Mister Smartee is fitter
Mister Smartee is ready to go and poised for a powerful performance in the $50,000 Governor’s Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, according to his driver Gary Hall jnr.
The brilliant five-year-old, who reappeared after a 15-week absence when a wilting fifth behind Magnificent Storm in the 2569m Bunbury Cup last Saturday week, will begin from the No. 4 barrier on the front line in the group 3 Free-For-All.
“It’s a good race and I’m glad we have drawn inside Magnificent Storm (barrier six),” said Hall, who has won the Governor’s Cup with Chicago Bull (2018), Rocknroll Lincoln (2019) and Wildwest (2021).
“We will press forward (at the start) and see where we end up. I’d say we will end up in the breeze with either Otis (barrier one) or Sangue Reale (three) probably wanting to lead. If that’s the case, I’ll be happy to breeze.
“In the Bunbury Cup I drove him to win when he probably wasn’t fit enough to be driven like that (in the breeze). Mister Smartee should definitely be better for the run, and I’m hoping that he can turn the tables on Magnificent Storm (in what is likely to be his final race before contesting the $1.25 million Nullarbor slot race in a fortnight).
Mister Smartee is prepared by Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr, who has won the Governor’s Cup with Chicago Bull, Wildwest and Diego (in May 2023). The New Zealand-bred gelding has won at 15 of his 19 starts and his last-start fifth was only his third unplaced performance.
Magnificent Storm is a champion pacer, a superb eight-year-old who has earned $1,140,772 from 37 wins and ten placings from 60 starts. He has come back after a 15-month absence while recovering from an infected knee in splendid form.
He resumed with a first-up third behind Sangue Reale and Minstrel in the Mount Eden Sprint at Gloucester Park on March 17 and then won the Bunbury Cup twelve nights later when he began from the back line, raced wide early and then in the breeze before bursting to the front and setting the pace on the way to an outstanding victory.
He is prepared by veteran horseman Ray Williams, who won the Governor’s Cup in 2014 and 2015 with Pacific Warrior, and prepared outsider Cyclone Banner when he was a fast-finishing third behind Wildwest in the 2021 Cup.
Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who won the 2017 Governor’s Cup with Our Jimmy Johnstone, will have two runners in this week’s Cup --- with Deni Roberts driving Mighty Conqueror from the favourable No. 2 barrier and with Stuart McDonald in the sulky behind Tenzing Bromac from out wide at barrier No. 8.
Ten-year-old Mighty Conqueror has resumed after a seven-month absence in fine style with Gloucester Park thirds behind Justcallmemiki and Tenzing Bromac and a last-start fast-finishing fourth in the recent Bunbury Cup.
Sangue Reale, trained and driven by Chris Voak, finished second to the frontrunning Diego in the 2023 Governor’s Cup after trailing him throughout. He will start from the No. 3 barrier, with Voak saying that the nine-year-old had hit the line well when fourth behind Wonderful To Fly in a 2130m Free-For-All last Friday night.
“He pulled up a bit big, but has trained on well,” said Voak.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice has Mighty Ronaldo pacing in excellent form with placings behind Steno, Minstrel and Tenzing Bromac at three of his past four outings.
Prentice has engaged star Sydney reinsman Will Rixon to handle Mighty Ronaldo for the first time in a race. The WA-bred gelding is awkwardly drawn out wide at barrier seven and he will give the 24-year-old Rixon valuable experience of driving him on the comparatively tight Gloucester Park circuit before the seven-year-old contests the Nullarbor slot race next Friday week.
Rixon, who has driven 40 winners this season, had two drives at Gloucester Park on December 1, 2023 when he finished ninth with the $1.20 favourite My Ultimate Ronnie, who worked hard in the breeze with Hoppys Way setting a fast pace and finishing a half-head second to Wonderful To Fly in the group 1 Four-Year-Old Classic, and finished seventh behind Floewriter with $31 chance Cut N Run in a minor event.
Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green will be looking for a solid effort from the polemarker Otis, who has stepped up nicely to open-class company with his past three outings resulting in a fifth behind Minstrel in the Pinjarra Cup, a fourth behind Sangue Reale in the Mount Eden Sprint and an excellent third behind Magnificent Storm and Waverider in the Bunbury Cup.
Penny Black to be tested
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Penny Black is one of the State’s best mares, and she maintained her outstanding form with a splendid victory in the Race For Roses last Friday night.
She is drawn to begin from barrier three in the $25,000 Go One Better With Westral Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but her driver Gary Hall jnr is taking nothing for granted and said that the race promised to be far from a casual walk in the park.
“It’s a hard race, and drawn outside Little Darling (barrier two) makes it a bit harder,” said Hall. “And horses four, five and six (Nullarbor Navajo, Water Lou and Wonderful To Fly) have got good closing speed.
“Penny Black is definitely not a certainty, but I wouldn’t be swapping drives with any of the others.”
Penny Black’s trainer Michael Young has a high opinion of Penny Black and said he was delighted with her win last Friday night. “It was what we’ve come to expect from her,” he said.
“Penny Black probably will be able to race in the one-out, one-back position this week because I don’t expect Little Darling (to be driven by Chris Lewis) to give us the breeze.
“My other runner Princess Katie has drawn barrier one, and I will be instructing Emily Suvaljko to hold the lead. She is flying and will have a (winning) chance if she leads. She was unlucky last week (when she raced four back on the pegs and was hopelessly blocked for a clear run in the last lap when fifth behind Penny Black). That’s the plan.”
