is Egodan, a New South Wales pacer trained by Kevin Pizzuto. Egodan, to be handled by Todd McCarthy, has good gate speed. But it is hard to see him holding out Chicago Bull in the early stages. The six-year-old Egodan’s two most recent victories have been when he has produced a strong finishing burst over 1609m at Menangle.
Mark Purdon’s talented six-year-old Have Faith In Me, Australasia’s fastest pacer, will have many admirers from barrier five but the gelding has been slightly disappointing with unplaced efforts at his past three starts, including his last-start eighth behind Lazarus in the 3200m New Zealand Cup last Tuesday week when he fought on from eleventh at the bell.
Have Faith In Me created a tremendous impression on his first Australian campaign, early in 2016, when he was unbeaten in four starts at Menangle, including the Chariots of Fire and the Miracle Mile when he got up in the final stride to beat Lennythshark by a short half-head, with his time of 1.47.5 setting an Australasian record over 1609m.
Galactic Star is likely to prove one of Chicago Bull’s chief rivals on Friday night. The New Zealand-bred five-year-old has returned to the Forrestdale stables of leading West Australian trainer Skye Bond after having three starts at Menangle for two wins and one run in Melbourne for a solid-finishing fifth behind Lennytheshark in the 2240m Victoria Cup for trainer Craig Cross. A winner at 19 of his 36 starts, Galactic Star will start from barrier seven, with Ryan Warwick in the sulky.
Others with sound place prospects in Friday night’s heat include Americanbootscoota and San Carlo.
Americanbootscoota, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by her husband Chris, is a big, strong Allamerican Ingot five-year-old who will start from the No. 4 barrier. He possesses excellent gate speed and there is a possibility that Lewis could gamble in a bid to burst to an early lead.
San Carlo, a winner at 20 of his 24 starts, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six and will need plenty of luck. He led from barrier two and won the 2690m Maryborough Gold Cup from My Field Marshal and Mr Mojito at his latest appearance, on October 29. He was an eye-catching fast-finishing sixth behind Lennytheshark in the Victoria Cup at Melton at his previous outing.
