Black Jack Baby a bargain overlooked
Shrewd judges and keen disciples of breeding missed a wonderful opportunity to snare a bargain when they overlooked the very first lot offered at the 2019 APG yearling sale in Perth.
The filly, by the highly promising Art Major stallion Follow The Stars and out of the New Zealand-bred mare What A Card, failed to reach the reserve price of $12,000 and was passed in after the bidding fizzled out at $9000.
The filly, bred by Shane Quadrio, is Black Jack Baby, who strolled to an all-the-way victory in the $80,000 group 1 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
That was Black Jack Baby’s seventh win from eight starts and boosted her prizemoney to $100,511, as well as earning several thousand more dollars in Westbred bonuses.
“I’m ecstatic that the bidding didn’t reach $12,000,” said a relieved Quadrio, who trains Black Jack Baby at his Henley Brook property. “We look back at it now and say ‘Oh, thank our lucky stars that nobody showed much interest in her.’”
Quadrio now is looking seriously at pitting Black Jack Baby against the State’s best colts and geldings in the rich Golden Slipper on Friday week. He also has the option of starting his brilliant filly in the $30,000 Gold Bracelet for fillies next Friday night and then determining whether to run her in the Slipper the following Friday.
Quadrio purchased the McArdle mare What A Card after she had won six races in New Zealand on the recommendation of his son Dylan. What impressed Dylan Quadrio was the fact that What A Card was a half-sister to speedy and talented pacers Scruncher, Big Three and Dundee Three, who between them had won 72 races.
“What A Card had a lot of high speed,” said Shane Quadrio. “But, unfortunately, after a couple of runs we noticed that she had bad joints and we had to keep treating her. Then we decided to breed from her, and that was the main reason why we got her.”
For the record, What A Card had 57 starts in Western Australia for one win (in a C2-C6 2190m event at Northam in April 2015) and six placings for a career record of 89 starts for seven wins, 11 placings and $42,074 in stakes.
Pinjarra horseman David Young broke in and educated Black Jack Baby and prepared her for her first five starts for four wins and a second (a half-length behind Rumour Has It in the $25,000 Western Crown at Gloucester Park in March this year. Quadrio has trained the filly for her past three starts.
Black Jack Baby was a hot $1.10 favourite on Friday night and the result was never in doubt after Chris Voak sent her straight to the lead from the No. 2 barrier after the mobile barrier sent the field of 12 on its way.
The race began in a heavy downpour and the lead time was a very slow 39.2sec. which was followed by extremely leisurely opening 400m sections of two 32.3sec. quarters before a third quarter of 29.5sec. and a sizzling last section of 26.7sec., with Black Jack baby rating a modest 2.0.8 over the 2130m.
Voak described the commanding performance as having had an armchair drive, with Black Jack Baby winning by one and a half lengths from the polemarker and $9 chance Just For Love, who fought on doggedly after racing behind the pacemaker throughout. Minor Catastrophe ($34), who raced three back on the pegs in fifth position, was a distant third, just ahead of Star For Me, who fought on from eighth at the bell.
Give Us A Wave is Slipper bound
Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond strengthened their grip on the rich Golden Slipper classic next Friday week when Give Us A Wave scored a decisive victory in the $80,000 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Leading reinsman Ryan Warwick emulated the performance of his father Colin, who won this feature event with Whistling Eagle in 1994, by driving Give Us A Wave, the $2.20 favourite, to an impressive all-the-way victory at a 1.57.1 rate over 2130m on a rain-affected track.
The Bond stable holds a powerful hand in the Golden Slipper in which their main hope looks likely to be the brilliant New Zealand-bred colt Jett Star, who scored his fourth easy win from four starts when he finished powerfully to win the $100,000 Pearl Classic on June 12 from the pacemaker and hot favourite Lavra Joe.
Warwick said that the was anticipating a strong challenge in Friday night’s event to be issued by Lavra Joe, who began from the No. 2 barrier, with Give Us A Wave drawn perfectly at barrier one.
Lavra Joe, as expected, raced in the breeze, and Warwick said he was relieved when a tyre of Lavra Joe’s sulky was punctured. “About 1200m from home it sounded as though Lavra Joe got a flat tyre. So, that was a good thing for us.
“The barrier draws mean a lot because there’s such a good crop of two-year-olds. They can all run good times which makes it harder for horses back in the pack. Obviously, we were lucky to draw one. Give Us A Wave did what about half the field would have done from the same barrier.
“Give Us A Wave got a little bit keen off the arm, but he came back to me after about 200 to 300 metres. It would have been nice to have gone a little bit slower, but I didn’t want Lavra Joe boring it in, and I wasn’t inviting him to come. So, it was a case of finding the (happy) medium.
