Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas
De Campo’s Brisbane dream
Ace reinsman Aiden de Campo was not even born when his father Andrew travelled to Queensland in April 1991 where he drove stable star Son Of Otara in two events at Brisbane’s Albion Park for devastating all-the-way victories, including the country’s richest race of the year, the $491,000 final of the Australian Pacing Gold for two-year-olds.
Now the 31-year-old Aiden de Campo has high hopes of following in his father’s footsteps by succeeding with outstanding six-year-old Magnificent Storm (American Ideal) in three rich feature events at Albion Park next month which carry total prizemoney of $905,000.
He has driven Magnificent Storm six times for six victories and should maintain his unbeaten record with the champion gelding when the New Zealand-bred pacer lines up on the outside barrier in a field of four to contest the $30,000 GPHR Members Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Magnificent Storm is beginning very well, and he should go straight to the front,” said de Campo, who drove the gelding to an effortless victory over 2536m last Friday night.
de Campo has been engaged to handle the Ray Williams-trained Magnificent Storm in his three Queensland outings — the $350,000 Rising Sun over 2138m on July 8, the $200,000 1660m Sunshine Sprint on July 15 and the $355,000 Blacks A Fake Queensland Championship over 2680m the following Saturday.
The varying distances of those events will not bother Magnificent Storm, who has proved to be extremely versatile throughout his fabulous 48-start career of 31 wins and seven placings for stakes of $726,717.
A test for Soho Dow Jones
Whether a strong perception that Soho Dow Jones (American Ideal) lacks the necessary gate speed to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier in the $30,000 Pure Steel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night is correct will be answered when the 2130m event gets under way.
There is little doubt that Mitch Miller be anxious to hold the lead and set the pace with Soho Dow Jones, but he is expected to receive spirited opposition early from fast beginners Illawong Mustang (barrier two) and Goodfellaz (barrier five).
Soho Dow Jones, an impressive all-the-way winner in a 2503m standing-start event last Friday night, revealed good gate speed at his previous start when he led from barrier two and scored a runaway victory against modest opposition in a 2130m mobile event.
Illawong Mustang, trained by Dylan Egerton-Green and to be driven for the first time by Emily Suvaljko, revealed excellent gate speed when he led and won over 1730m, beating subsequent winner High Price, last Friday week.
Egerton-Green, who has driven Illawong Mustang 52 times, including at the gelding’s past 26 starts, has decided to handle stablemate Lil Happy Fella, who has won at two of his past four starts.
The lightly-raced Goodfellaz (eight wins and seven placings from 18 starts) is in fine form, and it is significant that he has begun speedily and won five times. He was the $1.65 favourite when he began from the back line and ran home strongly from tenth at the bell to finish a close third behind Benji over 1684m at Pinjarra three Mondays ago.
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo is looking for an improved performance from smart four-year-old Rock On Top, who was disappointing last Friday night at his second outing after a spell following a first-up Narrogin win. He raced wide early and then enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before wilting to finish sixth behind Rockmyster.
Rock On Top, a winner at eight of his 32 starts, will begin from the outside of the back line. “I thought he should have run second or third last week,” said de Campo. “He pulled up a bit big, and his work this morning (Tuesday) was good, so, hopefully, he can bounce back.”
The Craig Abercromby-trained Gregarmy faces a tough task from out wide at barrier eight. But he is a tough pacer who impressed on Tuesday of last week when, at his third outing after a spell, he raced wide early and then in the breeze before winning from Cowboys N Bandits over 2130m.
Cheer The Major, to be driven by Kyle Harper for trainer Gary Elson, has sound each-way prospects from the inside of the back line. The seven-year-old is racing with great heart, with Gloucester Park placings behind Tiger Royal, Whos The Dad and Rockmyster at his past three outings.
City debut for Our Maestoto
Young and inexperienced trotter Our Maestoto (Majestic Son) will make his first appearance at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and Busselton trainer Barry Howlett is confident that the four-year-old will maintain his unbeaten record.
Howlett, who celebrated a significant milestone last Friday night when Brulee scored a narrow victory in a 1730m event for three-year-old fillies to give him his 500TH training success, said that Our Maestoto would be hard to beat when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the $20,250 Cowden For Exceptional Service Trot.
Our Maestoto’s clash with the highly-regarded trotter Bromwich (barrier three) should be a highlight on the ten-event program. Bromwich, a former Victorian performer, now trained by Gary Hall snr, has been most impressive in winning easily at his first two starts in Western Australia.
“Our Maestoto is first-up for a while (110 days since his latest outing), but he will go pretty good,” said Howlett. “Our guy is inexperienced compared to the others in the race, but he is a very good horse who is going places.”
Howlett purchased Our Maestoto as a weanling in New Zealand, mainly because he is closely related to brilliant trotter Sunnys Little Whiz, who had 29 starts in WA for Howlett for 16 wins, seven seconds and three thirds. Her major success was in the group 1 Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park in December 2016.
“I reckon Our Maestoto goes as good as Sunnys Little Whiz ever went,” said Howlett. “He can run, and he beats all our two-year-old pacers at home.
