Gloucester Park review

Sahara Tiger shines on debut

Ravenswood harness racing trainer Nathan Turvey is a sensible, down-to-earth character with a conservative outlook on his pacers. But he was clearly excited at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the latest addition to his stable, Sahara Tiger, made his Western Australian debut in the Call DTS Now Pace.

The lightly-raced Victorian-bred five-year-old didn’t turn a hair when, driven confidently by Emily Suvaljko, he ambled along in front and won the 2130m event by a length from giant pacer Whoswhointhezoo, rating 1.58.7 after good final quarters of 28.2sec. and 28.7sec.

The powerful, well-muscled Art Major gelding was making his first appearance for ten weeks and he ended a losing sequence of eight. Starting favourite at $1.50 from the No. 2 barrier, Sahara Tiger took the lead after 200m and was not seriously challenged after the slow lead time of 39.5sec. and opening 400m sections of 31.1sec. and 29.6sec.

It wasn’t a remarkable performance, but he won with plenty in reserve.

“He was pretty laid back, but he won, and that’s the main thing,” said Turvey. “He’s pretty fast but he didn’t do too much tonight. He’s a pretty lazy horse.”

Queried about the horizon for Sahara Tiger, Turvey smiled and said: “We’re aiming high. But I’ll let him do the talking.”

Sahara Tiger raced 39 times in Victoria for the husband-and-wife training team of Debbie and Gary Quinlan, who considered that the gelding was capable of doing a good job in Western Australia after progressing to just below Free For All company in Melbourne.

Turvey is forming an excellent association with the Quinlans, who earlier this year sold him Heavens Showgirl and sent him four-year-old Leosabi.

Heavens Showgirl performed brilliantly for Turvey, having nine starts in the space of 84 days for five wins and one second placing and earnings of $54,984 before being sold to America in June. Leosabi has had ten starts for Turvey for four wins, three seconds and stakes of $23,631.

Sahara Tiger, whose dam Sahara Miss had 80 starts for 13 wins, 21 placings and $66,463, has several owners, including a syndicate from the Balwyn Football Club, which won the 2008 premiership in Melbourne’s Eastern Football League when Danile Harford was playing-coach. Harford and Turvey (who celebrated his 44TH birthday on Sunday of last week) were teammates at AFL club Hawthorn in the late 1990s.

Hengheng, a good buy at $8500

West Australian-bred four-year-old Hengheng is proving an excellent purchase at $8500 at the 2018 APG Perth yearling sale.

Driven assertively by Kyle Harper, Hengheng, an $8.50 chance, relished his frontrunning role when he won the group 3 Preux Chevalier Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. This improved his record to 39 starts for seven wins, eight placings and stakes of $55,003.

The Rich And Spoilt gelding is trained and part-owned by Lindsay Harper, who welcomed some sage advice from his son Donald.

“Donald and his wife Tara did all the pre-sale work on him,” said Lindsay Harper. “They prepared about eight yearlings bred by Harry Capararo for the sale, and Donald told me that he thought this youngster was the strongest of the eight yearlings.

“I had a look at him on sale day, and quite liked him. He was out of a good mare (Cool Adda) who had won a lot of races and had run good times. Hengheng looks a lot like Rich And Spoilt in his build and conformation.”

The highlight of Cool Adda’s career was at Gloucester Park in June 2010 when she set the pace and won the $60,000 Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies. She was retired to stud with a record of 80 starts for 15 wins, 12 placings and stakes of $160,839.

Cool Adda was one of seven winners out of the Mystical Prince mare Coco Chanel, whose dam Orthez produced nine winners, including Whitby Tolez (37 starts for 15 wins, ten placings and $200,196) and Travelling Whitby (207 starts for 39 wins, 52 placings and $148,404).

Hengheng defeated the two three-year-olds (Finvarra and Machnificent) in Friday night’s feature event. He won by a half-length from Finvarra, the $1.60 favourite who raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before starting a three-wide burst 550m from home and finishing strongly in an impressive first-up performance.

Machnificent ($7) raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before finishing with a spirited burst to be third.

Babyface Adda causes an upset

Boyanup trainer-reinsman Cody Wallrodt is delighted at the form of Babyface Adda, who enhanced his prospects of gaining a start in the $300,000 Fremantle Cup and the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup in January with an impressive upset victory in the DTS, Your Security Fencing Specialists Free For All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Babyface Adda, a $22.40 outsider in the field of six, settled in last place before Wallrodt gained the favourable one-out, one-back position, trailing the $1.95 favourite Bletchley Park.

The pacemaker Ideal Liner was safely holding Bletchley Park at bay when Wallrodt sent Babyface Adda forward, three wide, with 250m to travel. After a 27.7sec. third quarter of the final mile Babyface Adda sprinted home strongly with a final quarter of 28.6sec. to get up and beat Galactic Star ($9.50) by a head, with another head back to Ideal Liner in third place.

Galactic Star, who trailed the leader all the way, gained an inside passage in the final stages. Bletchley Park lacked sparkle and finished fourth.

This was Babyface Adda’s third run after resuming from a spell. It followed the five-year-old Rich And Spoilt gelding’s first-up all-the-way victory over Vespa and Walsh, and his impressive fast-finishing close second to Hurricane Harley over 1730m.

Wallrodt races Babyface Adda on lease from Peter Capararo, and the gelding has had 21 starts for him for five wins and seven placings to improve his career record to 65 starts for 15 wins, 16 placings and stakes of $191,876.

