XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Wide Open

25 November 2009
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Captain Joy - drawn to gain soft trip in Group One 4yo Classic

Captain Joy - drawn to gain soft trip in Group One 4yo Classic

 

Forrestdale trainer Greg Bond has declared all systems go for rising champion Ima Rocket Star, whom he has high hopes of success in the $175,000 XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Championship at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Everything is spot on,” the 48-year-old Bond declared after Colin Brown had driven the crack New Zealand-bred four-year-old in his final hoppled workout before the big race.
Ima Rocket Star was given an easy time in the workout with stablemate and fellow Nugget contender In The Force (Michael George) at Byford on Tuesday morning before he zoomed home over the final 400m in 27.2sec.
“Both horses did exactly what I wanted,” Bond said. “We didn’t want to knock them around. Ima Rocket Star led and In The Force sat on him before finishing strongly. They hit the line almost together, with Ima Rocket Star just in front. The heart rate of each horse was excellent and they both should perform well in the Nugget.”
Bond is hopeful that Ima Rocket Star will give him his first success in the Nugget after his first four runners in the race were unplaced.
Mister Odds On (Brown) started from the outside of the back line and worked very hard without cover as Im Themightyquinn set a fast pace in the 2008 Nugget. Mister Odds On faded to finish ninth behind Schinzig Buller.
In the Nugget in December 2005 Brown drove Richard Henry for Bond when he was severely checked on the first bend and finished tenth behind Gee Whiz Fizz. Bond had two runners in the Nugget in February 2004. Brown drove The Tin Shed (barrier two on the back line) and he overraced badly before finishing eighth behind Te Kanarama. Justin Warwick drove stablemate Money Magnet from barrier three.
Money Magnet led early and then without cover for a while before racing behind Te Kanarama when he took the lead 1250m from home. Money Magnet was a fighting fourth, just 5m from the winner.
Some sceptics have pointed out that Ima Rocket Star, a winner of 11 races from only 18 starts, has not been successful over a distance further than 2200m and will be suspect over the longer and more testing 2536m of this week’s big race.
“The trip holds no fears,” Bond said. “He meets quality opposition and will need to be at his top to win. But the longer journey, if anything, will be more suitable for him.
“He put in super runs in New Zealand as a three-year-old earlier this year. He put in a great run in the New Zealand Derby over 2600m at Addington when he faced the breeze and finished sixth, less than two lengths from the winner Sleepy Tripp. Again, he rated under 2min. when he faced the breeze and finished second over 2700m at Invercargill.”
Bond’s hopes were boosted greatly when Ima Rocket Star drew barrier two. “Obviously we’ll go as hard as we can from the outset and will be looking for the front. We’ll be hoping to cross the inside horse Bonavista Bay.
But if Colin can’t get to the early lead, barrier two will give him plenty of options. We’d like to lead, but if we can’t, it’s not the end of the world; he’s pretty versatile. I’ve got a great deal of respect for every horse in the race. I know that Stunin Cullen has exceptional gate speed.”
Stunin Cullen, a brilliant New Zealander trained by Tim Butt, has drawn ideally at No. 3 and Anthony Butt is expected to make a bold bid to burst to an early lead. A winner of $835,039 in stakes, Stunin Cullen caught the eye at his Australian debut in the $50,000 Ross North Homes Four-Year-Old Championship last Friday night when he started from No. 8 and finished boldly, out wide, from 12th at the bell to be fifth behind Ima Rocket Star.
Star Victorian pacer Bonavista Bay, a winner of 13 races from 18 starts, is not a noted frontrunner. But he has led in two of his wins and reinsman Chris Alford is sure to make a bold bid to hold out the early challengers.
Bonavista Bay, an outstanding winner at Gloucester Park last Friday week before disappointing last Friday night when he raced without cover before wilting to sixth behind Ima Rocket Star, has overcome the dehydration which affected him last Friday. He also will race with pads under his shoes as a safety precaution.  
Michael Doltoff, caretaker trainer of the brilliant Captain Joy (18 wins from 24 starts), declared that the little gelding would be improved considerably after his excellent first-up fast-finishing second to Ima Rocket Star last Friday night.
“He didn’t handle the bends all that well,” he said. “We will be adding a Murphy blind this week and I’m sure that will straighten him up and enable him to race more seriously. A lot of people think that his six group one wins were a fluke. They weren’t.
“Last week’s run has topped him off nicely. He’s been set for this race and Gavin (Lang) will have plenty of options, starting from two out on the back line. He’s a perfect racehorse.”
HAS THE ANSWERS GETS THE CHANCE TO MAKE AMENDS
Powerful pacer Has The Answers, a flop when a distant last at odds-on in the Bunbury Cup last Saturday night, has been forgiven for his sins and gets a chance to make amends by winning the Barefoot Radler Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Has The Answers was leading with about 1400m to travel in the Bunbury Cup when he broke into an uncontrollable gallop and lost almost 300m. Eventually, he returned to a pacing gait and finished last, 162m from the winner Aliveandwell.
 
