LEWIS DECLARES HAS THE ANSWERS IS A FREAK

It’s official. Iron pacer Has The Answers is an equine freak. That’s the verdict of champion reinsman Chris Lewis after he had driven the eight-year-old to an effortless victory in the Media Guild Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“He’s a bit of a freak, the way he can just keep going around and performing at this level,” Lewis said after Has The Answers had burst to the front 100m after the start and then set a moderate pace before sprinting the final 800m in 55.9sec. to win the 2130m event by 5m from Gary Bromac at a 1.57.2 rate.

Has The Answers was having his 49th start in the space of 50 weeks since he entered the Byford training establishment of Tony Svilicich. Those 49 starts have produced 26 wins and 14 placings for earnings of $479,897 to take his career record to 139 starts for 48 wins, 42 placings and stakes of $743,524.

“You get very, very few horses who can do that, and then you can say that you get very few trainers who can turn a horse out and have him perform so well every week,” Lewis said.

“If you look at the horse, he’s in tip-top condition, which is unbelievable after the amount of runs he’s had in succession. So hat’s off to Tony; he’s done a marvellous job with the horse, who is obviously a great horse. He must have a big heart and I’m just fortunate to be driving him.”

The win gave Lewis his fifth win in the Media Guild Cup, after being successful with Village Kid (1987 and 1991), Paly (2002) and No Blue Manna (2007). This equalled the race record held by Fred Kersley, who was successful with Sinn Fein (1983), Abenteuer (1986), Placid Arc (1995), Happy Chip (1996) and Onedin Pick Pocket (2000).

 HUSTON LOOKS TO THE GOLDFIELDS WITH THE HUNTER

New Zealand-bred gelding The Hunter returned to racing after a two-month absence in superb style at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he gave a bold frontrunning performance to score an easy victory in the 1730m WATA Media Guild Tipping Competition Pace.

It was a great training performance by Byford horseman Ron Huston, who is now giving serious consideration to taking The Hunter to the Goldfields to contest the $30,000 Kalgoorlie Boulder Cup on Thursday night.

Huston has high hopes of winning the 2518m Cup with the brilliant Jumbo Operator, but he would also like to be represented by The Hunter and Jay Cee Ess.

The Hunter, favourite at 7/4 on, was driven confidently by Shannon Suvaljko, who shot the seven-year-old straight to the lead from the inside barrier. The Hunter sped over the first 400m section of the final mile in 28.7sec. before he coasted through the next two sections in 31.1sec. and 29.8sec. and then dashed over the final 400m in 28.6sec.

He won by two and a half lengths from Mr Clancy, who put in an excellent performance after racing three wide for most of the journey. Serial Pest, who trailed the leader throughout, fought on into third place.

The Hunter, owned by Michael Maxwell, has graduated to an M2 mark. He now has had 49 starts for 11 wins, 11 placings and stakes of $71,379.

McGintysgoat, second favourite at 7/1, dashed forward from barrier four in a bid for the early lead. But he was trapped three wide for a while and then had to work hard in the breeze before wilting to finish ninth.

 OLIVIERI AND LEWIS DISCOVER FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri and star reinsman Chris Lewis have discovered the formula for success, it appears.

Olivieri-trained runners have drawn the outside barrier (No. 3) and have carried No. 12 in the opening event at the first two Friday night meetings of the 2010-11 season.

And Lewis has done the rest, driving Big Town Drive to victory in race one last Friday week before succeeding with 4/1 chance Lord Roddick in the opening event, The West Australian Pace, at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Each seven-year-old gelding recorded smart times over 1730m, with Big Town Drive rating 1.56.7 and Lord Roddick 1.56.9.

The New Zealand-bred Lord Roddick, who is by Badlands Hanover, began speedily and he sustained a strong three-wide burst from sixth at the bell to hit the front 120m from home and then fight on to win by a head from Falcons Medley (25/1), who covered a lot of extra ground before finishing with great determination. Talk It Up, who trailed the pacemaker IP Game of Chance, finished strongly to be a close third.

Lord Roddick won once from 16 starts in New Zealand and then won first-up in Australia in January 2009 when he scored by a narrow margin at Shepparton. The gelding arrived in Olivieri’s stables a few months ago with a Victorian losing sequence of ten. He has blossomed under Olivieri’s care and his first 13 WA starts have produced four wins and six seconds.

Lord Roddick, owned by Jason Restagno and Frank Violi, of New South Wales, and South Australian Joseph Carbone, now has earned $53,726 from seven wins and 14 placings from 41 starts, is well named. He is out of Lady Capriati.

Jennifer Capriati was an outstanding American tennis player and Andy Roddick has been America’s leading player in recent years. And Olivieri was a top-flight tennis player in his youth.

