Big plans for Penny Black
Mighty pacer Penny Black reinforced her status as the best mare in WA when she did all the hard work in the breeze before winning the$50,000 Westside Auto Lombardo Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Delighted trainer Michael Young declared after Penny Black, the $1.70 favourite, had defeated Alta Allure ($8.50) and Madam Publisher ($13), rating a smart 1.55, that he was seriously contemplating setting the big and powerfully built mare for upcoming rich feature events.
“The $1.2 million Nullarbor and the $300,000 Fremantle Cup are on the radar for Penny Black,” said Young. “I think she has earned a start in those big races.”
The Nullarbor slot race will be run on April 17, and the Fremantle Cup will be held the following week.
Penny Black lined up against the State’s best open-class pacers in the WA Pacing Cup last December when she began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and was trapped four wide early before being restrained back to the rear and finished last behind Minstrel.
“The wide draw put her out of play,” said Young. “In the big races to come she will not be able to be driven like she is against the other mares (wide early and then in the breeze).”
Young added that Penny Black would be much better suited in top company when driven with a sit, saying: “She has a really high cruising speed. She was very good tonight, and her run probably was up there with her best. The leader (Sugar Delight) was running solid sectionals and Penny Black had to dig in to win.”
Penny Black was driven with the usual confidence by Emily Suvaljko, who said: “She is big and powerful and so tough. She is an incredible horse to drive, and tonight she didn’t peak half way up the home straight like she did, first-up, when she won last week. She has definitely come on.”
Penny Black won once from six starts in New Zealand as a three-year-old in 2023, and her 36 starts in WA for Young have resulted in 17 wins and ten placings, taking her earnings to $431,785.
She is by boom sire Sweet Lou and is the fourth foal out of the unraced Rocknroll Hanover mare Tessa Rocks.
Hayley’s hunch is paying dividends
Hayley Moore was enchanted by the sparkling speed of Crown Bromac when the gelding won seven times and once at Bunbury between 2008 and 2010.
Eventually, she decided to take a trip to New Zealand in 2023 in a bid to purchase a pacer capable of revealing similar brilliance.
The 35-year-old Moore had also enjoyed the wonderful successes of Tricky Styx, a New Zealand-bred mare owned by her parents who raced 79 times for 22 wins, 16 placings and $460,548.
“Tricky Styx became the gift that kept on giving,” said Moore. “Here in WA, you need plenty of money to buy yearlings against the big owners, so I decided to go to New Zealand and buy something that had the same calibre of WA youngsters for a lot less money.
“So, I took the punt and travelled by myself to New Zealand where I bought Como El Viento for $45,000 at the 2023 standardbred yearling sale. His dam is Leanne Bromac, an unraced mare by Falcon Seelster, whose sixth foal was Crown Bromac (who retired with earnings of $139,878 from 15 wins and 15 placings from 55 starts).
“Como El Viento had a family with a lot of speed, and he is by American sire Downbytheseaside, which also influenced me to buy the yearling because Downbytheseaside had produced Waverider, who was racing very well in WA.”
Como El Viento is a Spanish phrase that translates to ‘like the wind’ and he is the second foal out of Leanne Bromac, the 16TH and final foal out of the prolific broodmare Classic Blue Jeans, the dam of seven winners, including her first foal Attorney General, who earned $434,952 from 20 wins (nine in New Zealand and 11 in America) and 18 placings from 70 starts.
Como El Viento, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is on the way up and is developing into a candidate for the rich events for four-year-olds later this year. He has had 30 starts for nine wins,14 placings and $85,191 in prizemoney.
On Friday night Como El Viento was the $1.10 favourite from the outside barrier (No. 8) on the front line in the 2130m Westside Auto 24/7 Online Inquiry Pace at Gloucester Park. He settled down at the rear before surging forward, out three wide, approaching the bell and taking the lead with 330m to travel and winning by a length from the pacemaker Vinita Rose ($7.50), rating a smart 1.54.1 over the 1730m journey.
And now Moore is planning a return to training and will have her first starter as a trainer for more than five years when three-year-old Crunchem contests the first event at Northam on Tuesday.
Crunchem, the second foal out of Tricky Styx, a winner for trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo at Gloucester Park last July, will be racing first-up on Tuesday and should perform well. His elder half-sister Zephyra has excelled on the track with her 33 starts producing ten wins, eight placings and $320,557.
Moore has trained nine winners, including two with El Shuey and two with Major Shard on country tracks in 2019.
Star Casino is a star in his own right
Star Casino, a small lightly framed seven-year-old, has lived in the shadow of his illustrious brothers Self Assured and Caviar Star, but he is certainly no slouch.
He took his earnings to $251,776 when he revealed admirable strength to win the $31,000 Westside Auto Fixed Price Servicing Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is the eighth and last foal out of Christian Cullen mare Star Of Venus, who has produced the brilliant Self Assured (74 starts for 30 wins, 33 placings and $2,410,066), Caviar Star (49 starts for 14 wins, 15 placings and $362,582), Star Of Memphis (15 wins and $140,240), Star Of Dionysis (12 wins and $118,449) and Vega Star (26 wins and $185,267).
Self Assured, a full-brother to Star Casino (who has raced 86 times for five wins in New Zealand another eleven in WA), won the Auckland Cup in 2019 and 2022, the 2020 New Zealand Cup at Addington and the 2021 Easter Cup at the same track.