The stewards banned him from racing for six days and ordered him to perform satisfactorily in a trial before being allowed to resume racing.
He has been given a remission of one day and will be allowed to compete at Gloucester Park on Friday night. He will start from the outside of the front line and will again be driven by Morgan Woodley.
Has The Answers will certainly not have things all his own way. He will clash with exciting Christian Cullen five-year-old The Cavalier and other quality pacers including Indian Giver, Bakerandthefatman and Spiritwithin.
Has The Answers fulfilled the first part of his penalty when trainer Tony Svilicich took him to Byford last Sunday morning and he paced faultlessly in a trial over 2150m. Driven by Colin Brown, Has The Answers settled down fifth and last, six lengths from the leader Star of Memories.
He moved forward to be third at the bell and burst to the front with 400m to travel and went on to win by five lengths from Atomic Seelster, rating 2.0.2 after sprinting the final 400m in 28.7sec.
Has The Answers was in sparkling form before his Bunbury Cup failure. He began badly from 50m and put up a remarkable performance to finish a nose second to Arma Harris over 2100m two starts ago after setting the pace and winning from Our Malabar over 2536m at Gloucester Park.
 
Outstanding New Zealand performer The Cavalier made a wonderful WA debut for trainer Ron Huston and driver Shannon Suvaljko when he burst to an early lead, set the pace and sprinted the final 400m in 27.6sec. to win easily over 1670m at a 1.56.8 rate last Tuesday week. He will start from barrier two and Suvaljko will be hellbent on setting a cracking pace.
Outstanding five-year-old Total Defiance is injured and will miss the rich feature events over the summer carnival.
The New Zealand-bred gelding, who has earned $202,920 from his 21 victories from only 42 starts, has a hairline fracture in the pastern of his nearside foreleg.
Part-owner and trainer-driver Aldo Cortopassi said that he felt something was amiss after Total Defiance had hung quite badly and finished second to Schinzig Buller in the Narrogin Cup three Tuesdays ago.
“I had him X-rayed and that examination revealed the hairline fracture,” a disappointed Cortopassi said. “He will be in his box for eight weeks and then if another X-ray shows that the injury has healed he will be able to resume work. It is only a slight crack and he should be okay.”
Total Defiance follows last season’s WA Pacing Cup winner Mysta Magical Mach, promising stayer Real Life and brilliant four-year-old Jumbo Operator, who are injured and will miss rich feature events over the summer.
Can Return Fire, a winner at 12 of his 25 starts, has recovered from a leg injury and is back in solid work for owner-trainer Alan Bell.
COSTELLO’S PATIENCE IS REWARDED
Pinjarra trainer Phil Costello has been despairing and has almost given up hope of Stature Quo winning a race over the past two and a half years.
But he has persisted with the mare he bred and part-owns, purely because of the brilliance shown by her half-brothers Henry Te Whitby and Commander Whitby.
Finally his patience was rewarded when five-year-old Stature Quo broke through for her first win, scoring in good style over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday afternoon.
“She’s been headstrong and silly,” Costello said after Morgan Woodley had driven the mare to victory over Governor Arnie and Hi Net Worth.
From barrier one, Stature Quo led for the first 150m before being shuffled back to three back on the pegs. Woodley was able to ease off the pegs approaching the home turn, where the mare went four wide before finishing solidly.
Stature Quo, having her first start since finishing a fading 66m 11th in a race at Harvey in the first week of June, had managed only one placing from 21 starts before her initial success, and that was an inconspicuous 28m third at Harvey last December.
Henry Te Whitby was an outstanding juvenile, winning the $50,000 Two-Year-Old Classic for colts and geldings and the $85,000 Pearl Classic at Gloucester Park in February 1998. He was retired after having 29 starts for nine wins, six placings and $128,415 in stakes.
Commander Whitby, who is attempting a comeback after an absence of two and a half years, has earned $57,375 from 12 wins and seven placings from 29 starts

 

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