Beth Richardson and Karen Hall with Gary Hall and driver Gary Hall Jnr after the win of Slick Artist in the 2018 Daintys Daughter Classic Photo by Paceway Photography
With close to 2800 winners and 47 Group One wins as a trainer Gary Hall has seen it all and it takes something pretty special for him to get emotional on the track.
On Friday night at Gloucester Park Gary Hall was emotional as he took in the fact the his three-year-old filly Slick Artist had won the $50,000 Group Two Daintys Daughter Classic.
Having just her ninth start, Slick Artist has now won three races and set a new race record when she rated 1:56.4 for the 2130 metres and took her earnings to more than $43,000 as she led home Infinite Symbol and short-priced favourite Cott Beach.
Slick Artist is by Art Major from the Bettors Delight mare Slick Bird and she is raced by Beth Richardson, Gary’s wife Karen Hall, Gary Ralston and WA Turf Club Chairman Neil Pinner.
The quartet bred Slick Artist along with the Falsify Syndicate.
Slick Bird won ten races in WA including a prelude of the 2011 WA Oaks and finished third to Artemis Belle and If I Have A Dream in the final.
“Slick Artist is the first horse I have been involved with breeding,” a visibly excited Hall said after the race.
“I have had her since she was born and it is special to see her come so far”.
“I have a two-year-old half-brother to Slick Artist by Alta Christiano and he looks like being even better,” he said.
Alta Christiano won the 2013 WA Derby for Hall in a career severely restricted by injury and his first crop have just begun to appear in this season’s 2yo races.
The Daintys Daughter Classic was first run in 2000 and was the brainchild of the WA Standardbred Breeders Association who wished to honour arguably the greatest race-mare to have raced in this State.
Daintys Daughter, who was the first mare inducted into The West Australian Racing Industry Hall of Fame in 2010, won 36 races against all-comers including a WA Pacing Cup and Fremantle Cup and set World Records over one mile and two miles for her owner/breeder Jock Coleman and trainer/driver Bernie Cushing.
Bernie Cushing's daughter Dot presented the 2018 Daintys Daughter Classic trophy to Gary Hall on Friday night.
The first winner of the race was Black And Blue which coincidentally is from the same maternal family as Daintys Daughter.
A grand-daughter of Black And Blue in Cott Beach started a favourite in Friday night’s race to add more to the coincidence.
