Patronus Star is the real deal
Any lingering doubts that classy three-year-old gelding Patronus Star was not an outstanding prospect for the rich group 1 feature events for four-year-olds early next year were dispelled when he proved the master of older and more experienced rivals in the $50,000 Binshaw Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Favourite at $2.90 (and at $3.30 on the fixed market), Patronus Star did all the hard work in the breeze outside the pacemaker Forgotten Highway before surging to the front 430m from home and winning, unextended, by a length from Destined To Rule at a 1.56.5 fate over 2130m.
There were murmurings among the cognoscenti a week earlier that Patronus Star was vulnerable in big races. These opinions surfaced after Patronus Star won by only a neck from the unfancied fast-finishing Bracken Sky.
Star reinsman Ryan Warwick admitted that there were some question marks regarding the gelding’s potential, saying: “We weren’t the only ones who were concerned. We know he’s good, but we had to see it. He won the Derby and all his runs following that were pretty easy.
“Tonight, I was happy for him to race in the breeze; it was going to tell us a lot of stories, as well. Two starts earlier he pulled quite hard in front when he won the San Simeon Classic. So, last week I wanted to race him in the breeze and see if I could control the race from there.
“But they were going too slow, so I went to the front (after about 500m). And he gave me the feel that he wouldn’t have an issue, overracing, in the breeze. I didn’t really have a plan tonight; I was just going to see what happened. I was pretty confident that if he had to come from behind, he was the horse who could do it. And I was also confident that he could do it in the breeze.”
A tyre on Patronus Star’s sulky began to gradually deflate with a lap to travel, but this did not affect his momentum as he sped over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 27.6sec.
“This was only his fifth run this preparation and he shouldn’t have been over the hill, and he certainly doesn’t look it,” Warwick said. “However, this will be it for him now. He will have a rest and come back for the four-year-old races. You would like to think that he will play a big part in those events.”
Patronus Star, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, now has raced seven times in Western Australia for seven wins. The Bonds hold a significant lead on the Statewide trainers’ premiership table with 216 winners, while Warwick is the leader on the drivers’ premiership table with 206 winners.
Egerton-Green’s century
Outstanding young reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green ended a frustrating 11-day wait on 99 winners for the season in spectacular fashion when Bletchley Park unleashed a sizzling late burst of speed to get up in the final stride to snatch a half-head victory over the pacemaker Convert Denario in the $25,000 Worldwide Printing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This ended an out-of-character losing sequence of 22 in the sulky since he notched his 99TH winner for the 2019-20 season, with Smooth Rye scoring by a head at Northam on August 10.
“The century has been knocking on the door for a while, and it’s good to get there,” said the 27-year-old Egerton-Green. “I got the century for the first time last season and then you wonder whether you are going to do it again.”
Egerton-Green and Bunbury trainer Stephen Reed had a few anxious moments on Friday night when Bletchley Park mixed his gait for a couple of strides soon after the start. But the four-year-old quickly regained his composure and settled down in sixth position, one-out and two-back, following Handsandwheels.
Convert Denario, the $2.70 favourite, dashed to an early lead and set a brisk pace from While They Pray ($7) in the breeze and Theo Aviator ($18) on the pegs behind the pacemaker. Handsandwheels ($5) had an ideal trail, one-out and one-back.
Egerton-Green switched Bletchley Park, second fancy at $3.50, four wide with 225m to travel and the talented four-year-old was fourth at the 100m before spouting wings to get up in the final stride to win at a 1.55.2 rate.
The Victorian-bred Bletchley Park, owned by Albert and Julie Walmsley, is developing into a leading candidate for the rich Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup late this year. He now has had 36 starts for 15 wins, 14 placings and stakes of $242,699.
“Bletchley Park is a little gentleman and a lovely horse to train,” said Reed. “He’s easy to handle and good to ride. Aimee-Lee Wood rides him most days, and he doesn’t do any hopple work.
“We’ll see what suitable races are coming up and then try to map out a plan for the big Cups.”
