Star reinsman Gary Hall jun. says that Red Hot Roxy is now far more tractable than she was as a precocious and free-spirited two-year-old last season and is confident she has the ability to overcome an awkward barrier at No. 7 and win the $25,000 Clipsal and Schneider Electric WA Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Every time she saw the gate as a two-year-old all she wanted to do was whizz out,” Hall said. “But now she is more mature and composed.”
Red Hot Roxy, trained at Byford by Katja Warwick, won at four of her seven starts as a two-year-old and she made a splendid start to her three-year-old season with a commanding win over Salacious Gossip and Milliondollarhanova over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
That was her first appearance since she began from the back line and raced three wide early and then in the breeze before getting to the front 500m from home and finishing a head second to Doalittlerocknroll in the group 1 Westbred Fillies Classic early last July.
“Her latest run was super,” Hall said. “The leader (Milliondallarhanova) fired up, so I didn’t want to go up because Red Hot Roxy can fire up, too.”
Hall was quite content to let Red Hot Roxy race without cover, but back in fourth position, some three lengths off the leader. Red Hot Roxy cruised to the front 90m from the line and won by more than two lengths, with a final quarter in 27.9sec.
“That run was really good for a lot of reasons --- one was that she settled really well in the breeze and, two, she had push button speed when I wanted it,” Hall said. “She’ll be improved by that run and, hopefully, the way she went is an indication that we’ll get a good campaign out of her.
“She is really fast, point to point, and moving forward, hopefully, that’s her main weapon.”
Twelve months ago, Red Hot Roxy started from the outside (No. 9) in the group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies. Hall fired her out of the gate, and after racing four wide in the early stages, she burst to the front, set a brisk pace and won by almost two lengths from Beach Goddess.
“All she had ever been taught, really, was to run the gate and she had so much gate speed that we just rolled the dice. Now she settles much better and does not have to be driven exclusively as a frontrunner,” Hall said.
“On Friday night I’ll go forward at the start, just steady, and hold out the runners on our outside. I’ll then possibly slide forward (in a bid for the lead). But I don’t really have to and I could slot in. I reckon she goes better when she’s sat up.”
Red Hot Roxy, by American stallion Somebeachsomewhere, is out of unraced mare Gabrielle Rocks, whose dam At Melrose Place (by Sokys Atom) produced prolific winners Fletcher Christian, Forty Two Grand and Grinjaro, who, between them, won 43 races. Hall won eight races with Fletcher Christian, three with Forty Two Grand and ten with Grinjaro.
Red Hot Roxy was sold for $24,000 at the 2015 Gloucester Standardbred yearling sale and a win on Friday night would boost her earnings to $112,050.
Beach Goddess, a $23,000 yearling who finished second to Red Hot Roxy in the Sales Classic for two-year-olds in April of last year, has drawn out wide at barrier eight in Friday night’s event in which she will be handled by Colin Brown.
Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed declared that Beach Goddess would “go good.” She notched her fifth win two starts ago when she led from the No. 1 barrier and beat geldings Allmightyjeolouis and Whoswhointhezoo, with a final 800m in 56sec.
“I trialled her at Byford on Sunday and she led for the first lap, but got a flat tyre and had to be pulled up,” Reed said. “She’s definitely a stronger filly than she was 12 months ago and she’s got a chance of beating Red Hot Roxy.”
Betshes Precious, trained at Boyanup by Justin Prentice, has won four races and should be prominent from the No. 1 barrier. A severe check in the final lap cost her victory in a race at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. She did well to recover and finish fourth behind Dontch Remember.
