Justcallmemiki Is Awesome
Ace driver Deni Roberts described Justcallmemiki’s first-up fourth placing last Friday week as ‘simply awesome’ and she is looking forward to the brilliant five-year-old producing a similar performance when he begins from the outside barrier in the field of eight in the $31,000 Trotsynd, Join The Fun Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Justcallmemiki, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, began from the outside barrier (No. 9) when he raced in last position in the field of ten before charging home to finish fourth behind the dashing pacemaker Rockandrollartist at his first appearance for 14 weeks.
Justcallmemiki surged home and was pushed five wide with 220m to travel. “He got home in 27.5sec. and 26.5sec. and couldn’t go any faster,” said an upbeat Roberts.
That was an excellent effort at the New Zealand-bred gelding’s first outing since he worked hard in the breeze before wilting to finish last behind Magnificent Storm in the Group 3 Navy Cup on December 5. A month earlier Justcallmemiki gave a sample of his class when he finished a nose second to Waverider in the Group 1 Golden Nugget over 2536m.
Justcallmemiki has won at eleven of his 27 starts, and one of his main rivals on Friday night is likely to be his stablemate, five-year-old Tualou, who has won nine times from 25 starts. Tualou will be driven by Kyle Symington.
“Tualou is going really well, and his first-up run was eye-catching,” said Roberts. That run was four weeks ago when the Sweet Lou gelding ran on powerfully from tenth at the bell to finish fourth behind Franco Encore, who rated 1.54.3 over the 1730m trip.
Roberts has driven Tualou at seven of his eight victories in WA, and Symington is looking forward to handling the pacer for the first time. He has recently returned after about five months working for trainer Noel Daley at his New Jersey stables, and he is now a member of the staff at Team Bond’s Forrestdale training establishment.
The 24-year-old Symington, who has driven 335 winners in WA, landed about 20 winners in America, driving mainly at the Meadowlands and Yonkers. The best horse he handled was Stay Grounded, who won four time at the Meadowlands track, with a best time of 1.50 over a mile.
An interesting runner in Friday night’s race is Alta Tribute, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr for his father Gary Hall Snr, who prepares the gelding at his Serpentine property. Alta Tribute, who will be resuming after an absence of 16 weeks, has had 22 starts for eight wins and seven placings. He raced in the breeze when an excellent third behind Waverider and Justcallmemiki in the Golden Nugget early last November.
The youngest runner in the race is four-year-old Como El Viento, who is favourably drawn at barrier two for trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. Como El Viento has raced 31 times for nine wins, ten seconds and four thirds. He faces a good test when he rises significantly in class.
“I’m happy that this rise in class has enabled him to get a good draw, and this will enable me to drive him a different way,” said De Campo. “I think he has the ability to match the others in the field. You don’t know until you throw him in the deep end how he will perform. He is not impossible.”
Roberts has a good book of drives on Friday night, and she said that her best winning prospects were Justcallmemiki and Troubador, who will start from the outside of the back line in the 2130m TABtouch Punters Club Pace over 2130m in which his chief rivals are expected to be Sugar Shake and Vinita Rose, who will start from the two widest positions on the front line.
Four-year-old Troubadour reappeared after a spell in fine style when he raced wide early and then set the pace with final quarters of 28.6sec. 27.9sec. on his way to a five-length victory over Sister Cherie over 2130m on Tuesday of last week.
Franco Motu Back In Action
Exciting pacer Franco Motu will reappear after a spell and should remain unbeaten in standing-start events when he begins from the 40m mark in the Trotsynd Syndicate No. 29 Handicap over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old showed he was ready for a powerful first-up effort when he scored an effortless win in a 2185m mobile trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
He was restrained from the outside barrier in the field of seven back to last before taking up the favourable one-out and one-back position. He was switched three wide with 800m to travel and took a narrow lead 250m later on his way to winning by 13 metres from the pacemaker Beaudiene Hunter, rating 1.58.2 with final 400m sections of 27.6sec. and 28.6sec.
“He should prove hard to beat on Friday night,” declared a laconic reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. Franco Motu won easily at his two appearances in New Zealand, and he has won at five of his nine WA starts, scoring easily at his two runs in 2503m stands, from the 30m mark at Gloucester Park last July and from the 40m mark at Bunbury in September.
Franco Motu’s trainer Gary Hall Snr has an excellent second-string runner in Friday night event in the youngest runner, four-year-old Chase Me, who will begin from 40m with Stuart McDonald in the sulky.
Chase Me, who has won at seven of his 15 starts, will be making his first appearance since he was a fading tenth behind Runkle Crunch in the WA Derby on October 31 last year.
He impressed in winning a standing-start trial over 2116m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he set the pace and beat Soho Shakedown by a length after sprinting over the final 400m sections in 27.6sec. and 27sec.
Five-year-old Thelittle Master, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is the sole backmarker off 50 metres, and his driver Deni Roberts said the gelding was capable of winning.
Thelittle Master began poorly from 30m in a stand last Friday night and was a distant last in the field of eleven before running home powerfully to finish fourth behind Petes Honour.
“He didn’t step very well but he went very well after losing 50 metres,” said Roberts. “I’ll be trying to get him away a bit better this week.”