“Give Us A Wave is a very good doer and runs don’t seem to bother him. There’s not a lot between him and Jett Star, who was really good in winning the Pearl, and he probably does have a little edge on Give Us A Wave. But it’s not big enough to suggest that if one drew barrier one and the other drew nine, I could drive the one with the better draw.”
Lavra Joe, equal second fancy at $5 with Carabao, was affected by the flat tyre and wilted to finish ninth. Carabao trailed Give Us A Wave throughout and moved to second with 100m to travel before fading to fifth.
Mighty Ronaldo ($7) enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing fast to be second, with Machnificent ($20) coming from sixth at the bell to be third.
Give Us A Wave, by Mach Three, is the eleventh foal out of the unraced Safely Kept mare Royal Tour (hence the colt’s name) and he was purchased for $60,000 at the 2019 APG yearling sale in Perth by Team Bond, Rob Gartrell’s Running Camel syndicate and Andrew Foster. He now has raced seven times for two wins and three placings for stakes of $64,883.
Give Us A Wave is a half-brother to seven winners, including Truckers Ruffnut (53 starts for 20 wins, 14 placings and $249,770) and Tuxedo Tour (70 starts for 15 wins, 21 placings and $194,596.
Victoria Cup plan for Chicago Bull
Champion pacer Chicago Bull notched his 48TH victory in a glittering career when he surged home from last in the field of six at the bell to beat the fast-finishing Ocean Ridge and Motu Premier in the $20,000 Direct Trades Supply Past Presidents Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night and trainer Gary Hall snr said he was toying with the idea of setting the seven-year-old for the $300,000 Victoria Cup at Melton in October.
“I’ll just potter around with him in the winter and I might go for the Victoria Cup if he keeps getting better,” said Hall.
“I haven’t made up my mind yet; it’s just a flight there and back. He’s worth a chance and I haven’t ruled out a trip to Melbourne with him. If he keeps getting better, which I think he will, it’s an option before he contests the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup in November and December.”
Chicago Bull competed in the Victoria Cup in October 2018 when he raced three wide in the middle stages and then in the breeze before finishing second to Tiger Tara.
He now has had 75 starts for 48 wins, 21 placings and stakes of $1,816,598. Gary Hall jnr drove the nuggety little gelding with great confidence, not bustling him from barrier five and allowing him to settle down at the rear in the one-wide line as the polemarker Motu Premier resisted an early challenge from Ocean Ridge and set a solid pace.
Our Jimmy Johnstone raced in the breeze, with Golden State following the pacemaker and Ocean Ridge enjoying the one-out, one-back trail. Hall sent Chicago Bull (favourite at $1.60) forward with a three-wide burst with about 700m to travel. He sustained his three-wide effort before taking the lead 100m from the post and he beat Ocean Ridge ($5) by 2m, with Motu Premier an excellent third at his first appearance for six months.
This completed a double for Hall jnr, who had been successful earlier in the night with While They Pray.
Birthday presents for Voak
Chris Voak, an adventurous, aggressive and skilful reinsman, enjoyed an early 32ND birthday present when he gave a typical bold exhibition in the sulky to land former Victorian performer Stroke of Luck an impressive winner of the Mondo Smallgoods Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
An hour later he completed a double when Black Jack Baby was successful in the group 1 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies, and he kept up the good work on his birthday on Saturday by driving Burghley Shard to an easy victory in a two-year-old event at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park.
Stroke of Luck, a recent addition to trainer Ross Olivieri’s Oakford stable, was favourite at $1.70 from the inside of the back line and Voak eased the Major In Art seven-year-old off the pegs after 100m as the gelding settled down in ninth position. Voak then sent him forward, three wide after 400m and the gelding burst to the front 250m later.
Stroke of Luck set a strong pace and dashed over the final quarters in 27.7sec. and 28.2sec. to beat Parisian Partygirl by just over a length at a 1.55.7 rate over 2130m. Our Rhythm N Blues, who came from the rear to raced without cover over the final 1100m, fought on solidly to finish third.
“It was a very good run by Stroke of Luck,” said Voak. “He did what I thought he would do, and I drove him like the best horse, and he went like the best horse. I don’t know how much improvement is there because he was in pretty good order when he came across from Victoria. He has excellent sit and sprint capabilities and will get to Free-For-All ranks.”
While They Pray needs loving
Four-year-old Alta Christiano gelding While They Pray, stylish winner of the 2130m Villi’s Family Bakery Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, is a work in progress.
