“I’m sure he’ll get a lot better,” declared ace reinsman Chris Alford after he had driven Bonavista Bay to a magnificent victory in the XXXX Gold Golden Nugget prelude No. 2 at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The big, powerful New South Wales-bred stallion was mightily impressive at his first appearance out of his home State of Victoria in doing all the work before winning the 2536m event in superb style.
His victory, by almost a length from fast-finishing outsider Son of Fergie, showed that he would take a power of beating in the $175,000 XXXX Gold Golden Nugget championship next Friday week.
If he pulls up well after Friday night’s sterling performance he will contest the $50,000 Four-Year-Old Championship over 2130m next Friday night.
Alford revealed that Bonavista Bay had been affected in the week leading up to Friday night’s event by “a couple of troubles with his feet, which he might have felt just a little bit.”
But these problems certainly did not affect the star four-year-old who firmed from 5/2 on to 5/1 on with bookmakers.
“He’s like driving a well-oiled machine,” Alford said. “He has gears and you think he’s beaten and then he just keeps trucking.”
General Eisenhower, a winner at each of his previous four starts in New Zealand in June and July, was second favourite at 13/4. Driven by Gary Hall jun., General Eisenhower withstood an early challenge from Crown Bromac and held up from barrier one.
Shayne Cramp took off three wide with The Pacing Priest after 600m and he was followed by Bonavista Bay, who accelerated quickly to make a serious challenge for the lead after a lap had been completed.
However, General Eisenhower resisted the challenge, leaving Bonavista Bay in the breeze. Finally, Bonavista Bay gained the upper hand with 350m to travel and shot clear. However, The Pacing Priest (three wide) and Lukcon Lad (four wide) were surging forward at the 300m mark and loomed as serious threats to Bonavista Bay approaching the home turn.
It was then that Bonavista Bay revealed his class by shaking off these challenges and dashing away to record a splendid victory. Son of Fergie came from 11th at the bell to be an eye-catching second, with General Eisenhower holding on to be third, just ahead of his stablemate The Pacing Priest.
In winning for the 13th time from 17 starts, Bonavista Bay rated 1.59.8. He covered the final 800m in 58sec.
Explaining his daring bid to wrest the lead from General Eisenhower with two laps to travel, Alford said: “There was a word around that the leader might hand up. So I had a little look, but it (the lead) wasn’t there for the taking.
“Bonavista Bay then relaxed pretty well. He was a bit fresh and overraced a little bit. It looked like he was struggling around the turn and he was hanging a little bit. But once he straightened up he got his second wind.”
HAS THE ANSWERS EXCITES WOODLEY
WA-bred seven-year-old Has The Answers burst into contention for the $400,000 WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on January 22 when he gave a wonderful frontrunning exhibition to win the Parliamentarians Cup on Friday night.
“The most exciting thing about him is that he’ll go a lot quicker,” said 20-year-old reinsman Morgan Woodley. “I think he’s got a lot of improvement within himself.
“Dartmoor had a go to hold us early, but this bloke showed a lot of early speed, which I’m pretty excited about coming to the big races. It’s a big asset to have.”
The victory by three and a half lengths over Our Malabar showed that Has The Answers would be a worthy Pacing Cup candidate.
Has The Answers will provide 63-year-old Byford trainer Tony Svilicich with an excellent chance of winning the WA Pacing Cup two years in a row. He, Sonya Murrell and Andrew Curran own champion Mysta Magical Mach, whom Woodley drove to victory in last summer’s Pacing Cup.
Mysta Magical Mach has a suspensory ligament problem and will miss the rich summer carnival. But Svilicich and Murrell are confident that Has The Answers will be capable of winning feature events this summer.
Svilicich and Murrell took out a two-year lease on Has The Answers from owner-breeder Les Coulson in September and the gelding left the stables of Gary Hall sen.
Svilicich was impressed with Has The Answers when he had a tough run before winning from Mysta Magical Mach in a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park last February when Mysta Magical Mach started from 50m. Three starts later, Has The Answers finished a fine third to Mysta Magical Mach in a 2536m mobile event at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park.
Has The Answers, favourite at evens after his outstanding and most unlucky second to Real Life a week earlier, began with great gusto from the No. 3 barrier and burst past Dartmoor (No.2) and into the lead after 200m. Aliveandwell (13/4) dashed forward to assume the position in the breeze after 600m.