Banjup trainer Michael Young gives Eclipse Line a strong winning chance. Eclipse Line will be driven by Emily Suvaljko, who will be keen to make the most of the gelding’s more favourable 20m mark.
“He should be able to find the front, and that’s where he does his best work,” said Young. “So, he will give them something to chase.”
Big Test For Wishing Belle
Brilliant three-year-old filly Wishing Belle has been a dominant performer with nine wins and two seconds from eleven starts. But she faces a stern test at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she begins from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the Book Into Steelo’s Pace over the sprint trip of 1730m.
Wishing Belle possesses sparkling gate speed and is a smart frontrunner, but with several speedy beginners on her inside she is expected to find it difficult to take up the running and set a solid pace.
“It will be hard for her to win over 1730m and from the wide barrier,” said her trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. “There is almost too much speed on her inside to get forward, and this is probably harder for her than it was last week (when she began from the No. 4 barrier and set the pace before sprinting home with quarters of 28sec. and 27.6sec. and winning by a length from the breeze horse Proposition Joe, rating 1.55.6 over 2130m).
“However, she is a quality filly and has all the attributes of a sit-sprinter. I have never driven her that way, and hopefully she can get into the race at some stage.”
De Campo also trains the inexperienced Typhoon Treasure (two wins from four starts) who is favourably drawn at the No. 1 barrier, and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr.
“Typhoon Treasure will be attempting to lead,” said De Campo. “She won last week when leading, and she ran good time (rating 1.56.5 over 2130m). She is a progressive type and each time she has led, she has won.”
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond have three runners in the race, with Deni Roberts giving punters a good lead by choosing to drive Cinch from the No. 3 barrier in preference to Crunchnsip (barrier four) and Slay Queen (barrier two on the back line).
Tom Nally will handle Crunchnsip, and Kyle Symington will drive Slay Queen.
“Cinch is racing really well and has a handy draw,” said Roberts. “She is up against some of the better fillies, but she has been coming from last and has been running home in good time.”
Of the other fillies in the race, trainer Colin Brown’s Im Category Five (barrier eight) will be resuming after a spell after her ten starts as a two-year-old produced five wins and five placings.
The Cameron Ross-trained Miss Leopatra (barrier six) will have admirers after impressive Gloucester Park wins at her past two appearances, including her last-start all-the-way success over Wishing Belle four weeks ago.
Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green said that his filly Sovereign Jewel, a winner at two of her seven starts, was capable of a bold effort. “It’s a good field and we will need a bit of luck,” he said. “If they go silly, she will be right in it.”
Penny Black Ready For The Challenge
Super mare Penny Black was surprisingly beaten by Wonderful To Fly in the Golden Girls Mile over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week, but her trainer Michael Young is quietly confident the New Zealand-bred six-year-old will make amends by winning the $25,000 $9 Pints Free-For-All for mares over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Penny Black, the $1.40 favourite, raced wide early and then in the breeze before getting to the front when she was overhauled in the final couple of strides and was beaten by a head in the race at Pinjarra.
“I don’t think Penny Black has ever won over a mile,” said Young. “And Wonderful To Fly is a good horse. Penny Black can’t win every week.”
Penny Black, to be driven by Emily Suvalkjko, will begin from the outside barrier in the field of nine and is expected to be seriously challenged by up-and-coming four-year-olds Fakenit and Delightful Peg.
“We don’t know how good Fakenit and Delightful Peg are,” said Young. “I assume Penny Black will be in the breeze outside one of those mares, and they will have to be pretty good (to beat Penny Black).
“We know that Penny Black can run 1.54 and a bit, and we will find out if they can, too.”
Penny Black certainly has the edge in experience over Fakenit and Delightful Peg, having raced 43 times for 18 wins, ten seconds, three thirds and stakes of $438,022, while Fakenit, to be driven by Maddison Brown from barrier four for trainer Gary Hall Snr, has earned $186,763 from five wins and five placings from ten starts, and Delightful Peg, trained and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, will start from the favourable No. 2 barrier with a record of five wins, three seconds and $75,580 in stakes from 22 starts.
Fakenit was a star three-year-old last year when her victories included the Group 3 Daintys Daughter Classic and the Group 1 WA Oaks before she was most impressive at her latest appearance by working hard in the breeze and finishing third behind Runkle Crunch and Captain Stirling in the Group 1 WA Derby on October 31.
Fakenit warmed up for this week’s event with a smart win in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when she settled in sixth position and then enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before getting to the front 75m from the post and winning by a length and a half from Sweet Pins, rating 1.57.8 after final quarters of 27.3sec. and 28.3sec.
Delightful Peg is unbeaten in WA after racing wide early, taking the lead with 1270m to travel and winning by a half-length from Gelsomino Amal, rating 1.58.2 over 1730m on Tuesday of last week, and then appearing again three nights later when she raced three wide for the first 550m and then in the breeze before getting to the front with 200m to travel and winning by a half-neck from the fast-finishing Starlight Dream, rating 1.56.6 over 2130m.
“I would like to lead and see how she goes,” said Hall Jnr. “That would give her a chance.”
