Gloucester Park review 15 March

Gloucester Park harness racing review with Ken Casellas

Turn The Page is a rising star

Turn The Page (Vincent) emerged as a leading contender for the $75,000 Empress Stakes on April 19 when she made a superb return to racing after a 19-week absence with a brilliant win in the 2130m Team Bond Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“Her greatest asset is her strength and toughness,” said Deni Roberts after driving the New Zealand-bred four-year-old to a neck victory over Pocketful Of Opals — important ingredients for the 2536m Empress Stakes.

Turn The Page was produced in splendid condition by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who own the mare who was placed once from her two New Zealand starts in April 2023 and now has raced eleven times in Western Australia for eight wins and two second placings.

Turn the Page won the group 3 Daintys Daughter Classic and finished second to August Moon in the WA Oaks last year before she was the only filly to contest the WA Derby in November — when she had no luck, racing in the breeze for the first 1100m and then breaking into a fierce gallop 250m from home and finishing last.

She certainly has the ability to compete against the best male pacers in the classic events for four-year-olds, including the rich Golden Nugget, late this year. She also will be one of the main chances in feature events for mares this year.

Turn The Page was the $2.10 favourite from out wide at barrier seven, with the polemarker Make Your Mark the second fancy at $2.75.

Make Your Mark was smartest to begin, while Roberts dashed Turn The Page forward with a three-wide burst to move to the breeze after a lap. Turn the Page sprinted over the final 400m in 28.7sec. and she swept to the front with 110m to travel and scored impressively from $19 chance Pocketful Of Opals and Make Your Mark, rating 1.58.6.

TURN THE PAGE REPLAY

Roberts said that she did not attempt to wrest the lead from Make Your Mark when Turn the Page moved alongside the pacemaker after a lap. “I just wanted to get to the breeze,” she said. “Turn The Page had already done too much to get there, without having to challenge for the lead. I was quite happy to sit outside Make Your Mark.

“She will follow whatever speed; it doesn’t seem to bother her. You can be running two minutes or 1.56 and she feels the same. Going up in grade when they start running a bit quicker, I think you will see an even better version of her. Her heart rate tonight was 88. She does not use any extra energy than she needs to.”

Turn The Page is by former champion pacer Vincent and is the fifth foal out of the unraced Sands A Flyin mare Sheza Monkee, whose full-brother Monkey King was a brilliant performer who amassed $3,487,401 in stakes from 39 wins and 23 placings from 95 starts.

Monkey King won 17 group events in a remarkable career which included victories in the 2005 Great Northern Derby at Alexandra Park, the 2009 and 2010 New Zealand Cups at Addington and the Miracle Mile at Menangle in November 2009.

Pinny Tiger’s splendid Cup trial

Speedy pacer Pinny Tiger (Mach Three) is on song to run a great race in the $50,000 Bunbury Cup on March 30, and his part-owner and trainer Michael Brennan declared that the six-year-old would be at his peak for the 2569m event after scoring an effortless victory in the 2130m Entertainment With Horsepower Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Pinny Tiger, the $1.30 favourite, sped straight to the front from barrier six and was not extended in setting a brisk pace and winning by seven metres from Arma Einstein ($8), with $7 chance Finvarra a neck away in third place.

Star reinsman Chris Voak praised Pinny Tiger, saying: “He ran the final three quarters in 28.7sec., 27.3sec. and 28.3sec. and I’m confident that he will improve.

“Pinny Tiger felt really good tonight, but he wanted to get strong at the 900m. In other races in which I’ve led with him I’ve held him back before letting him run at the 600m. Tonight, I let him rate himself from the 900m and he was still strong on the line. There was a tail wind in the back straight but there was a head wind on the way home.”

Brennan said that Pinny Tiger would improve on Friday night’s effort before contesting the Bunbury Cup. “When he’s like that and on song he is poetry in motion,” he said. “He ran the gate quick and then settled, which was pleasing. And he’s done that with the ear plugs in.”

Brennan said that he had decided to run Pinny Tiger in Friday night’s race instead of in the $50,000 Mount Eden Sprint over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday because he considered that running in a sprint before the Bunbury Cup would not be ideal.

“Pinny Tiger is an elite horse and obviously we would love to have him in the field for the Nullarbor slot race (on April 19),” said Brennan. “We have no great plans for Pinny Tiger; we will just let him do the talking.”

