Scruffy Murphy winning the 2008 Peters Ice Cream Easter Cup
The re-appearance of quality pacer Scruffy Murphy adds depth and a touch of spice to the $20,500 Peters Trumpet Spring Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he clashes with the in-form Glencadam, last season’s Australian Pacing Championship winner Dartmoor, last start winner Bobby Hank the Trotsynd owned Franco Amon which will have a legion of supporters on course.
Scruffy Murphy is going to find it very tough first-up as he has drawn the extreme outside of the front line in what is a quality field.
Glencadam was gallant in a narrow defeat last Friday at the hands of Just Jasper as he attempted his fourth straight win in fast-class company while Franco Amon has enjoyed a great deal of luck at his past couple of starts and should be about the place.
Bobby Hank’s first city class win in WA came after leading throughout and he is again drawn to be in the early battle for the front while the class mare Glitzy Miss has drawn well at her second run from a let-up.
Glitzy Miss enjoyed a great run first up when second to Ruling VC in a small field last Friday night. Ruling VC has drawn awkwardly on the inside of the back line this Friday.
Scruffy Murphy hasn’t started since May 4th when he finished fourth behind Future Assetts, Live To Reign and No Blue Manna.
He was a mere three metres from the winner after coming from the outside of the second row.
Scruffy Murphy was lucky to get to Perth last season as he finished third at Ballarat on August 16th and was sent straight to the stables of Justin Warwick and just beat the August 25th national shutdown following the outbreak of Equine Influenza.
Scruffy Murphy had 25 starts in Perth for seven wins and eight placings on his way to season’s stakes of $143,055.
His biggest wins came in the $50,000 Governors Cup which saw him down No Blue Manna and Our Dream Scene and the $40,000 Easter Cup when he beat Australian Pacing Championship winner Dartmoor and De Galdearno.
Coincidentally the Easter Cup was also sponsored by Peters Ice Cream.
He was controversially disqualified from third place in the Australian Pacing Championship after going inside the marker pegs in the straight as driver Morgan Woodley desperately tried to find a clear run.
His trainer Justin Warwick hasn’t produced Scruffy Murphy in trials which makes it a little harder for punters to get a line on the horse’s fitness level.
Delta coming in January – Innocent Eyes here Friday
Innocent Eyes, named after the debut album of Aussie superstar Delta Goodrem, returns to Gloucester Park on Friday night after an Eastern States campaign.
Innocent Eyes hasn’t raced in Perth since 29th April 2005 when she finished fourth to Sovereign Beejay, Tilly Wins and Lady De Beau in the WA Oaks.
Trained by Bryan Cousins and generally driven by Fred Kersley, Innocent Eyes left Perth with just $35,535 in stakes garnered from 13 starts which included just three wins.
The now 7yo mare returns to Perth with a record of 18 wins in 57 starts and $417,325 in stakes. She is also returning to the stables of her breeder Bryan Cousins after being in the care of Graeme Lang whilst in Victoria.
She proved to be Australia’s best three year old filly in 2005 taking out both the Victoria Oaks and Australian Oaks at Moonee Valley ten weeks after her unplaced run in the WA Oaks.
She was voted Australian 3yo Filly of the Year in 2005 and as a 4yo she blossomed into the nation’s best Aged Mare winning that title in 2006.
As a 4yo Innocent Eyes beat the geldings Emmas Only and Make Me Smile in the $200,000 Chariots Of Fire at Harold Park and then won the $100,000 4yo Vicbred final for mares at Moonee Valley.
With four Group One wins to her name Innocent Eyes is the class runner of Friday night’s RWWA AnniversaryCup although she will find it tough after drawing the outside of the front line.
Her opposition on Friday night includes another standout mare in Amongst Royalty which recently returned from Victoria.
Amongst Royalty has been in terrific form since her return with three very impressive wins at Gloucester Park in her past four starts. She has drawn behind last Friday’s Northam winner Kurt Rustler in barrier 11 and should get a good trail through the field and appeals as the one to beat.