“But he is winning while that progress is happening,” said Pinjarra trainer Michael George after Gary Hall jnr had guided While They Pray ($4.80) to an all-the-way victory over Mister Bushido and Just Rockon Bye at a 1.55.8 rate.
George was given the task of training While They Pray when the gelding was an unraced three-year-old early last year, with George explaining that champion trainer Gary Hall snr considered that the pacer with so much natural ability wasn’t suited to his training system.
“His system was probably too much hustle and bustle for a horse who needed plenty of love and care and one-on-one attention,” George said. “I was fortunate to get the horse. He’s the best horse I’ve had and probably the best I’ll ever have. I am forever thankful to Senior and the owners of this horse for the opportunity I have with him. He’s like my third child.
“I do all sorts of things with him, trying to keep him comfortable and happy. I bring a companion horse with him to the track when he races and tonight it was Tubbs Farquhar. I also take a horse with him in the barn before he goes out for a hoppled run.
“He’s got a good competitive nature and loves racing. But he has had a lot of issues with his manners. He’s been a headache; he’s just got no brakes; he gets keen scoring up and is pretty difficult to control. But he’s got a good motor and can run time.
“Last week when he overraced in the breeze and finished fifth behind Bletchley Park he raced with a Murphy blind --- and it fired him up too much. This week I put a HIDZ hood on him and he raced more kindly.”
While They Pray is the second foal out of the Bettors Delight mare Slick Bird, who was prepared by Hall snr for her 34 starts which produced ten wins, nine placings and $89,999 in stakes. She finished third behind Artemis Belle in the WA Oaks in May 2011.
Her first foal Slick Artist was also trained by Hall for her 18 starts in WA for six wins (including the Daintys Daughter Classic in February 2018) and six placings. Slick Artist then continued her career in America and now has a record of 58 starts for 11 wins, 22 placings and $175,670.
Inwood’s bargain buy
Hopeland trainer Giles Inwood made a wise decision just over five weeks ago to outlay $4000 to purchase veteran pacer Bettor Party, who ended a losing sequence of 21 when he set the pace and beat Robbie Easton and Destined To Rule in the 2536m Worldwide Printing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was Bettor Party’s fifth start for Inwood and followed a third, two fourths and a fifth placing to return his new owner $13,227 in prizemoney.
Ten-year-old Bettor Party, favourite at $2 (and $1.80 on the fixed market), was driven for the first time by Aiden de Campo, the 26TH person to have handled the old gelding, who now has raced 202 times for 39 wins, 53 placings and $328,600 in stakes.
“I approached Eric Chabros recently and asked if I could lease Bettor Party,” said Inwood. “About two weeks later he rang me and asked if I wanted to buy the horse, and I did.
“Eric gave me Bettor Party in super condition and his legs are perfect for an old horse. I thought that a change might suit him. I looked at his record and saw that everyone who has had him had done well. He has been a consistent performer and he won a couple of Cups and won the Horse of the Year award in South Australia in two years straight.”
Inwood, who celebrated his birthday two days after Friday’s win, is the fifth trainer to have prepared Bettor Party, who was purchased for $20,000 as a yearling by leviathan owner Rob Gartrell.
Inwood, who has a team of eight at his stable, works Bettor Party on the heavy sand, jogging on the side of a quadbike, as well as having a hoppled run on Tuesday mornings. He also has enjoyed good success with Gangbuster, a seven-year-old gelding who was given to him as a gift by Kristian Hawkins in May 2019. Since then Gangbuster has had 41 starts for Inwood for four wins, seven placings and $44,915 in stakes.
Lightning Jolt strikes again
Seven-year-old Lightning Jolt, who broke down badly with a tendon injury four years ago and was out of action for 16 months, is racing in fine form for Byford trainer John Oldroyd.
“He was one of the best young pacers in the State before he damaged a tendon in his off foreleg,” Oldroyd said. “Debra Lewis treated his leg and did an enormous job with his rehabilitation, and I haven’t had a problem with him since.”
Lightning Jolt, a big, powerfully-built gelding, continues to be a fine performer for his owners Kirk Kawana and his wife Charlene, Nick Rutledge, Nick Hathaway and the trainer’s son Brad and his victory in the 2130m Choices Flooring Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night improved his record to 80 starts for 13 wins, 26 placings and stakes of $150,810.
A $4.60 chance ($5.50 on the fixed market), Lightning Jolt began from the No. 4 barrier and Ryan Warwick quickly positioned him in the perfect one-out, one-back trail, with Heza Head Honcho setting the pace, with Naval Aviator in the breeze and Euphoric Moment behind the leader.
