Champion New Zealand trainer-driver Mark Purdon, deeply disappointed when his horse Mr Mojito, hot favourite at 10/9, sustained a flat sulky tyre soon after the start and raced at the rear before finishing 11th behind Chicago Bull in the McInerney Ford Classic at Gloucester Park 12 months ago, has high hopes of make amends for that unfortunate setback by driving Ultimate Machete to victory in the $125,000 Group 1 Yes Loans Four-Year-Old Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Yes Loans Classic replaces the McInerney Ford Classic, which has been a summer carnival feature event since 1996.
Ultimate Machete, whose 21 starts have produced nine wins and ten placings for stakes of $574,905, will be a dominant favourite after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier in the 2130m classic.
The Bettors Delight stallion earned a trip to Perth after scoring a superb victory over the experienced top-flight pacer Tiger Tara in the $234,000 Woodlands New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington last Friday when he had a tough run in the breeze before surging past the pacemaker Tiger Tara 70m from the post and beating that pacer by a neck, rating 1.51.9 over 1950m, with final quarters in 27.9sec. and 26.9sec.
Ultimate Machete was driven by Natalie Rasmussen, who described him as a “serious horse” who would love the style of West Australian racing.
“He’s got good gate speed and can also sit out wide and run home strongly,” she said. “He just keeps on going and doesn’t lie down; getting into a dog fight is his go in life.”
Ultimate Machete gave a sample of his class on his only previous visit to Australia, when he finished third in a heat of the New South Wales Derby at Menangle last February before finishing a 1m second to his brilliant stablemate Vincent in the 2400m final in which the final 400m was covered in a sizzling 25.5sec.
Late last year Ultimate Machete’s wins included the Group 1 $156,000 Sires Stakes at Addington, the Group 2 Alabar Classic at Alexandra Park and a listed $195,000 classic at Alexandra Park when he dashed over the final 800m of the 2200m event in 55.5sec.
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr and star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr have combined to win the McInerney Ford Classic five times, including the past three years, with Waylade, Beaudiene Boaz and Chicago Bull. They also won with The Falcon Strike in 2001. Hall Snr won the event, previously known as the Coca Cola Pace and 6PR Classic, as a reinsman with Love of Glory (whom he trained) in 1990, Valley Champ (1993) and Slick Vance in 1995.
Hall Snr has two runners in Friday night’s classic --- Herrick Roosevelt (Hall Jnr) and Runrunjimmydunn (Michael Grantham) --- who are capable of fighting out the finish after starting from back-line draws.
Boyanup trainer-reinsman Justin Prentice is hoping for a powerful performance from Rocknroll Lincoln, who warmed up for the Group 1 event with an impressive all-the-way victory over Herrick Roosevelt and Wrappers Delight in a Golden Nugget prelude last Friday night.
Rocknroll Lincoln will start from the No. 3 barrier on the front line, with the Ross Olivieri-trained Wrappers Delight (Chris Voak) at No. 2.
Prentice said that he has been a fan of Ultimate Machete and held the horse in high regard.
“I’ve always watched him because he is a half-brother to my good mare Major Reality and I have always liked him,” he said.
Major Reality has had all her 36 starts for Prentice in WA for 20 wins, nine placings and stakes of $389,239. Her victories have included the Group 3 Gold Bracelet as a two-year-old, the 2015 Group 1 WA Oaks, the Group 2 Empress Stakes, the Group 2 Norms Daughter Classic and the Group 3 Golden Girls Classic at Pinjarra.
Prentice will drive Major Reality from barrier six in the $50,000 Clipsal By Schneider Electric Norms Daughter Classic on Friday night. He has engaged ace Victorian reinsman Chris Alford to handle his other runner, Quite A Delight, who should be prominent from barrier two on the front line.
It is an outstanding field which includes the outstanding Victorian six-year-old mare Ameretto, who will be driven by her trainer Kerryn Manning from barrier seven. Ameretto is in dazzling form, with seven wins from her past eight starts, with her only defeat in this period coming two starts ago with a wonderful second to Lennytheshark in the Victoria Cup at Melton. She will take a power of beating at her WA debut.
Among WA’s hopes in the race are the Hall-trained Ideal Alice, who is drawn to lead from the No. 1 barrier, the speedy Eden Franco (a winner at each of her past six starts), the impressive Skye Bond-trained Donegal Rundlescreek and the speedy New South Wales grey mare My Rona Gold, a dashing all-the-way winner over millionaire pacer Bling It On in a 1609m trial in 1.54.2 at Menangle on Tuesday of last week.
