KIM PRENTICE SEIZES THE OPPORTUNITY

When leading trainer Gary Hall sen. offered Kim Prentice the drive on Our Toto in the $35,000 John Higgins Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night, the Boyanup horseman jumped at the opportunity to deputise for the four-year-old’s regular driver Gary Hall jun.

And Prentice seized his chance in magnificent style by producing a superb drive to win the 2130m event in spectacular fashion 90 minutes after Hall jun. had driven stable star Im Themightyquinn into second place in the $200,000 Chariots of Fire at Sydney’s Harold Park.

The win gave Prentice his third success in the Higgins Memorial after scoring with In The Reign in 1999 and Next Ruler in 2002.

Our Toto, the least experienced runner in the field and with Prentice driving him for the first time, landed some good wagers when he stormed home from sixth position 100m from the post to get up and win by 1m from Hurricane Anvil.

Our Toto, backed from 6/1 to 4/1, started from the inside of the back line and because the gelding is inclined to pull in his races, Prentice quickly eased him off the pegs and into the one-wide line instead of taking the trail behind the noted speedy frontrunner and 6/4 on favourite Scruncher.

Scan Air, from barrier six, was the fastest into stride, but he was unable to cross Scruncher, who kicked up on the inside and then set the pace.

Our Toto was seventh at the bell and had a wall of horses in front of him on the home turn. Then Prentice took Our Toto through a needle-eye opening in the straight and the gelding burst through in the middle, with two horses on his inside and two on his outside.

He charged to the line to get up and edge out Hurricane Anvil, who had gained a narrow lead close to the line. Bronzwhaler Whitby, who had followed Hurricane Anvil’s three-wide run in the final circuit, ran on strongly to be third, just ahead of The Forger (on the pegs) and Scruncher.

Our Toto, who is owned by Marcia Doran, of Goodwood in South Australia, won once from five starts in New Zealand and now has had 14 starts in WA for eight wins. He is destined to win many more races.

 LEWIS CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY WITH A DOUBLE

New Zealand-bred four-year-old Mister Veejays Fella made a spectacular debut at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he unwound a dazzling late sprint to career to a brilliant victory in the Ron Gallop Memorial Stakes.

The impressive victory over the fast-finishing Mach Dynasty and pacemaker Ten To Zero completed a double for star reinsman Chris Lewis, who celebrates his 54th birthday on Saturday.

Lewis was successful earlier on the program with Rostriever Ornum and he now has driven 221 winners from 1089 drives in the 2008-09 season.

Mister Veejays Fella, trained at Forrestdale by Alan Bell, gave a bold frontrunning display to win at his WA debut at Pinjarra last Monday and on Friday night the gelding gave a sample of his versatility.

He started from the outside of the front line and Lewis restrained him to 12th and last position before he moved forward into tenth place, three wide, at the bell.

Mister Veejays Fella, favourite at 7/4, went five wide on the home turn and thundered down the outside of the track to get to the front with 40m to travel. It was his eighth win from 38 starts.

He started seven times in New Zealand for one win and two placings before having 27 starts in Victoria for three wins and 18 placings and two starts for two wins in South Australia.

 SVILICICH HAS A KEEN EYE FOR A BARGAIN

Veteran Byford trainer Tony Svilicich has a keen eye for a bargain and Victorian Andrew Curran has no regrets that he heeded Svilicich’s advice to spend $10,000 to buy seven-year-old gelding Rostriever Ornum when he started in a claiming race at Gloucester Park on May 8.

Rostriever Ornum has flourished under Svilicich’s guidance and he gave a spirited frontrunning display to win the 1730m Cyril Lilleyman Memorial Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Driven by Chris Lewis, Rostriever Ornum, confidently supported from 7/2 to 9/4, resisted a strong early challenge for the lead from Stage Coach Kid and then bowled along in front before revealing excellent fighting qualities to hold out the State’s best sprinter Hayton Brain and win by a nose, with a nose farther back to Stage Coach Kid.