The highlight of Caviar Star’s career was his thrilling head victory over Vampiro in the Fremantle Cup at Gloucester Park in January 2020.
Star Casino was a $6.70 chance from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in Friday night’s event in which he was driven aggressively by Ryan Warwick, who sent the Bettors Delight gelding forward, three wide, in the early stages to move to the breeze outside the $6.50 chance Petes Honour.
Warwick was content remain in the breeze until the $2.35 favourite Minos rushed forward from last to challenge for the lead after a lap. Warwick kept Minos at bay as he sent Star Casino to the front with 1500m to travel, leaving Minos the task of racing without cover.
After a third 400m section of 28.6sec. Star Casino ran the final quarter in 29.1sec. and won by a length from Petes Honour, who was hampered for room in the home straight. Thelittle Master ($8.50) again flew home to finish an eye-catching third.
Star Casino, who is prepared by astute veteran trainer Ray Williams, should be capable of running strong races in upcoming events such as the $50,000 Easter Cup on April 3 and the $50,000 Governor’s Cup the following week.
The Righteous bucks the odds
Ten-year-old The Righteous, the oldest runner in the Westside Autos Fair Price Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, celebrated his 176TH start when he led his eight rivals on a merry dance when he scored an all-the-way victory as a $19.90 chance.
He was driven for the first time by Gary Hall Jnr for lessee owner and trainer Peter Anderson. Hall’s previous winner for the Anderson stable was when eight-year-old Parnevik led and beat Everton Star by two lengths in a 2609m stand at Pinjarra on January 25, 2010. That was the only time Parnevik was handled by Hall.
The Righteous mustered early pace from barrier three and took up the running from the polemarker Reddy To Fly ($4.20) after 120m.
Hall stole a march on the other runners when The Righteous was able to meander through the lead time in a very slow 39.4sec. and the opening 400m section in a dawdling 33.1sec.
It was after the funereal lead time that Shannon Suvaljko sent the $3.80 favourite Heez Good As Gold forward to move to the breeze after a lap, with the second quarter being run in a modest 31.5sec.
Hall then made life tough for the opposition when The Righteous sped through the third quarter of the final mile in 27.9sec. The veteran pacer then was able to run the final 400m in a comfortable 29.5sec. to win by a half-length from Reddy To Fly, with Goggins ($20) running on from last at the bell to finish third, a half-length ahead of the wilting Heez Good As Gold.
Suvaljko was nominated as the driver of The Righteous, but he opted for Heez Good As Gold. Hall is the 26TH driver to have handled the evergreen The Righteous, who now has earned $129,987 from 17 wins and 41 placings from 176 starts.
The Righteous is by American sire Rock N Roll Heaven and is the second foal out of unraced Righteous Hanover mare Righteous Ann, a half-sister to Anderson’s former star pacer Buck The Odds, who won a heat of the Interdominion Championship at Gloucester Park in March 2004, beating Flashing Red and Holmes D G.
Buck The Odds was retired with earnings of $307,547 from 31 wins, 29 placings from 121 starts.
Suvaljko will resume as the driver of The Righteous when he contests a standing-start event at Pinjarra on Monday. This will be the old gelding’s first appearance in a stand since he finished fourth behind Ventura as a $61 outsider at Pinjarra on November 6, 2023.
The Righteous has run in mobiles at his past 68 starts and has yet to win from 15 runs in stands. But Anderson is hoping to put an end to that record and continue his purple patch which began at Gloucester Park last Tuesday when his five-year-old mare State My Case, driven by Liam Elliott, overcame the outside barrier by surging home from last to win a 2130m event as a $44.20 outsider.
Lincoln Lou back on track
Lincoln Lou, unplaced at his final five runs as a three-year-old, returned to racing after a four-month absence in a blaze of glory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
From the awkward barrier at No. 6 Lincoln Lou was a hot $1.10 favourite in the Westside Auto For Your Tyres Pace over 2130m, and he revealed his undoubted class with a splendid victory.
Emily Suvaljko restrained him early while the early pace was slow with a 38.7sec. lead time and opening quarters of 32.1sec. and 29.9sec. as $14 chance Beat the Bank ambled along in front, with Lincoln Lour in fifth position, one-out and one-back.
Suvaljko bided her time before sending Lincoln Lou forward with a three-wide burst with 550m to travel. The New Zealand-bred four-year-old dashed to the front 130m from the post and won comfortably by a length from Beat the Bank, rating 1.58 after final quarters of 27.5sec. and 28sec.
That was Lincoln Lou’s second win from nine starts in WA for trainer Michael Young, and he is set to improve considerably on his record of 30 starts for five wins, nine placings and $98,680.
“The slow early time was against us, and he performed well to win,” said Suvaljko. “He has had a good spell and has come back really well. He is a high-speed horse who is at his best when driven as a sniper at this stage of his career.”
Young and Suvaljko were supremely confident about Lincoln Lou’s prospects after the four-year-old had beaten star mare Penny Black in a track workout on the Jandakot track on the Tuesday before Friday night’s race.
“We had only one whip between us, and I gave it to Michael, who was driving Lincoln Lou in the workout,” said Suvaljko. “Penny Black, who doesn’t work in a hood, led, with Lincoln Lou taking the trail and gaining the upper hand in the late stages.
“Penny Black is just happy to jog around in her workouts, and she obviously races a lot better than she works.”