Lady Captiati’s dam Rapture produced former WA performers Brett Steven and Calling Elvis. Brett Steven won successive races at Gloucester Park and Pinjarra in April 2000 and Calling Elvis raced in WA between 2005 and 2008 for five wins in Geraldton, two in Kalgoorlie, two in Kellerberrin and one at Gloucester Park.

Lord Roddick, who looks set for many more wins, is a half-brother to Lord Federer (named after Swiss champion tennis player Roger Federer). Lord Federer, a winner at five of his 17 starts in New Zealand, has shown promise at his first two starts in WA for trainer-reinsman Aldo Cortopassi, with his best effort an excellent second to Grinjaro at Gloucester Park.

 PAMPER SHINING AFTER A SLOW START

WA-bred mare Pamper, a winner of only three races from her first 64 starts, is beginning to shine for Byford trainer Mario Condipodero, with two wins from her past four starts.

She was a heavily-supported 3/1 favourite for the Veolia Environmental Services Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night. And she gave her supporters few worries after Shannon Suvaljko sent her to the front 450m after the start of the 1730m event.

Pamper relished her pacemaking role and went on to win by a length from Styx By Mee (11/2), who sustained a strong run from the rear. This took her record to 68 starts for five wins, ten placings and $38,313.

Styx By Mee will pay to follow. She started from barrier eight and was restrained to the rear before she moved into sixth place at the bell and almost drew level with Pamper on the home turn.

Pamper, by Parsons Den, is out of Pamela Valentine, whose New Zealand-bred dam Minerva Reef failed to win a race from ten starts but produced nine winners.

Minerva Reed’s progeny included The Maitre Dee (140 starts for 19 wins, 32 placings and stakes of $107,161), Crimson Lake (69 starts for 13 wins, 15 placings and $74,140), Cordon Bloke (183 starts for 14 wins, 33 placings and $56,875) and Tillett, who won the $100,000 Westral Classic for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park in March 1996 when he beat Hail The Judge and Lombo Ilyushin.

 BARNETTS SECRET CAPS A SUCCESSFUL WEEK FOR THE BELLS

Jean Bell, wife of Bunbury trainer Peter Bell, completed her most successful week in harness racing when Barnetts Secret gave an impressive display to win the D’Osogna Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Mrs Bell, who races Barnetts Secret on lease, also is the lessee owner of Full Moon Tonight, who set the pace and won easily over 2130m at Gloucester Park the previous Tuesday night in an event named the D’Orsogna Pace.

Also, coincidentally, both Full Moon Tonight and Barnetts Secret started at 16/1.

Full Moon Tonight is trained by Peter Bell, whose son Ryan trains Barnetts Secret at Capel. Full Moon Tonight was driven by New Zealander Reon Tither and Barnetts Secret was driven by another New Zealander, Matt White.

White, who was driving Barnetts Secret for the first time, urged the five-year-old forward from the No. 5 barrier and he swept to the front 400m after the start before bowling along and winning by just under a length from Bankers Choice, who trailed the leader.

Solomon Maguire (9/4) and Bombora Lombo (2/1) let down their supporters, with Solomon Maguire working hard in the breeze and battling on gamely to finish third. Bombora Lombo, who started a three-wide move from the rear with 1100m to travel and moved into sixth place at the bell, was retired half-way down the back straight.

Bombora Lombo bled from both nostrils and was stood down from racing for three months.

Barnetts Secret was making his first appearance at Gloucester Park since late last December when he set the pace and finished a nose second to Zanardi. He led at his previous start and won over 2130m at Gloucester Park ten nights before that.

The Barnett Hanover five-year-old now has had ten starts at Gloucester Park for three wins and three seconds. His overall record is 32 starts for nine wins, nine placings and stakes of $61,894.

 OLIVIERI AND LEWIS ARE SETTING THE EARLY PACE

Trainer Ross Olivieri and reinsman Chris Lewis have made a strong start to the 2010-11 season, with Olivieri training a double and Lewis driving a treble at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

They completed their multiple successes with Fast Play, who led all the way and held on grimly to win narrowly from Real Life and Ohoka Rebel in the View Media Guild Tips Pace over 2503m.

Olivieri and Lewis combined earlier to win with Lord Roddick and Lewis also was successful with Has The Answers and after the first ten days of the season Olivieri is the leading metropolitan trainer with seven wins from 22 starters and Lewis heads the city reinsmen’s premiership with eight wins.

Olivieri has a three-win lead over Tony Svilicich and Lewis leads by five wins from Shannon Suvaljko and Gary Hall jun.

