Red October arrived in Western Australia in July 2016, a week after he had scored a smart win at Alexandra Park. But it took him another 18 months to make his Australian debut, after he had broken down twice with a bowed tendon.
But leading trainer Gay Hall Snr’s patient care is at last paying dividends. Now a five-year-old, Red October is revealing plenty of potential and at Gloucester Park on Friday night he looks set to stretch his winning sequence to five when he contests the Intersport Slater Gartrell Pace over 2130m.
Red October made his Australian debut at Pinjarra on January 29 this year when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before finishing a half-length second to 66/1 outsider Lady Luca. Then his next four starts produced four wins, two at Pinjarra and two at Gloucester Park.
Hall said that the gelding should prove hard to beat, but added that his mother runner, Heez Manly, represented the main danger. ”I can’t really separate them; they’ve got equal ability,” he said. “But I lean towards Red October because he has drawn barrier three on the front line, with Heez Manly the only runner on the back line.”
Red October, who managed only two wins from 17 starts in New Zealand, will be driven by leading reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, with Stuart McDonald to drive Heez Manly, a promising four-year-old who has won at six of his 16 starts. He had a tough run in the breeze when a fighting second to Back To The Beach at Gloucester Park on February 27 after unwinding a powerful finishing burst to win easily from Courage To Live a week earlier.
Looming as the chief rival for the Hall-trained pair is Skye Bond’s smart four-year-old Mighty Mr Sharkey, who will be driven by Ryan Warwick and cannot be overlooked despite the distinct disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
Mighty Mr Sharkey has had no luck from wide draws when unplaced at his past two starts. He has had 30 starts for ten wins and nine placings and is certainly capable of causing an upset.
Hall Snr also has good prospects of winning the first heat of the Clarke Pace with seven-year-old Whozideawasthis, who will be making his first appearance for six months.
“He’s been a bit of a bridesmaid who doesn’t seem to like winning and failed a couple of times when an odds-on favourite during his previous campaign,” he said. “However, he’s working in good style and should be hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier.”
Whozideawasthis is sure to meet with stiff opposition from trainer-reinsman Nathan Turvey’s smart four-year-old Carter Micheal, who has raced 29 times for 12 wins and seven placings. Carter Micheal broke twice in running before finishing eighth behind Courage To Live in the Bridgetown Cup last Sunday. That followed convincing victories on country tracks at his four previous starts.
The Hall stable has 13 runners engaged in Friday night’s ten-event program and Hall Snr said he was confident that stablemates Zennart and Runrunjimmydunn would fight out the finish of the third event.