Has The Answers careered away from his rivals in the closing stages to win in effortless fashion, rating 2.0.3 over 2536m. His final two quarters flashed by in 27.9sec. and 28.4sec.
Our Malabar, handy one-out and one-back all the way, finished boldly to be second, with Alzona sustaining a three-wide run from fifth at the bell to be third, just ahead of a wilting Aliveandwell.
Has The Answers, who has had 96 starts for 23 wins and 31 placings for earnings of $296,872, has been entered for the $250,000 Stallion Station Fremantle Cup over 2902m on December 4.
Mark Reed has driven exciting speedster Hy Royale to victory 12 times, but he made the wrong decision when he chose to drive Argent Treasure in the D’Orsogna Italian Sprint over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The drive on Hy Royale went to Chris Brew, who brought the six-year-old home with a dazzling burst to win by just over a length from Argent Treasure, rating 1.57.9 over 1730m.
Reed chose Argent Treasure after watching the Ross Olivieri-trained grey (driven by Greg Kersley) finish boldly from seventh at the bell to overhaul the pacemaker Hy Royale and finish a length in front of him in second place behind The Cavalier in a 2150m trial at Byford the previous Sunday.
Hy Royale was driven in the trial by former star reinsman Trevor Warwick, who has decided not to drive in races. Hy Royale set a scorching pace before wilting over the final 250m.
On Friday night when the tables were turned, Hy Royal started at 10/1 (and at 22/1 on the tote), with Argent Treasure a well-supported 2/1 favourite.
Here For The Party began speedily from the No. 7 barrier, but was unable to cross to the lead. Spare Me (5/2) was able to hold up from the No. 1 barrier and she led for the first lap.
Argent Treasure, from the back line, settled down one-out and one-back and Reed dashed him forward, three wide, 950m from home and in a daring move surged past Spare Me and into the lead with a lap to travel.
Hy Royale was then tenth and starting a strong three-wide run. He thundered home to gain the ascendancy from Argent Treasure 70m from the post to record his 17th victory from 57 starts and take his earnings to $201,535.
He has proved a wonderful bargain for 57-year-old Ian Barker and his 22-year-old daughter Blair. Barker paid $10,500 for Hy Royale at the 2005 Gloucester Standardbreds yearling sale. The gelding is the tenth foal out of the New Zealand-bred mare Rakamo (a winner of five races in Victoria and one in New South Wales and producer of eight individual winners).
Hy Royale’s victory gave Banjup trainer Katja Schreyvogel her first double. Earlier, she had been successful with evergreen gelding Scram Jet, who was handled expertly by Reed in winning the D’Orsogna Classic WA Claiming Pace.
Scram Jet (13/4) started from the No. 8 barrier and he finished boldly from fifth at the bell to get up and win narrowly from the pacemaker Headhunter (7/4), with Stoke On Trent getting clear late and finishing fast to be third.
This completed a hat-trick of wins for the eight-year-old Scram Jet. “The wide draw was tricky,” said Reed. “All he needed was as little bit of luck, and in the end he made his own luck and proved too good. We only really said ‘go’ on the corner. Katja has really turned him around and he’s grown a leg over the past month.”
OHOKA REBEL A FREMANTLE CUP HOPE
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old Ohoka Rebel emerged as a Fremantle Cup hope when he gave a powerful performance to win the D’Orsogna Champagne Ham Pace over 2902m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven by Gary Hall jun., Ohoka Rebel, favourite at 5/4, started from 20m and sustained a spirited three and four-wide run over the final 1250m before grinding his way to the front 25m from the post and winning from Columbus Cullen and the pacemaker Palomine.
Ohoka Rebel, a winner of 14 races from 27 starts, is one of eight horses nominated by leading trainer Gary Hall sen. for the 2902m $250,000 Stallion Station Fremantle Cup on December 4. The others are Alzona, Bakerandthefatman, Dartmoor, Im Themightyquinn, Indian Giver, Real Life and Smooth Shift.
Ohoka Rebel’s victory gave Hall jun. the middle leg of a treble. He also was successful with Hussy Hoffa (trained by his father) and Our Slick Whitby (trained by Murray Hansen).
Hussy Hoffa (7/4 to 5/4) won for the eighth time from only 20 starts when he set the pace and won the D’Orsogna Alfresco Pace over 1730m by 8m from Greyhawk.
“He has been a bit lack lustre out of the gates at his previous couple of starts and this has been a concern,” Hall jun. said. “So I stirred him up in the warm-up and he got away well.”