Fast Play (7/2), one of the two frontmarkers, began with tremendous alacrity from the inside barrier and Lewis rated the five-year-old perfectly. Fast Play covered the final 800m in 57.8sec. and was able to just hold off the strong-finishing Real Life, who was a co-backmarker off 30m.

Ohoka Rebel, off 20m, was the 9/4 favourite. He followed a fast three-wide move by Real Life in the first circuit to move into the breeze with 1400m to travel. He fought on doggedly and he should prove hard to beat at his next outing after two strong performances following a spell.

 KEEP CELEBRATING ENDS RUN OF OUTS

Bokal owner-trainer Tracey Reed had a welcome change of luck when Keep Celebrating returned to form with a vengeance by producing a spirited finish to get up and snatch a last-stride head victory in the 2130m Bio John Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Keep Celebrating, unplaced at his previous 11 starts, started at 16/1 and beat 73/1 tote outsider Nivea Joe, with Face Your Fears (11/1) close up in third place.

Donald Harper settled Keep celebrating in eighth place in the one-wide line and the five-year-old was seventh at the bell before Harper brought him home with a perfectly-timed burst.

The feature of the event was the strong support for the Jarrad Humphries-trained pair Lorenzo Bromac and Bute Brother, New Zealand-bred pacers by Badlands Hanover.

Lorenzo Bromac started at 5/2 and Bute Brother favourite at 9/4. From barrier one, Lorenzo Bromac (Callan Suvaljko) set the pace, with Bute Brother (Colin Brown) trailing him and outsider Big Jedd in the breeze.

Face Your Fears (Shannon Suvaljko) burst to the front 550m from home and Bute Brother was then badly hampered for room behind the tiring pacemaker. Nivea Joe (Jamie Rigoli), who had raced one-out and one-back, hit the front 40m from the post and just failed to hold out the fast-finishing Keep Celebrating.

Keep Celebrating, bred in Victoria, now has had 50 starts for eight wins, 11 placings and $42,330. He is still eligible to contest metropolitan maiden-class events.

 WOODLEY THREADS THE EYE OF A NEEDLE

Ace 21-year-old reinsman Morgan Woodley threaded the eye of a needle when he squeezed bonny mare Sunsets West through a narrow opening in the home straight to get up and win the Leading Tipster, Matthew Young Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Woodley paved the way for victory with the 18/1 chance when he got her away brilliantly from the 10m line and moved behind the noted frontrunner and 6/4 favourite Jordangarry.

Jordangarry, under pressure for much of the way from Hurricane Anvil, began to wilt approaching the home turn where Woodley began to ease Sunsets West off the pegs. However, Shannon Suvaljko took Solitary Man from the one-out, one-back position to dash forward and challenge strongly for the lead in the straight. And this left Sunsets West in severely restricted room.

Woodley then was able to squeeze Sunsets West between Jordangarry and Solitary Man to take the lead in the final few strides and win from Solitary Man and Jordangarry.

Sunsets West rated 1.59.7 which was just outside Our Mercurio’s track record of 1.59.5. Sunsets West, bred and owned by Geoffrey Scott, of Bunbury, now has earned $94,709 from her eight wins and 19 placings from 61 starts. Woodley has driven the Pacific Fella mare to all her wins.

Six-year-old Sunsets West is a half-sister to eight-year-old Go Figure, who worked hard without cover before fading to ninth behind Pamper on an earlier race on the program. The mares are out of Victorian mare Midnight Moves, who had only nine starts for two wins in minor country events in South Australia.

 SVILICICH HAS A BARGAIN IN THE FINAL WORD

Rejuvenated nine-year-old The Final Word is proving a bargain for veteran Byford trainer Tony Svilicich.

Svilicich produced The Final Word in fine fettle for the Find Thirty Every Day Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and the gelding revealed splendid fighting qualities to race without cover before getting up to snatch a head victory over the pacemaker Governor Art.

Outsider Toallagoodknight (Gary Hall jun.) followed The Final Word in the one-out, one-back position and ran home gamely to be third, with the consistent mare Magiclittlepartner finishing with a typical strong sprint from 11th at the bell to be fourth. 

Svilicich claimed The Final Word for $5000 last July and the oldstager now has had 11 starts for him for three wins and two placings for stakes of $25,400 for a career record of 19 wins, 21 placings and $133,869 from 105 starts.

The Final Word has improved dramatically in recent weeks and he impressed on Friday night in rating a slick 1.55.7 over 1730m. He had a tough run without cover before winning over 2130m the previous week when he rated 1.56.6.

By American stallion What’s Next, the WA-bred The Final Word is out of New Zealand-bred mare The Calm Waters, who raced 25 times in New Zealand for four wins, eight placings and $6394.