Pinny Tiger has earned $267,796 from 17 wins, eleven seconds and one third from 46 starts.

There’s two of Ira Poole

One week after Ira Poole (Falcon Seelster) was a fading last behind Galaxy Warrior, the New Zealand-bred five-year-old bounced back with an easy all-the-way win in the $30,000 Im Themightyquinn Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“You can’t imagine how he went last week compared with how he performed tonight,” said Gary Hall jnr after driving Ira Poole, the $1.30 favourite, to victory over Our Shelley Beach ($9) and Jackpot Joe ($41), rating 1.56.2 over the 2130m.

“He is a quirky horse. In front he is very good; anywhere else he is in trouble because he pulls and hangs. He’s two different horses. Last week Galaxy Warrior pushed him out of the way on the (home) bend and went straight past him.

“It’s wonderful to win a race named after Im Themightyquinn, who looks amazing at the age of 20. He got on his toes and loved it when he led the field on to the track at the Pinjarra Cup a couple of weeks ago.”

Im Themightyquinn was prepared by champion trainer Gary Hall snr and was driven in most of his 58 wins (for stakes of $4,567,456) by Hall jnr.

“Ira Poole should win more races and he could be an ideal candidate for a career in the United States,” said Hall jnr.

Ira Poole is by Falcon Seelster and is the second foal out of the Mach Three mare Turiya Bromac. He did not race in New Zealand and has had 31 starts in Victoria for six wins and ten placings, with his seven WA starts for Hall snr producing three wins and one placing, improving his career record to 38 starts for nine wins, 11 placings and $73,393.

Heez Good As Gold bred to succeed

WA-bred four-year-old Heez Good As Gold (Rich And Spoilt) is the first foal out of the unraced Art Major mare Front Paige Adda, but he has inherited much of the ability of his maternal granddam, the American-bred mare Paige Nicole Q, who is the dam of seven winners of a total of 80 races.

Paige Nicole Q, by Beach Towel, was a star pacer in America who earned $712,801 from 14 wins and six placings from 33 starts.

Heez Good As Gold, trained by Mike Reed, was purchased for $50,000 by Jim Giumelli at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, and the gelding looks set to improve on his record of four wins and four placings for stakes of $36,433 from 25 starts.

“He is out of a good mare and his granddam was outstanding and had high speed,” said Reed. “He is by Rich And Spoilt, who had guts — and tonight Heez Good As Gold showed both qualities.

“Heez Good As Gold has had only 25 starts. At his first ten starts he was a bull and was uncontrollable. So, we gelded him, and he has settled down very well.

“He will get better and better and I think he will be the same type of horse as Caveman. He is no star but will be a good earner.” Caveman won 15 races for Reed and has won another six in America, taking his record to 83 starts for 21 wins, 25 placings and $224,953.

Heez Good As Gold was the $1.80 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Westerntrilogy.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Shannon Suvaljko drove him to an all-the-way win over Louie Lebeau ($11) and Chaco Eagle ($14), rating 1.55.8.

Happy Acuto delivers the goods

Keeping veteran pacer Acuto (Art Official) in a happy frame of mind is the formula for success, according to the gelding’s owner-trainer Chris Phatouros.

Nine-year-old Acuto celebrated his 110TH start by scoring an easy all-the-way win in the 2130m Sky Racing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he was the $1.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier.

Kyle Symington sent Acuto straight to the front and was able to get away with a slow lead time of 39.6sec. and opening quarters of leisurely 32.6sec. and 30.9sec. before dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.4sec. and 27.4sec. and winning by just over a length from $21 chance Rockaball, rating a modest 2.0.1.

Replying to a query of what is the secret of Acuto’s success and his longevity, Phatouros said: “Mainly keeping him happy. He lives in a paddock of green grass and doesn’t get stabled unless there’s a storm.

“I don’t work him too hard. I hopple him and gallop him in the cart at home. He likes that more than trackwork. Tonight, I was the most confident I’ve been for years before a race. He goes super in front.

“When he won about six weeks ago, he ran a lead time of 36.4sec. and he led and won by about 15 metres. I was more confident when I saw him run a slow lead time tonight, and he finished with the plugs in.”