Innocent Eyes hasn’t started since June 13th when she was unplaced in the Victorian Italian Cup and has warmed up for Friday night with a couple of trials at Pinjarra over the past fortnight.
She was third to last Friday night’s impressive winner Dr Dre on September 7th and followed that with a second last Sunday to last season’s Golden Nugget runner-up Captain Jack Sparrow in sub 2:00 time with a final half in sub 58 seconds.
Last Sunday’s trial field was strong as finishing behind the mare were quality horses in Kinneys Gold and Hayton Brain.
Cousins has yearlings from a sister and a half-sister to Innocent Eyes in next February’s WA Yearling Sale and the pair are sure to attract plenty of interest from prospective purchasers.
Spirit Of Shard chasing quartet of WA wins
Former Victorian Spirit Of Shard is unbeaten in three WA starts for trainer Gary Hall.
After a win at a Gloucester Park mid-week meeting Spirit Of Shard has shown a touch of class in impressive wins in city class races on September 5th and 12th.
Spirit Of Shard is engaged in the Minister of Racing and Gaming Discretionary Handicap on Friday night and looks to have an edge in class on his eight rivals.
Front marker Kingsford did plenty of work early last week and battled on well to finish fifth behind Hypothermia and should give plenty of cheek along with fellow front marker Korlim Garry.
Both Kingsford and Korlim Garry have been recent Gloucester Park winners.
All three wins have been in standing start races since his Victorian owner Fred Crews sent the gelding to Hall after a succession of unplaced runs in his home state.
Hall takes particular satisfaction in improving other trainer’s horses and Spirit Of Shard looks set to give him a good deal more satisfaction in the coming months.
Chance for redemption
Franco The Man blotted his copybook at his last start on August 29th when he started a $1.80 favourite and was well beaten by Kingsford.
The son of Badlands Hanover had won his previous two starts at Gloucester Park on August 1st and 15th even after galloping at the start on each occasion.
Based on the strength of his two city wins, Franco The Man deserves another chance in the Peters Twinpole Discretionary Handicap where he takes on last start winner Hypothermia and the luckless Aussie Attack which is well and truly overdue to breakthrough for trainer Chelsea Harding.
Franco The Man is owned by Tony Minniti and in-form trainer Aldo Cortopassi who won last week’s $30,000 Kalgoorlie-Boulder Cup with Total Defiance.
Franco The Man had won two of his previous three starts in New Zealand before being purchased by Minniti and Cortopassi and has won a further nine races since coming to Western Australia.
His dam There’s A Franco was an outstanding racemare in New Zealand winning 13 of her 45 starts and stakes of $217,588. She won the Group One New Zealand Oaks as a 3yo and the Group One NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes as a 5yo.
She is a full-sister to This Time Franco which won 10 of 32 starts for stakes of $249,151 including the Group One DB Fillies Series for 3yo fillies.
Omens for those with a sweet tooth
A couple of runners on Friday night make appeal for omen punters with a love of ice cream.
On a night sponsored by ice-cream manufacturer Peters, the well-named Adda Billabong in the Ross Bowe Conditioned Handicap needs to have an omen or two going for her in light of her recent race form.
Billabong is one of the extensive range of Peters Ice Cream products.
One of Peters Ice Cream smaller competitors is the Bulla Ice Cream company.
Last Friday night’s winner Bulla is up in class on the field he beat last week but he does have a handy draw and ice-cream lovers would be well advised to included the gelding in their novelty bets.
Good reason to get to Gloucester Park early
Fans who get to Gloucester Park early can bet on the eighth race from Christchurch in New Zealand and watch the race on Sky Channel.
Like Perth at this time of the year the stars of the spring carnival are beginning to resume in New Zealand with rich feature races in the sights of their trainers.
The eighth race from Addington on Friday features six very promising horses resuming including 4yo Ohoka Arizona which has won six of 11 starts to date and some $250,000 in stakes.
Ohoka Arizona is a stablemate of superstar Auckland Reactor and has been impressing at trials in New Zealand.