A first for Alta Rhett
Promising four-year-old Alta Rhett achieved a notable first at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he scored an impressive all-the-way victory in the 2536m TABtouch Pace.
It was the first time in 37 starts that the Alta Christiano gelding had set the pace in a race.
Bunbury trainer Sarah Wall, who leases Alta Rhett with her husband Chris from breeder Dave Stringer, said that the only other occasion that Alta Rhett had drawn the No. 1 barrier was at his third start, at Bunbury in March of last year, when he sat behind the pacemaker Sheza Spoilt Miss before getting up to win.
“At home he does well when leading and it’s not his fault that he hasn’t before led in races because he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities,” said Wall. “So, it was good to get the chance tonight, and we wanted to see how he’d go in front.”
Alta Rhett, hot favourite at $1.80, was driven confidently by Nathan Turvey and the gelding won comfortably by 4m from Diamond Life ($5.50), with the breeze horse Art Tutor ($21) fighting on to finish a good third. The winner rated 1.57.8 after final quarters of 28.8sec. and 27.8sec.
The win gave Wall her first success in a metropolitan-class event since Wesley won from Smoldering Ashes at Gloucester Park on September 20, 2019. Alta Rhett has earned $63,602 from eight wins and eight placings, and he looks set for many more victories.
He is out of former smart mare Justlikechocolate, who raced 48 times for 13 wins, 20 placings and $188,937 in prizemoney.
“We bought Justlikechoclate for $1000 as a breeding proposition and then Dave Stringer asked if we would like to lease Alta Rhett, who had not raced as a two-year-old while he was recovering from a badly cut leg,” said Wall. “Now we have a rising two-year-old filly by Western Terror and a weanling colt by Sweet Lou.”
Wesley, who has had 53 starts for 15 wins, 12 placings and $163,186 in stakes, is recovering from a tendon injury and Wall is hopeful that he will be able to resume his career in the not-too-distant future.
Hall likes Undercover Mac
Champion trainer Gary Hall snr has a special admiration for American pacing stallion Washington VC --- and that’s quite understandable when one considers that he achieved tremendous success with Washington VC’s greatest son Im Themightyquinn, who retired with a wonderful record of 58 wins for earnings of $4,567,456.
Hall liked the look of Undercover Mac, a son of Washington VC, after watching his races in New Zealand, and he purchased the black gelding on behalf of several stable clients last December.
Undercover Mac, a $5.60 chance driven aggressively by Gary Hall jnr, gave a spirited performance to win the 2130m Mondo Doro Smallgoods Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night after racing three wide early and then in the breeze outside the $1.75 favourite Bettorstartdreaming. The final quarters were covered in 28.8sec. and 27.8sec. and Undercover Mac finished with great determination to beat Bettorstartdreaming by a nose.
“He was well out of his class, having won only three races (from eight starts),” said Hall snr. “It was a big performance. He’s by Washington VC, and I like them. He should win again at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.”
Undercover Mac, the second foal out of the unraced mare Badlands Belle, won once from five New Zealand starts and now has won at three of his four starts in Western Australia.
“He’s a funny horse and is not anybody at the stable’s favourite,” said Hall jnr. “He is a bit of a nuisance but is actually a lot better behaved down here at Gloucester Park than he is at home, which makes him bearable.”
High praise for Fake News
“She’s probably almost the best mare in the State,” declared young reinsman Stuart McDonald after driving Fake News to a powerful victory over Our Alfie Romeo and Just Rockon Bye in the 2130m Direct Trades Supply Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She’s definitely up there; she showed that tonight. I didn’t go out with the intention of being so aggressive; I just wanted to get to the breeze.”
Noted frontrunner Typhoon Tiff ($5) set the pace from barrier three and she was quickly joined by Fake News, a $3.80 chance from the No. 6 barrier. Fake News applied plenty of pressure on Typhoon Tiff, with the second and third 400m sections of the final mile being run in 29.7sec. and 27.7sec.