The win took Rostriever Ornum’s record for Curran and Svilicich to 12 starts for two wins and two placings for stakes of $28,880.

The victory by the M2-class Rostriever Ornum over his six rivals all with a superior record and a tighter assessment kept Svilicich smiling after he had to scratch stable star Mysta Magical Mach from the event because the four-year-old was suffering from a cold.

The eight-year-old Hayton Brain, who finished third behind Mysta Magical Mach in the WA Pacing Cup last January, was a shade disappointing at his second outing after a spell.

Donald Harper sent him forward three wide with 1050m to travel and then the gelding raced outside the pacemaker. He fought on doggedly to just fail.

 CRAMP LANDS A DOUBLE AFTER AN EARLY SCARE

Shayne Cramp proved an able deputy for star reinsman Gary Hall jun. when he drove a double for trainer Gary Hall sen. at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Talented New Zealand-bred pacer Indian Giver was a 7/4 on favourite in the Big Rig Handicap and punters had their hearts in their mouths when Indian Giver broke into a gallop as the barriers were released.

But Cramp was able to quickly get Indian Giver into a smooth pacing action and the five-year-old lost only one length.

“It was the first time I had driven him and he broke because he tried to jump the tape at the start,” Cramp explained.

Indian Giver, from the 20m mark, quickly mustered pace and he zoomed forward to assume the role of pacemaker after 700m, with the 30m backmarker Fourmoore (2/1) racing in last position in the field of seven.

Chris Lewis started a three-wide move with Fourmoore at the bell, but he faced a virtually impossible task with Indian Giver sprinting the final 800m in 57.8sec. Fourmoore got to the breeze 550m from home and fought on gamely into third place.

Indian Giver, raced by Danny Roberts, Susan Beven, Brian Anderson, Glen Moore, Riwai Williams, John Burt, Joseph Banks and Andrew Lee, now graduates to an M6 mark after winning 13 times from only 21 starts.   

The first leg of Cramp’s double (his third on a Friday night at Gloucester Park) came when Has The Answers (7/4) began fast from barrier six and then crossed to the front after 450m had been covered in the Vanguard Press Stakes.

Has The Answers set a solid pace and sprinted the final 800m in 57.9sec. before winning by a neck from the 7/4 equal favourite Davisons Destiny, who had enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before starting a three-wide move at the bell.

Has The Answers completed a double for owner Les Coulson, whose smart two-year-old filly So Not Blonde (also by American stallion Legacy of Power) was successful in the Healthy Food Stakes.

So Not Blonde, the 9/4 equal favourite with Pole Dancer, got to the front 400m after the start and Justin Prentice rated her perfectly before he increased the tempo when Pole Dancer began to issue her challenge over the final 400m.

So Not Blonde held Pole Dancer safely at bay to score by 2m. The winner is out of Jerrys Party and is a full sister to The Power Within, who has had 68 starts for 12 wins, 14 placings and stakes of $101,050.

Jerrys Party is out of Party Line (three wins from 21 starts), who produced four winners, including Evening All, who earned $106,767 from his 12 wins and 20 placings from 79 starts.

 MY MISSINDEPENDENT REMAINS UNBEATEN IN WA

Five-year-old My Missindependent showed that she has the potential to become the best trotter in WA when she outclassed her rivals in the George Maloney Memorial Handicap over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

It was her fourth win from four starts in WA and it boosted her stake-earnings to $243,235 from her 21wins and 15 places from 56 starts.

Trainer Kate Hawkins got My Missindependent away smoothly in the stand and she quickly sent the mare forward with a three-wide burst to take up the position outside the pacemaker Paddy Cullighan.

My Missindependent settled well in the breeze and she was untroubled to burst past  Paddy Cullighan at the 400m mark and race away to score easily by 20m at a 2.5.6 rate.
Backa Beyond came from the one-out, one-back position to finish second and Humphreys Mate (who had trailed Backa Beyond throughout, fought on to be third.

The 30m backmarker Compressor did well to sustain a three-wide run from eighth at the bell to finish fifth.

