Im Victorious defeats Gracias Para Nada in the Western Gateway last Friday night Photo by Bill Crabb
Rising star Im Victorious is set to start favourite in Friday night’s $200,000 Group One Sky Racing Derby at Gloucester Park after drawing the coveted inside barrier for the Blue Ribband Classic.
Trained by Michael Brennan, Im Victorious won last week’s traditional Derby lead-up, the Western Gateway and is sure to start the punter’s elect after securing barrier one.
While he is certainly not pre-empting a victory in the rich WA classic, Brennan is full of confidence that Im Victorious will notch his seventh win from eight starts.
“It’s great drawing the inside,” Brennan said. “We have seen him in front a fair bit in his races, but that’s because he’s made his own luck. He is a very adaptable sort of horse who can also finish powerfully if he doesn’t lead.”
The 36-year-old Brennan, a gold medallist as a member of the Australian men’s hockey team in Athens in 2004, branched out on his own as a trainer less than two months ago after working as the stable foreman for leading trainer Gary Hall sen. for several years and Im Victorious could give Brennan the perfect start to his solo career.
“He’s an easy horse to train, he’s very relaxed and he’s just got better and better,” Brennan said.
The WA Derby is the only major feature event in WA that has eluded Hall and he holds high hopes of breaking the drought by winning the classic on Friday night with the richly-talented Gracias Para Nada, the only pacer who has beaten Im Victorious.
Im Victorious led early and then sat behind Gracias Para Nada over the final 1350m of the 2100m Caduceus Club Classic at Gloucester Park on March 2. Im Victorious ran home fast to finish second, 2m behind Gracias Para Nada.
Gracias Para Nada, to be driven by the 62-year-old Hall’s 29-year-old son Gary, will start from the No. 3 barrier on the back line and certainly has the ability to win the race. He has impressed greatly with six wins from eight starts as a three-year-old and has a career record of eight wins, three seconds, a third and two fourths from 14 starts.
“It’s rather like a master versus apprentice sort of thing,” Brennan said. “I’ll be stoked if Senior wins and I’m sure he’ll be exactly the same way if Im Victorious wins. Obviously there will be a shade of disappointment for the loser. But I’m sure that if either of us wins we will be happy for the other.”
Hall jun., like his father, is also looking for his first WA Derby success. He drove Im Victorious for his first three wins before concentrating on driving Gracias Para Nada.
Boyanup reinsman Justin Prentice (23) has formed a tremendous relationship with Im Victorious, driving him at his past three starts for impressive victories. He has yet to drive a winner of the WA Derby.
Hall jun. speaks highly of Gracias Para Nada, declaring: “He’s got a very high cruising speed and he’s a bit like Forest Gump; he just wants to run.”
Hall sen. has had little luck in the WA Derby. He trained Ulrich when he finished second to Global Force in the 2004 Derby, Macraider for his second to Argent Treasure in 2008 and Why Live Dangerously when he charged home from the rear to be third behind Crombie and David Hercules two years ago.
Im Victorious and Gracias Para Nada have been the standout three-year-olds in WA this year, but they could be seriously tested by Victorian invaders Soho Valencia and Mr Nickel if they arrive in time for the Group One feature.
There is one more chance for the pair to fly to Perth with a flight arriving around 8am the morning of the race. These circumstances are déjà vu for Mr Nickels trainer, Dean Braun, who was held up and made a last minute flight for the 4YO series in Perth last November and the Lara mentor rates the possibility of gaining access to the flight a "70/30 chance".
Soho Valencia, a colt by Art Major, is trained by Jayne Davies and he has the impressive record of 24 starts for 15 wins and six placings for earnings of $234,559. He is ideally drawn at No. 2 on the front line and will be driven by ace Victorian reinsman Chris Alford.
He is a smart frontrunner and has led at eight of his wins. He is also quite tough and has won five times after working hard in the breeze.