Fake News led by a head and then by a neck in the middle stages before taking a clear lead 450m from home. Alfie Romeo, the $2.65 favourite who enjoyed the perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position, finished determinedly be a close second, a metre behind Fake News, who rated a smart 1.55.5.
“I gave Ryan (Warwick) a good run behind me with Our Alfie Romeo and was somewhat worried,” said McDonald. “To run 27.7sec. down the back and then being able to hold off Our Alfie Romeo was pretty special. Fake News has got good speed, but her real strength is her toughness.”
Fake News, prepared by Gary Hall snr, is going from strength to strength and she now has had 38 starts for 14 wins, seven placings and stakes of $177,412.
Galactic Star ends losing run of 13
Top-flight pacer Galactic Star ended an eight-month drought and a losing sequence of 13 in fine style when Ryan Warwick drove him to an effortless victory in the 2130m Vili’s Family Bakery Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Having his second start after a spell and hot favourite at $1.04, Galactic Star began speedily from the No. 4 barrier and burst to the front after 100m before controlling the event and winning by more than three lengths from $51 outsider Im Johnny Jet. The final three quarters were run in 29sec., 28.5sec. and 27.5sec. and the winner rated 1.56.3.
“It wasn’t just a walk in the park,” said reinsman Ryan Warwick. “We had to be a bit careful that Saleahs Comand didn’t get across us (at the start) and that the ones inside of us sorted themselves out quickly.
Galactic Star is going really well, and he hit the line really good in decent time, and that what’s you would expect.”
Galactic Star, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has earned $542,062 from 27 wins and 26 placings from 79 starts and will be set for the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup at the end of the year.
It’s Jimmy Mack all the way
Lightly-raced eight-year-old Jimmy Mack gave his supporters no cause for concern when he was untroubled to set the pace a stroll to victory in the 2130m Simmonds Steel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Prepared by Ross Olivieri and driven confidently by Chris Lewis, Jimmy Mack, the $1.50 favourite, won by just over three lengths from $6 second fancy Baylan Jett, who fought on gamely after racing in the breeze throughout. The winner rated 1.57.3 after final quarters of 28sec. and 27.7sec.
Jimmy Mack, by Washington VC, is the second foal out of the unraced Perfect Art mare Sandralec. He had ten starts in New Zealand for five wins and four placings and now boasts a career record of 36 starts for 13 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $109,911.
Four-way photo finish
In a thrilling finish to the 2536m Etch Coatings Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night four pacers crossed the line only centimetres apart, with the photo finish camera revealing that the pacemaker Our Perkins had dead-heated for first with Our Rhythm N Blues, with a half-head to The Black Cardinal and another half-head back to Mister Bushido in fourth place.
This completed driving doubles for Dylan Egerton-Green (Our Perkins) and Stuart McDonald (Our Rhythm N Blues).
Our Perkins, trained at Byford by Karen Thompson, was a $15 chance on the tote who paid a straight-out dividend of $9.50 after dead-heating for first. Our Rhythm N Blues, prepared by Gary Hall snr, was a $20 chance who paid $11.60.
Our Perkins set the pace from Talkerup in the breeze, with The Black Cardinal enjoying a perfect run behind the leader, and Mister Bushido, the $1.07 favourite in the one-out, one-back position after racing wide in the early stages.
Alta Engen does it tough
Promising three-year-old Alta Engen impressed when he worked hard in the breeze before winning the 2130m Perth Plasterboard Centre Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, Alta Engen, the $2 favourite, began from barrier five and challenged the polemaker Red Hot Lady ($6.50) for the early lead. The challenge was unsuccessful, and de Campo then was content to retain the breeze position.
Red Hot Lady, driven by Shannon Suvaljko, sped over the third 400m section of the final mile in 28.5sec., but the filly was unable to hold out Alta Engen, who forged to the front 250m from home and won by 2m from $17 chance Rockin The Trend, who had enjoyed a perfect trip behind the pacemaker. Red Hot Lady held on doggedly to be third.
Alta Engen now has raced eight times for six wins and a third placing for stakes of $39,510.