 TRAINING DOUBLE TO AMANDA SUVALJKO

When Styx By Mee dashed to the lead 400m after the start, set the pace and won the Tom Thompson Memorial Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night it completed a double for Serpentine trainer Amanda Suvaljko in the space of 30 minutes.

A half hour earlier Giles Inwood drove the Suvaljko-trained two-year-old Criminal Minds to an all-the-way victory over Pure Velocity in the second event at Burwood Park in Northam to give Inwood the first leg of a driving treble.

Styx By Mee, solidly supported from 11/2 to 15/4, was driven confidently by the trainer’s husband Callan Suvaljko and the win was the Christian Cullen filly’s sixth from 14 starts for Steve Radalj’s Suvaljko Pacing syndicate and co-owner Ernie Surman.

Trainer Gary Hall senior’s fillies La Joconde (9/4 favourite) and before Night Falls (13/2) sustained strong bursts to threaten Styx By Mee in the home straight.

However, Styx By Mee fought on doggedly to win by a head from La Joconde (who came from seventh at the bell), with Before Night Falls a neck away in third place.

 THE JOBS ON TAKES EARNINGS TO $211,026

WA-bred seven-year-old The Jobs On has been a wonderful moneyspinner for owners Jesse Moore and Max and Trevor Kanny and his strong victory in the Colin Hammersley Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night boosted his earnings to $211,026 from 13 wins and 32 placings from 93 starts.

The Jobs On, trained at Northam by Moore and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, started from 10m and was a 13/4 second favourite.

His task was made easier when frontmarker and 3/1 favourite Christopher Three galloped and lost valuable ground at the start. Village Slickers began speedily from 10m and Shayne Cramp sent him to the front after 150m, with The Jobs On settling in seventh position.

The Jobs On sustained a strong three-wide burst from sixth at the bell to hit the front about 90m from the post. Christopher Three finished determinedly from eighth at the bell to finish an unlucky fourth.

The Jobs On, by American stallion Perfect Art, is the first foal out of Victorian-bred mare Kenmare, who had 18 starts on WA country tracks for wins at Narrogin and Northam.

 BREW RECOVERS IN TIME TO LAND A WINNER

Young reinsman Chris Brew had to be relieved of his drives at the meeting at Bunbury last Tuesday when he was suffering from an eye infection.

He made a swift recovery to be passed fit to have just one drive at Gloucester Park on Friday night. And he made every post a winner by guiding the even-money favourite Dalmore Disco to a smart all-the-way victory over Lindas Only in the 2130m Bill Steer Memorial Stakes.

Dalmore Disco, trained by Ross Ashby at Pinjarra, ended a losing sequence of 13 when she dashed over the final 800m in 58.4sec. to give her rivals little chance of overhauling her.

Lindas Only began very fast from the No. 9 barrier, but after getting to a half-length lead over Dalmore Disco in the early stages, was unable to wrest the lead from the mare.

Colin Reeves then rated Lindas Only in the breeze and the five-year-old fought on gamely to be second, a length in front of Bad Leroy, who ran on along the pegs.

 NEW ZEALAND DRIVER SCORES WITH BEACH BANDIT

Young New Zealand reinsman Lawrence McCormick landed his first winner in Australia when he was successful with Beach Bandit in the Sky Channel Handicap at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old McCormick has come to WA to gain experience with Capel trainer Andrew de Campo after driving three winners from 127 starters in New Zealand in the past three seasons.

McCormick had three drives at the Bunbury meeting last Friday week and showed promise with thirds behind Beach Bandit and Dealt Ace of Hearts. Both pacers came home with strong finishing bursts.

Then last Tuesday McCormick had three drives (Iraville, Dealt Ace of Hearts and Beach Bandit) at Bunbury.

Iraville raced three back on the pegs and finished ninth behind Hurricane Dilinger and Dealt Ace of Hearts rattled home from sixth at the bell to be a half-length second to Finalheir before Beach Bandit galloped from 20m and surged home from eighth at then bell to get up and win by 4m from Im Light Hearted.