Record beckons Magnificent Storm
Superstar pacer Magnificent Storm is racing in such dazzling form that he has bright prospects of setting a race record when he looks certain to prove the master of his five rivals in the $50,000 Catalano Truck And Equipment Village Kid Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred six-year-old has drawn perfectly at barrier two and Dylan Egerton-Green should have no trouble at winning the start and setting the pace in the group 3 feature event over 1730m.
Bletchley Park set the race record when he rated 1.52.4 in beating Vultan Tin and Cant Refuse in January 2021.
Magnificent Storm led from barrier five and rated 1.53.9 when he won the Village Kid Sprint from Hampton Banner and Diego 12 months ago. He has won at each of his past four appearances over 1730m --- rating 1.53.2 when he beat Gambit and Lavra Joe in the Mount Eden Sprint in October 2022; rating 1.52.9 when he beat Sangue Reale and Hampton Banner in May this year, and rating 1.52.5 when he beat Ima Fivestar General and Faster Than Dad in the Members Sprint in June.
Magnificent Storm, trained by Ray Williams, should continue the remarkable record of successful frontrunners in the Village Kid Sprint. The leader has won the past nine Village Kid Sprints.
Beaudeine Boaz (trained by Gary Hall snr and driven by Gary Hall jnr) is the only pacer to have won the Village Kid Sprint twice. He was successful on January 1, 2016, and on December 30, 2016.
Before 2012 the Village Kid Sprint was known as the Celebrity Sprint, and the only dual winners of that event were Shattering Class (1998 and 2002) and Lookslikelightning (2005 and 2006).
Magnificent Storm warmed up for this week’s race in superb style in the Pat Cranley Memorial last Friday night when he burst to the front after 100m and coasted through the opening quarters in 31sec. and 29.7sec. before dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.6sec. and 26.7sec.
Arma Einstein, who trailed Magnificent Storm all the way last week and finished second, will start from barrier three on Friday night and he and Wildwest will be favoured to fill the placings behind Magnificent Storm this week.
Wildwest (barrier four) impressed last Friday week when he began from the No. 3 barrier and enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, two-back position before sprinting home strongly to win comfortably over Blitzembye, rating 1.55.4 over 2130m.
Vultan Tin back in action
Evergreen millionaire pacer Vultan Tin will return to racing after a six-month absence when he contests the $25,000 Catalano Trucks And Used Truck Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The eleven-year-old, trained by Dan Costello and to be driven by Chris Voak, will start from the outside in the field of five and should perform strongly, following a smart trial win at Pinjarra on Thursday of last week.
He dashed to the front after 500m in the three-horse trial over 2185m and relished his pacemaking role to win by two lengths from Doc Holliday, rating 1.55.8, with final quarters of 29sec. and 28.3sec.
Vultan Tin, winner of the WA Pacing Cup over Chicago Bull and Mighty Conqueror in December 2020, has a losing sequence of 13 since he set the pace over 2536m and won at a 1.56.5 rate from Lavra Joe and Jumpingjackmac at Gloucester Park in August 2022.
He will clash with four pacers who have been racing in sound form, with the polemaker Hoppys Way likely to prove hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier, following his good frontrunning performance when beaten in the final stride by Wonderful To Fly in the group 2 Four-Year-Old Classic last Friday night.
A fortnight earlier Hoppys Way set the pace when a close third behind Star Casino and Alcopony, rating 1.57.7 over 2130m. A week before that Hoppys Way led and won from Mr Fantastic over 2130m.
The Jemma Hayman-trained Born To Boogie will also have many admirers. She ran home solidly to finish third behind Simply Shaz and Wonderful To Fly in the 2536m Mares Classic last Friday week. That effort followed a fast-finishing win over Montana Glory and Taking the Miki and a sound third behind Beyond The Sea and Wonderful To Fly at her two previous starts.
Born To Boogie has led and won four times at Gloucester Park, but she is essentially a smart sit-sprinter. Tactics will be extremely important in Friday night’s race, with Chris Lewis certainly hoping that Mitch Miller will race in the breeze with Classic Choice, which would enable Born To Boogie to enjoy a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position.
Holy Hecka shows his class
New Zealand import Holy Hecka is the least experienced runner in the All New Foton Diesel Trucks Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but he possesses the raw ability to beat his more seasoned rivals and win the 2536m event.