“I know that Bromwich is also very good, and I’ve heard Junior (Gary Hall jnr) saying on an interview that he is as good as any trotter they have ever had, and that includes Trick Ric.”
Bromwich is an experienced five-year-old who has had 47 starts for eight wins, ten seconds and three thirds. He has won very easily at his first two WA starts — in stands at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park, and he appears certain to develop into a wonderful star in WA.
Our Maestoto, driven by Chris Lewis, has had three starts — all at Pinjarra in consecutive weeks in February this year — for effortless victories, with winning margins of 17.6m, 25.2m and 20.7m.
Howlett and Lewis also have bright prospects in the opening event on Friday night, the 2130m Cowden The Insurance Brokers Pace in which seven-year-old mare My Prayer will be fancied to win and end a 20-month drought and a losing sequence of 27.
My Prayer, a winner at eight of her 78 starts, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier. “She is working alright at home and should go pretty close,” said Howlett. “She hasn’t won since she started from the No. 1 barrier and set the pace (and beat Weewah by a half-head at Gloucester Park on October 8, 2021).”
My Prayer’s chief rival is likely to be the experienced six-year-old Craig Hynam-trained Medieval Man, who will start from barrier three with Lindsay Harper in the sulky.
Medieval Man ended a sequence of twelve unplaced runs last Friday night when he finished solidly from fourth at the bell to be second to High Price.
Hale Saint Louie looks smart
Inexperienced New Zealand-bred three-year-old Hale Saint Louie (Sweet Lou) has impressed greatly in winning by big margins on country tracks at his first four starts in Western Australia, and he faces a moment of truth when he makes his city debut in the 2130m Behind The Goals Sport FM Pasce at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will start from barrier four in a field of five in which he will meet other highly promising New Zealand-bred three-year-olds Fess Up (barrier one) and Hes Never Been Beta as well as the talented locally-bred colt Star Lavra.
Hale Saint Louie is trained by Dylan Egerton-Green, who has driven the gelding to runaway victories at his first four WA appearances — scoring by margins of 36.8m and 26.2m at Narrogin and by 26.9m and 13.9m at Northam.
Egerton-Green admitted that Hale Saint Louie was facing a steep rise in class against youngsters of the calibre of Fess Up, Hes Never Been Beta and Star Lavra.
“The opposition in his country runs was not as strong as what he will meet on Friday night,” he said. “But he has been running the times. He went 1.57 at Northam. He has never seen the Gloucester Park circuit, but he should handle the track okay; I can’t see why racing at Gloucester Park will be a problem.
“He has a tricky draw and there’s a few nice horses in the race. But I’m sure he will hold his own. He has a good turn of foot. It’s an interesting race in which Fess Up has the draw and looks the one to beat.”
Fess Up, to be driven by Deni Roberts for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, notched his sixth win from 17 starts when he began from a wide barrier and after racing at the rear early, he moved to the breeze and dashed over the final 800m in 55.8sec. to win by a head from Happichappi over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. That took his record as a three-year-old this year to five starts for four wins and a close second to Star Lavra.
Gary Hall snr trains Star Lavra (three wins and four placings from nine starts) and Hes Never Been Beta, who took his record to ten starts for five wins and three seconds with a commanding win over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday this week. Gary Hall jnr will handle Hes Never Been Beta, and Stuart McDonald will drive Star Lavra.
Miss Hepburn fancied
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo will be looking to lead with Miss Hepburn (Ultimate Machete) when she starts from the No. 3 barrier in the Cowden Classic Service Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She will improve on her debut effort (when second to Bazaar Package),” said de Campo. “I was happy with that; she came three deep without cover and was still going on the line. I’d like to find the front with her on Friday, and if she gets there, she will take some beating.”
Miss Hepburn was the solitary runner on the back line on debut at Gloucester Park last Friday week when she enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and two-back, before finishing strongly.
Bazaar Package began from barrier two, set the pace and won in good style. But she faces a sterner task this week from out wide at barrier nine.
Mardella trainer Michael Young advised punters not to overlook the claims of his filly Princess Katie, who will be resuming after a three-month absence and will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from barrier six.
“She is working well and seems to have come back better,” said Young. “She won her Sales heat (beating Xceptional Arma) and finished fourth in the final. She probably would have run second (to Water Lou) if she hadn’t broken up half way up the straight. She is ready to run a forward race, first-up, and I expect her to be one of the State’s best fillies this season.”
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has chosen to drive Grand Couteau (barrier one) in preference to stablemate Nase Vira, who will be driven by Maddison Brown from barrier five.
“I give Grand Couteau a good chance,” said Egerton-Green. “She was good on debut (when fifth behind Bazaar Package), and she has improved on that. I think she will run a bit of a race.”
The only non-WA-bred runner in Friday night’s race is the New Zealand-bred filly In A Wink, who has impressed at her first two outings for driver Deni Roberts and trainers Greg and Skye Bond, finishing second to stablemate Thenu came Along on debut at Bunbury and then trailing the pacemaker and finishing solidly to win from On The Back Foot at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. In A Wink will start out wide at barrier eight.
For complete Gloucester Park race entries, click here.
by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park