Aldebaran Sundown’s one-act affair

Veteran Victorian-bred trotter Aldebaran Sundown (Skyvalley) notched his first metropolitan-class win when he made the 7Plus Trot a one-act affair at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Aldebaran Sundown trotted faultlessly for Nigel Johns, the renowned trained of square gaiters, with his runaway success which saw him burst straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier, set a brisk pace and win by eight lengths from Tricky Ric.

The eight-year-old Aldebaran Sundown, the $3.30 second favourite, rated 2.0.0, which set a track record for a trotter over a 2536m trip from a mobile start. This broke the record of 2.0.1 set by eight-year-old Rock Tonight when he was trained by Johns and driven by Morgan Woodley on January 24, 2020. Rock Tonight was part-owned by Paul Demicoli, the owner of Aldebaran Sundown.

Aldebaran Sundown raced 12 times in Victoria for two wins and two placings, and in WA he has had 53 starts for ten wins and 15 placings, taking his career record to 65 starts for 12 wins, 17 placings and $99,606 in prizemoney.

He is by New Zealand sire Skyvalley and is the sixth foal out of the unraced Sundon mare Aldebaran Sunset.

Eight-year-old Tricky Ric, the $3.60 third fancy, settled at the rear before Gary Hall jnr sent him forward after 650m with a three-wide burst to move to the breeze. He just battled on into a distant second place, while the $2.65 favourite Patched, who replaced Tricky Ric in the breeze with two laps to travel, wilted to finish a well-beaten fifth.

Solesseo Matuca breaks through

Well-performed pacer Solesseo Matuca (A Rocknroll Dance) broke through for his first win in Western Australia at his seventh start in the State when he raced without cover before finishing strongly to beat the pacemaker and $1.38 favourite Soho Santorini in the 2130m Bridge Bar Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Solesseo Matuca was the $3.80 second favourite from the No. 2 barrier and Gary Hall jnr was content to race without cover while the polemaker Soho Santorini had his own way in front.

After a slow lead time of 37.9sec. and modest opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.3sec. Soho Santorini increased the tempo with final 400m sections of 28.2sec. and 27.8sec.

Solesseo Matuca surged to the front 120m from the post and won by more than a length, rating 1.56.

“I was a bit worried when Showpony was scratched just before the start because I was planning on sitting on Showpony (expected to go to the breeze),” said Hall. “But Solesseo Matuca travelled well in the breeze, and he was going so strongly at the 300m that I though he was ‘home.’

“I think that going up in grade will suit him as a sit and kick player. However, I have got to get him driving better. He is a nice horse and is not nasty, but he wants to do his thing his way.”

Solesseo Matuca is by American stallion A Rocknroll Dance and is the fifth foal out of Princess Dilinger, who raced 86 times for 13 wins, 21 placings and $65,263. He now has earned $254,745 from 11 wins and 21 placings from 52 starts.

He is a half-brother to Top The Ace (220 starts for 16 wins, 58 placings and $165,687) and Youaremy Sunshine (27 starts for nine wins, seven placings and $166,610).

It’s Tubbs Farquhar at last

Tubbs Farquhar (Mach Three) lined up as a two-year-old to make his debut in a race at Gloucester Park on April 11, 2017 when he galloped at the start and finished last in the field of eight, 160 metres behind the winner Rock Me Over.

Now a healthy nine-year-old, Tubbs Farquhar began from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m Steelos Pace on Friday night with a record of just two placings from 35 starts at Gloucester Park, and, surprisingly, he was the $3 favourite.

He was a gift horse in August 2021 for Coolup trainer Hayden Reeves and his wife Ashleigh, and he has been an honest and handy performer, with Friday night’s victory taking his record for them to 58 starts for seven wins and 13 placings. Five of those wins were at Albany and one at Wagin, and he now boasts a career record of 113 starts for 16 wins, 27 placings and $111,358 in prizemoney.

Reeves was not at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Tubbs Farquhar was in the care of Corey Rogers. Reeves was at the meeting at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park where the best of his five runners was Lucy Helen, with a third placing.

Tubbs Farquhar has had seven trainers during his career, and Stuart McDonald is one of 21 drivers to have handled the WA-bred gelding in his long career.

McDonald sent Tubbs Farquhar straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier and the gelding set the pace and won by almost a length from the $3.70 third fancy Mister Linton, who was shuffled back to seventh at the bell before finishing with a powerful burst. Name In Lights ($26) ran on, out five wide, from eighth at the bell to finish third.