Holy Hecka, trained by Mike Reed and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, has won at two of his six starts, while his seven opponents have won 33 races between them. He is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier.
Holy Hecka gave a sample of his class at Gloucester Park last Saturday night when, at his second appearance in Western Australia he obliterated his eight rivals in a 2130m event in which he won by twelve lengths from the pacemaker Farriers, rating 2.1.
He was restrained from barrier seven and then moved to the one-out, one-back position after 400m before going to the breeze after a lap and then scorching to the front 570m from home and careering away to leave the opposition struggling in his wake. He sped over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 27.9sec.
This followed his sound WA debut eight nights earlier when he raced three back on the pegs and was hampered for room and finished third behind Hotly Pursued and Crowd Control.
That was Holy Hecka’s first start since he scored a brilliant victory, rating 1.58.4 over 1980m at Addington in February this year. He charged home from seventh at the 400m to burst to the front in the final 50m to win, unextended, by two lengths from the pacemaker Adesanya. The final 800m was covered in 57.1sec. and the last 400m was 28.2sec.
There is abundant ability among his rivals on Friday night, with last-start winners Crowd Control, Sweet Lucifer and Frisky Styx all capable of figuring prominently in the finish.
The Kim Prentice-trained Crowd Control was a dashing all-the-way winner at a 1.57.8 rate last Tuesday week when he beat Ronald Scott by six lengths.
The Michael Young-trained Sweet Lucifer is on the way up and he impressed when he raced wide early and then set the pace before winning by more than five lengths from Im Lord Logan last Saturday night.
Frisky Styx, trained by Ryan Bell and to be driven by Kyle Symington, is improving with every run, and he has scored impressive victories at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at his past two runs. Symington continues to drive with considerable skill, and he notched his one hundredth winner for the season when he was successful with the Nathan Turvey-trained colt Beach Captain at Northam on Tuesday night.
Roberts opts for Minstrel
Star driver Deni Roberts has handled Lusaka at his past 15 starts for nine wins, but she has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive stablemate Minstrel in the WA Foton Diesel @ Catalano Trucks Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Both pacers are prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, and they have strong claims of fighting out the finish of the 2503m standi g-start event.
Lusaka, perfectly drawn at barrier one on the front line, will be driven for the first time by Dylan Egerton-Green, with Minstrel the solitary backmarker off 30 metres.
Minstrel appears ideally suited, dropping down in grade after competing in top company against pacers of the calibre of Magnificent Storm, Jumpingjackmac, Diego and Steel The Show.
Roberts has driven the six-year-old Minstrel six times for two wins and two placings. He will be making his first appearance in a stand since he galloped out from the 40m mark and went on to win from Awaitinginstructions on July 30, 2020. Since then, he has raced in 31 mobile events.
However, Minstrel has a perfect record in stands in WA --- four starts for four victories (after starting from 40m, twice from 30m and once from 20m).
Minstrel raced in last position in the field of four and he finished fourth behind Magnificent Storm in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night when the final quarters were run in 28.6sec. and 26.7sec. His most recent victory was six starts ago when he led from barrier one and beat Mighty Ronaldo in a 2536m mobile event on October 6.
Lusaka is a three-year-old colt who will be competing against much older and more experienced rivals on Friday night. He made his first appearance in a stand last Friday night when he began from the 10m mark and was ninth at the bell before starting a three-wide move with 650m to travel and finishing gamely to be third behind Extraordinary Mary and Carana.
Lusaka has abundant ability, and he has won at eleven of his 19 starts. He is a versatile pacer who revealed plenty of spirit five starts ago when he covered extra ground before finishing third behind Mister Smartee in the group 3 Western Gateway Pace.
Roberts will have many admirers earlier in the program on Friday night when she drives Cyclone Charlotte in the Catalano Trucks One Stop Shop Pace in which the four-year-old mare will be tested from the outside barrier in the field of nine. However, she has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
A strong performance should clinch a spot for Cyclone Charlotte in the $200,000 Golden Nugget on the following Friday night.
Cyclone Charlotte had little luck in the Four-Year-Old Classic Consolation last Friday night when she began from barrier six and was shuffled back to twelfth and last at the bell before she ran home strongly, out wide, to finish an unlucky eighth behind Floewriter.