Our Slick Whitby (5/1) ended a losing sequence of 14 (stretching back to April 2008) when he dashed to the front after 450m, set a solid pace and won easily from 7/4 favourite Hurricane Anvil, who was forced to cover a lot of extra ground over the final 1150m.
Hansen and owner Donald Knowles obviously were happy when Our Slick Whitby, under new national regulations, dropped back from being assessed an M2-class pacer to be classified an M1-class pacer --- because he had a losing sequence in excess of ten.
BIG THINGS PREDICTED FOR LITTLE BIG SISTER
Outstanding reinsman Colin Brown lavished praise on Little Big Sister after her stylish victory over Elysees Crest in the D’Orsogna Continental Meats Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and predicted a bright future for the Christian Cullen five-year-old.
“She’s got undeniable ability and I think she could be an exceptional mare,” Brown said. “She’s not quite right just yet and was on the right rein tonight.”
Little Big Sister, trained by Greg Bond, has impressed since arriving from New Zealand and her five Australian starts have produced two wins and three second placings.
Little Big Sister, second favourite at 11/4, started from the back line and settled down in ninth position, some dozen lengths from the early leader Magiclittlepartner.
But when the early fast pace slackened after a lap Brown seized the moment and sent Little Big Sister forward to move alongside the leader.
Little Big Sister burst to the front in the final lap and won easily from the 5/2 favourite Elysees Crest, who came from eighth (three wide) at the bell to be a sound second. Sunsets West maintained her sound form by running home nicely to be third.
DAVISONS DESTINY RELISHES A LET-UP
The controversial new national legislation to give pacers the immense luxury of being granted a let-up after a sequence of ten unsuccessful efforts is proving a tremendous boon for some owners and trainers.
The latest pacer to take advantage of a let-up is nine-year-old Davisons Destiny, who was heavily supported from 3/1 to 5/4 favouritism and gave his backers no cause for concern by strolling to an all-the-way victory over the consistent Winter Retreat and 9/4 second favourite Zoomin Holme in the D’Orsogna Proscuitto Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Davisons Destiny, trained at Oakford by Ross Olivieri and driven with supreme confidence by 19-year-old Kyle Harper, set a steady pace and careered away to score by 8m.
Davisons Destiny came to WA late last year with an imposing Victorian record of 78 starts for 13 wins, 20 placings and stakes of $61,924 and he was an immediate success for Olivieri, earning an additional $68,412 from his first six WA starts which produced five wins and a second.
His victories included a dazzling win in the Nights of Thunder late last January when he rated 1.56.7 and left horses of the quality of Mysta Magical Mach, Indian Giver, Pablito, Mister Odds On and Talk To Me Courage floundering in his wake.
Then followed ten unsuccessful efforts, including splendid seconds to star performers Im Themightyquinn and Has The Answers.
His three previous runs before Friday night, when he his assessment of M3 was downgraded to M2, were unplaced runs from back marks in stands.
Some harness racing aficionados consider that giving well-performed horses a let-up after ten unsuccessful efforts is akin to giving a footballer a free-kick in the goalsquare after he had been off line and scored points or kicked the ball out of bounds on the full at his previous ten shots at goal.
A reward for mediocrity, they claim.
THREE WINNERS FOR de CAMPO
Ten of the 12 runners in the D’Orsogna Ham Royale Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night were bred in New Zealand and it was certainly no surprise that four of them filled the first four placings.
The all-the-way victory by Pin Up Lavros (backed from 7/1 to 11/2) gave Capel trainer Andrew de Campo one leg of a treble, with his other winners Christian Vance and Gone To Carlton scoring at the Bunbury meeting at Donaldson Park.
Pin Up Lavros did not race in New Zealand and he has shown excellent potential in winning at six of his first 11 starts, all in stands.
Chris Lewis fired Pin Up Lavros straight to the front from barrier two and the five-year-old was unextended in winning from Puhinui Rainbow and Power In Disguise.
Former Victorian performer Waikawa Bay was a 10/9 on favourite from the No. 1 barrier at his WA debut. But he ruined his chances by galloping at the start, and after racing without cover he faded to finish sixth.
De Campo’s 17-year-old son Aiden notched his first double by driving Christian Vance and Gone To Carlton to victory in Bunbury.
Another promising young driver in Dylan Quadrio also landed a double at Bunbury. The 21-year-old scored with Days of Grace and Just Killing Time, two of five New Zealand-bred pacers to be successful; on the eight-event program.
