Safari - sire of The Arsonist
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred four-year-old The Arsonist is poised to make a successful Australian debut when he starts from the awkward barrier of No. 5 on the front line in the 2100m Princi Butchers Pathway Pace at Bunbury on Friday night.
The chestnut with a distinctive white blaze put the writing on the wall when he contested a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning.
Driven by leading reinsman Gary Hall jun., The Arsonist was restrained to the rear from barrier five in the trial and he raced in eighth position before Hall sent him forward with a smart three-wide burst approaching the bell. The gelding burst to the front 650m from home and after final quarters in 28.7sec. and 28.9sec. he coasted across the line, hard held, to win by four lengths from Millwood Faith at a modest 2.1.3 rate.
He did not race as a two or three-year-old before having four starts in New Zealand this season for two wins, a second and a third.
At his most recent outing, over 2200m at Waikato on January 2, he started out wide at barrier eight, raced three wide early and then dropped back to tenth in a field of 12. He was still tenth approaching the bell before Phil Butcher sent him forward and he quickly moved into the breeze. He got to the front 280m from home and dashed away to win by three lengths from the fast-finishing Elisaveta at a 2.0.5 rate, with the final 40o0m taking 28.7sec.
At his previous start, over 2200m at Waikato on December 18, The Arsonist started from a wide barrier, raced four wide for the first 300m before being restrained to last in the field of ten. He ran on determinedly from ninth at the bell to finish a half-length second to Fleetwood Mach after a final quarter in 28sec.
The Arsonist is prepared at Serpentine by Gary Hall sen. and he is probably the fifth of the progeny of former outstanding Victorian-bred pacer Safari to race in Western Australia. Safari, by Fake Left, amassed $535,445 from his 28 wins and 18 placings from 67 starts in Australia.
The Arsonist is out of the dual-gaited Payson’s Brother mare Sporty Spice, who had 30 starts in New Zealand for one win from 19 starts as a pacer and one win from 11 starts as a trotter. Sporty Spice’s first foal Mingara is a trotter who won at her Australian debut in a 2300m stand at Menangle in June 2014. She has had 34 starts for ten wins and ten placings (six wins in New Zealand and four in New South Wales) from 34 starts.