Lightning Jolt dashed to the front on the home turn and fought on determinedly to defeat A Boy Named Rosie, who finished strongly, out wide, from eighth at the bell. The final quarters were run in 28.7sec. and 28.6sec. and the winner rated 1.58.2.
Lightning Jolt is the second of two foals out of unraced mare Sandys Success, whose first foal Mynameskenny (a full-brother to Lightning Jolt) was trained by Oldroyd and was a brilliant performer, earning $199,195 from 21 wins and six placings from 43 starts before breaking down with tendon damage as a five-year-old.
The Black Cardinal’s on-off career
Ten-year-old The Black Cardinal had two unplaced runs as a two-year-old in June 2012 and then had a three-year break from racing. He reappeared in June 2015 and had 23 starts in the following 12 months for two wins at Pinjarra.
But then he was not seen in action for another three and a half years before Jandakot trainer Tommy Sheehy gained the lease of the gelding who now has had 27 starts for Sheehy for five wins and five placings.
The Black Cardinal got punters away to a flying start at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he was the $2.60 favourite for the opening event, the TABtouch Pace, and was driven to a convincing all-the-way win by Ryan Warwick, who went on to notch a treble after scoring with Lightning Jolt and Give Us A Wave and then travelled to Bunbury on Saturday where he guided Poisedtopounce to an effortless victory in the Errol Ashcroft Pace .
After a modest early tempo, The Black Cardinal dashed over the final quarters in 28.4sec. and 28.1sec. to win by just under a length from Alta Rhett ($4.60), who trailed him throughout. Walsh ($16) charged home from eleventh at the bell to be an eye-catching third. The unlucky runner was Pierre Whitby ($4.20), who enjoyed a perfect sit, one-out and one-back, but was hopelessly blocked for a run in the final circuit and finished seventh.
Bad Round ends losing run of 56
Wanneroo trainer Debbie Padberg and her husband John have never lost faith in Bad Round, and the seven-year-old repaid them for their patience when he unleashed a powerful late burst to snatch a head victory over Madame Meilland in the 2130m Catalano Truck And Equipment Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Bad Round, a $4.70 chance from the inside of the back line, was driven expertly by Jocelyn Young, who had the gelding pacing smoothly three back on the pegs in sixth position before she angled him off the inside with 850m to travel, with the $3.10 favourite Millwood Gucci bowling along in front.
Bad Round sustained a spirited burst, out wide, to get up and beat Madame Meilland and Millwood Gucci to end a losing sequence of 56, stretching back to December 2018.
The Padberg’s paid $20,000 for Bad Round as a three-year-old after he had been unplaced at two runs in New Zealand and had won at four of his nine starts in New South Wales. He has had 157 starts for the Padbergs for 11 wins, 30 placings and stakes of $158,618.
“I was offered him by NSW trainer Blake Fitzpatrick, and he is the first one of about seven pacers I have bought off him,” said Mrs Padberg. “He is a little character and is part of the family now.
“He’s got to have good draws because he is purely a fence horse. If he has a bad draw, we just tuck him away and look after him.”
Bad Round is certainly not a high-profile pacer, but he has one important claim to fame. His maternal granddam Love To Live produced champion performer Terror To Love, who earned $2,429,978 from 31 wins and 23 placings from 76 starts. His major victory was in the 3200m New Zealand Cup at Addington in November 2011 when he defeated Smoken Up and Highview Tommy.
Jocelyn Young continued in winning form when she scored a narrow victory with $1.90 fancy Pamy June over the pacemaker Madame of Mischief at Bunbury on Saturday night.
Flying start is the key
A brilliant burst of speed which enabled Tiffany Rose to burst straight to the front from the No. 5 barrier paved the way for the three-year-old filly’s win at $6 over older and more experienced mares in the $24,000 Lombardo Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred Tiffany Rose, trained at Henley Brook by Mike Reed for owners Jim and Wilma Giumelli, scorched into the lead and then was able to relax with a comfortable lead time of 38.1sec. and a slow first quarter of 31.9sec.
Shannon Suvaljko then increased the tempo with final quarters of 29.4sec., 27.8sec. and 28.1sec. and Tiffany Rose won by just under a length from the $1.20 favourite Mandy Joan, who fought on grandly after working in the breeze throughout. The winner’s mile rate was 1.57.4.
Radiant Amber ($23) enjoyed the one-out, one-back passage before finishing third, with My Prayer ($34) charging home, four wide, from ninth and last at the bell to be an encouraging fourth.
Tiffany Rose had eight starts as a two-year-old in New Zealand for four seconds, three thirds and one fourth placing and her 15 starts as a three-year-old this season have resulted in eight wins and three thirds.