Little Darling, trained by Barry Howlett, is in sparkling form and was most impressive last Friday night when a close second to star mare Wonderful To Fly. She was shuffled back to last at the bell in the field of nine before running home with a sizzling burst of speed.
Nullarbor Navajo, trained and driven by Corey Peterson, showed her class with a brilliant victory over Steno and Aardiebytheseaside in the Golden Girls Mile, rating 1.50.6 over 1684m at Pinjarra two starts ago.
Water Lou, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, has won at 21 of her 31 starts and she is sure to be improved by her effort when third behind Penny Black last week when she began from the 30m mark and dashed forward early to set the pace.
“Water Lou has drawn outside of Penny Black which will make it hard,” said Reed.
Wonderful To Fly, trained and driven by Shane Young, bounced back to her best form last Friday night when she was sixth, three back on the pegs at the bell before charging home to win from Little darling and Aardiebytheseaside.
Reed is keen on Ruby Lou
Astute trainer Mike Reed’s stable is firing with impressive wins from Hoppys Way and Bettors Pride in the past week, and he will be represented by six classy pacers at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He has given punters a valuable lead by declaring his best winning prospect is three-year-old filly Ruby Lou, the youngest runner in the $21,000 Nova 93.7 Pace over 2130m in which she will be driven from the No. 3 barrier by Shannon Suvaljko.
Ruby Lou, who has won at three of her 20 starts, was a $26 chance in a race for fillies last Friday night when she mustered plenty of early pace from barrier five to take up the running soon after the start and sped over the lead time in 35.5sec. before Suvaljko surrendered the lead to the $1.20 favourite Fakenit.
The final 400m was covered in a swift 27.6sec. and Ruby Lou ran home strongly to finish second, a length behind the brilliant Fakenit.
Ruby Lou meets older rivals this week and will need to be at her top to beat up-and-coming star Greatgreat Boulder, who will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line. But in assessing the prospects of Ruby Lou and Greatgreat Boulder it is interesting to compare the times set in the 2130m events in which they raced last Friday night.
Ruby Lou finished a length behind Fakenit, who covered the 2130m in 2min.34.5ec. and rated 1.56.7, while Greatgreat Boulder finished three lengths behind Blameitonthenight, who ran the 2130m in 2min. 37sec. and rated 1min.58.6sec.
“Ruby Lou is a good chance,” said Reed. “She ran second to a good horse last week, and she has pulled up good and is working well. I think she can lead and prove very hard to run down.”
Voak is keen on Sweet Vivienne
Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is bubbling with confidence that Sweet Vivienne will make amends for her unlucky fourth placing behind Penny Black in last week’s Race For Roses by winning the opening event, the $21,000 Gloucester Park Racing Good Friday Pace over 2130m at headquarters on Friday night.
Sweet Vivienne was badly checked and broke into a gallop at the start before settling down at the rear of the standing-start event. She was in eighth and last position at the bell before fighting on gamely to finish fourth.
“I think that if she hadn’t got knocked over at the start she would’ve won,” said Voak. “I lost 25 metres and was beaten by 13 metres. I expect that her run last week has brought her on a couple of lengths.”
Sweet Vivienne will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in Friday night’s race, with the talented Lion Queen at No. 8 at her first run after a spell, and at her first appearance as a four-year-old. Lion Queen, trained by Mike Reed has won at five of her eleven starts.
“Lion Queen has drawn bad,” said Reed. “So, she will go back and hold her up before letting her run home. At her final four starts in her last preparation, she raced three wide and then faced the breeze. She got gutted every start, so at her first few starts in this preparation we will go back with her (at the start), hold her up and then let her run home.
“She is working well, and they’ll know she’s there. If the speed is on, she can win. We are not going to hurt her.”
Acushla Machree, to be driven by Joey Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, will have admirers at her second start after a spell. She will begin from the No. 6 barrier.
Acushla Machree resumed racing in last week’s Race For Roses when she raced without cover throughout and faded to finish eighth.
“Her run last week was okay,” said Young. “It was pretty tough with her doing all the chasing in the breeze on a windy night. Her work since then has been good and this is a winnable race. If she got to the front, she would take a stack of running down.”
Suvaljko will also have plenty of supporters when he drives the Aiden De Campo-trained gelding Menemsha from the favourable barrier at No. 2 in the $23,000 The Nullarbor @ GP 25TH April Pace over 2130m.
Menemsha’s clash with another top-flight four-year-old Justcallmemiki will be a highlight on the ten-event card, with Justcallmemiki attempting to remain unbeaten in Australia after scoring easy victories at his first four appearances at Gloucester Park for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and driver Deni Roberts.
Menemsha was checked and broke 350m after the start of a race last Friday night and then raced at the rear and finished sixth behind Hugotastic. That followed wins at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at his two previous outings.
De Campo has bright prospects of training and driving Menemsha’s stablemates Ideal Muscle and Bettor Arcade to victory.
Ideal Muscle will start from the outside barrier in a field of nine in the Trotsynd Syndication Pace in which he will clash with other smart four-year-olds Madam Publisher and Thelittle Master.
Ideal Muscle raced three back on the pegs in fifth position and was badly blocked for a clear run until the final stages when he sprinted home powerfully to finish second to Hugotastic last Friday night. He ran home fast when second to stablemate Magnus Victor the previous week.
Bettor Arcade will start from barrier five in the $27,000 TABradio Final over 2130m and should prove hard to beat following his fighting victory over Prince Of Pain on Tuesday of last week.