“The plan was to lead because that’s where he goes best,” said McDonald. “However, I thought he went unders and was pretty lucky to win. But we take what we can get.

“He didn’t get out of the gate like he should, and after getting away with what he did (a slow 38sec. lead time and opening quarters of 31.5sec. and 30.3sec.) he should have run home a lot better than he did and win a lot easier. So, I was disappointed with the way he went.”

Thenu Came Along upsets the favourite

Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond held a powerful hand in the 2130m Trotsynd Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night with three of the five runners —- Thelittle Master (the $1.50 favourite), Thenu Came Along ($3.60) and Prince Of Pain ($9).

And Thenu Came Along (Bettor’s Delight) caused an upset when he won by 2m from Thelittle Master, with Prince Of Pain finishing in third place.

Stuart McDonald, who had driven Thelittle Master at his previous outing a fortnight earlier, made a winning move when he dashed Thenu Came Along past Prince Of Pain and into the lead 250m after the start, with Thelittle Master (Deni Roberts) settling down in last place in an Indian file affair after that gelding had begun from the outside barrier.

Roberts eased Thelittle Master off the pegs 1000m from home and McDonald increased the tempo with a 28.2sec. third quarter of the final mile, followed by a final 400m of 27.8sec. Thenu Came Along, who held Thelittle Master at bay in the final stages, rated a smart 1.56.6.

“The plan tonight was to go forward early and assess the situation,” said McDonald. “It then looked like the lead was there, so I went for it and was able to get to the front. We got a nice lead time (37.8sec.) and with an opening quarter of 31.1sec. Thenu Came Along was able to run home fast and  win quite comfortably.”

Thenu Came Along was purchased for $85,000 at the 2022 Perth APG yearling sale, and he now has earned $46,415 from four wins and six placings from 17 starts. He is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the fifth foal out of Art Major mare Arconite, the dam of WA pacer Adda Spoilt Major, who has had 84 starts for nine wins, 26 placings and $99,638 in prizemoney.

Prentice has a keen eye

Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice has always been an astute judge of horseflesh, and his decision to pay just $22,000 for Mighty Ronaldo (Alta Christiano) at the 2019 Perth APG yearling sale has proved a masterstroke.

Mighty Ronaldo, now a six-year-old, is proving a remarkable bargain for Prentice and several stable clients, with his splendid victory in the $31,000 TABtouch Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night taking his career record to 53 starts for 13 wins, 17 placings and stakes of $727,112.

Mighty Ronaldo was the $1.80 favourite from barrier three, with strong support for Watts Up Sunshine resulting in the polemarker starting at $2.20.

Watts Up Sunshine began speedily and Gary Hall jnr was able to give the six-year-old an easy time in front with a slow lead time of 38.9sec. and an ambling opening quarter of 31.2sec. before increasing the tempo with the final three 400m sections being run in 28.3sec., 27.8sec. and 27.5sec.

The field of five raced in Indian file before Deni Roberts eased $14 chance Galactic Star off the pegs in last position with 1300m to travel. Emily Suvaljko, who had Mighty Ronaldo pacing comfortably in third position, reacted to this move and wisely got Mighty Ronaldo off the inside and into the breeze 1050m from home.

It was soon afterwards that class told, with Suvaljko dashing Mighty Ronaldo past Watts Up Sunshine and into the lead about 250m from home. Mighty Ronaldo went on to win by just over a length from Watts Up Sunshine, rating 1.56.2.

Prentice praised Suvaljko for what he described as a very good drive. “It was always going to be a tricky race in which to drive, knowing that Junior (Hall) would be leading and driving to beat Mighty Ronaldo,” he said. “And that makes things pretty difficult.

“Mighty Ronaldo has run good times in the breeze, though he hasn’t won those races. Obviously, it is not his ideal position, but I still thought he was capable of doing it tonight. He has been competing in all the big races, and he is pretty reliant on the draw. And he has had a horrible run of draws.”

Prentice is setting Mighty Ronaldo for the $50,000 Bunbury Cup on March 30, and he is looking forward to Mighty Ronaldo and/or either of his talented stablemates Tricky Miki and Never Ending being chosen by a slot owner to run in the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on April 19.

For complete race results, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park