Changeover filly big hope on Friday night

Champion trainer Gary Hall sen. is a master at producing pacers in top form for first-up winning performances and he has given himself a formidable challenge by setting the highly inexperienced filly Nuala for the $50,000 Schweppes Dainty’s Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The New Zealand-bred Nuala will be attempting to win the group 2 feature event for three-year-old fillies at only her third start and at her first appearance for 172 days.

In a highly unorthodox preparation and a bold approach to a classic event Hall has not given Nuala any lead-up race starts, preferring to get her ready by running her in a 2150m mobile trial at Byford on each of the past three Sunday mornings.

Driven by Clint Hall, Nuala has not been extended and has been most impressive in winning the three trials by margins of 6m, 45m and 30m.

In her latest trial, in a field of five, Nuala beat Bettor Twisted by ten lengths after dashing over the final two quarters in 28.6sec. and 28.4sec.

Nuala has drawn favourably at barrier two on the front line, but the filly, a winner at her only two starts (at Oamaru last April and at Pinjarra on August 25), faces a stern test in the battle for early ascendancy.

Drawn on her inside on the prized No. 1 barrier is Delightful Jade, a filly blessed with sparkling early speed and a noted frontrunner.

Nuala goes into Friday night’s event a major disadvantage, apart from racing first-up, in that she is the only filly who has not raced at Gloucester Park.

She has earned just $8735, while her ten rivals have, between them, won 54 races and earned a combined total of $614,231 — a healthy average of $61,423.

Hall sen. is a born optimist and if Nuala emerges triumphant after her unconventional preparation, it will add further lustre to Hall’s standing as a genius.

Hall, after placings in the Dainty’s Daughter Classic with Tiffany Case (2007), La Joconde (2009), and Ella Sue (2010), broke through last year for his first success in the classic when Gary Hall jun. took full advantage of the No. 1 barrier by leading all the way with 3/1 on favourite Majorly Foxy Styx, who defeated The Parade by six lengths.

Twelve months ago Hall sen. gave Majorly Foxy Styx a solid preparation for the Dainty’s Daughter Classic, with the filly having five lead-up races in December and January for five stylish victories.

This year he has a good second-string runner in Giuliana Rancic, who will be driven by Gary Hall jun. from the outside of the back line.

Giuliana Rancic improved her record to six starts for four wins when she gave a bold frontrunning display to beat Kamikaze by three lengths at a 1.58.5 rate over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday afternoon.

That followed a smart victory at a 1.55.3 rate over 1684m at Pinjarra the previous Monday.

Friday night’s race promises to be an absolute thriller, with Tricky Styx, Delightful Jade, Quite A Delight, Major Reality, Soho New York, Giuliana Rancic, Straittothehilton and Soho New York all having strong each-way prospects.

Morgan Woodley has been engaged by Capel trainer Andrew de Campo to drive Delightful Jade, who has raced 17 times for ten wins and three seconds.

De Campo’s son Aiden has driven the filly at seven of her wins, but he has opted to handle last season’s star two-year-old filly Tricky Styx for Northam trainer Jesse Moore.

Tricky Styx has won at eight of her 13 starts; she possesses a whirlwind finishing burst and cannot be underestimated, even from barrier five on the front line.

Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice was philosophical when his star fillies Quite A Delight (unbeaten at four starts) and Major Reality (five wins and two placings from eight starts) drew out wide on the front line. Quite A Delight, to be driven by Chris Lewis) will start from barrier six and Major Reality (Chris Voak) will start from No. 7.

Lewis drove Quite A Delight for the first time when the filly won a 2100m event at Bunbury last Saturday night.

She raced wide early and then in the breeze outside Delightful Jade before taking the lead 1300m from home and winning by just under two lengths from that filly.

“The barrier draws don’t help at all,” Prentice said.

“I thought that at least one of them might get a decent barrier."

"But I wouldn’t swap my fillies with any other runners in the race."

"However, I wouldn’t mind swapping the barrier draws."

"They both can still win."

“Quite A Delight hasn’t done a lot since Saturday, but she hasn’t needed to."

"Chris was really happy with her."

"She didn’t have everything going her way."

"There was a pin that didn’t release and she was kicking a wheel early which fired her up."

"She came in with a low heart rate and did things easily.”

Major Reality has been untroubled to score in effortless style at her two outings as a three-year-old, leading and scoring by four lengths from Soho New York and La Mia Juliette over 2130m at Gloucester Park on January 9 and leading and winning by more than two lengths from Delightful Jade over 1684m at Pinjarra ten days later.

“Quite A Delight and Major Reality are very good fillies and with the right runs they are going to be more than competitive on Friday night,” Prentice said.

“They are both definitely good enough to do work and win."

“Obviously, Tricky Styx is the proven performer and the horse to beat, and then you’ve got the unknown in Nuala, a filly with big wraps who we haven’t seen much of.”

Ken Casellas