Peter Romeo breaks through

Promising two-year-old gelding Peter Romeo broke through for his first win at his 14TH start when Shannon Suvaljko took full advantage of the No. 1 barrier to drive him to a comfortable all-the-way victory in the 2130m DTS, We’ve Got Shedloads Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Peter Romeo, trained by David Thompson, had sufficient in reserve at the finish to beat $3.90 chance Loucid Dreams by more than a length after setting up his win with a slow lead time of 38.9sec. and moderate opening quarters of 31.1sec. and 30.7sec.

He kept Loucid Dreams at bay after that gelding had worked in the breeze throughout. Peter Romeo’s stablemate Paul Edward, the $1.60 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of eight, raced at the rear before starting a three-wide move at the bell. The final 400m sections were run in 28.6sec. and 29.5sec. and Paul Edward fought on doggedly to finish fifth.

Peter Romeo, bred and owned by Steve Johnson, is by American stallion Always B Miki, and is the eleventh foal and eighth winner out of the Beach Towel mare Jane Elouise, who raced 14 times for four wins, three placings and stakes of $44,926.

Jane Elouise won at her second appearance and at her Gloucester Park debut in February 2005 when she set the pace and beat Perfect Example by a nose. At her next start she finished third behind Jupiters Darling in the $70,000 final of the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies.

She won at her final two starts (for trainer Colin Brown), in February 2006 when she was a $14 chance from barrier seven and beat Dynamite Freedom in the $40,000 Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies, and then three days later she led from barrier two and beat the $1.60 favourite Asahi.

Jane Elouise was bred by Johnson, who purchased her dam, the Tasmanian-bred Shy Amazon at a broodmare sale in Melbourne in 1996.

Shy Amazon, by the American stallion Atashy, produced her twelfth foal Jane Elouise as a 20-year-old, and Jane Elouise’s eight winners have been Soho Jackman, Harriet Elisabeth, Karen Elizabeth, Liam Neil, Manly Boy, Nikki Louise, Osaka and Peter Romeo.

Soho Jackman has been a top-flight performer who raced 123 times for 32 wins, 33 placings and $368,278 in prizemoney. He won 13 times in WA before being sold to America in August 2015.

Johnson said that Peter Romeo and Paul Edward would continue racing. “There’s a Friday night race for two-year-olds every two weeks, and if they are happy, healthy and sound they will probably race every couple of weeks,” he said.

Fanci A Dance overcomes early setback

Veteran pacer Fanci A Dance overcame an early setback to come from last in the field of eleven to win the 2130m DTYS, Your Industrial Supplies Partner Pace at Gloucester Parn Friday night.

Fanci A Dance, bred and owned by Busselton trainer Barry Howlett and his son Jimmy, was a $7.80 chance from out wide at barrier No. 8, and his supporters were concerned when he settled down a distant last, several lengths behind the pacemaker Smart Fortune.

He was ninth with 550m to travel, was switched four wide at the 250m mark and surged home to get up and win from the $2.40 favourite Euphoria, who had raced in the breeze before getting to the front in the final 60m.

“We got dragged back at the start by a horse who couldn’t keep up,” explained reinsman Chris Voak. “It wasn’t that I was being tactical. And because of what was transpiring in front of us I thought there was no point in going three wide, with Medieval Man trapped out three wide.

“Then, we got the lucky breaks and fortune went my way late. Fanci A Dance is a nice horse and I think he is capable of doing even a lot better. He has always shown ability, but injuries have held him back. There are plenty more wins in store for him.”

Fanci A Dance, an eight-year-old by Rock N Roll Heaven, has had 55 starts for 12 wins, 18 placings and $102,942 in prizemoney. His dam Fancipance (by Fake Left) had 139 starts for 12 wins, 39 placings and $40,571. She won 11 times in Queensland and her final ten starts were in WA  2007 when she was trained by Bob Mellsop for a win at $21.90 in a C5 event at Gloucester Park and one third placing.

Booraa gets her revenge

New Zealand-bred three-year-old fillies Always An Angel and Booraa had clashed twice before they lined up against each other in the 2130m DTS Powertools and Machinery Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with Always An Angel proving superior, winning both times and relegating Booraa to second place.

Booraa had the advantage, drawing barrier five, with Always An Angel starting from the outside barrier (No. 9). Booraa was favourite at $1.90, with Always An Angel at $2.60.

What ensued was another exciting duel between the pair, with Booraa turning the tables with a narrow victory, one metre ahead of her arch rival.

Polemarker Songkran ($61) led from barrier one before Ryan Warwick sent Booraa to the front after 400m. After outsiders Absolute Delight and Our Glowing Star were involved in a mix-up after 220m and were knocked out of contention, Always An Angel settled down in seventh position.

Gary Hall jnr dashed Always An Angel forward after 700m and the filly quickly moved to the breeze and got her head in front of Booraa 1200m from home. The pair raced almost in unison for the rest of the race, with Always An Angel gaining a slight advantage approaching the home turn. However, Warwick, who had nursed Booraa in front, asked his filly for an effort, and she responded grandly.

“Yeah, she did show toughness,” said Warwick. “But I didn’t really want to get into a war with Always An Angel because that filly seems to like that.

“So, I really wanted to do just what we had to do and hope that we had enough at the top of the straight to put a short, sharp kick in. And it turned out that it was enough to win.

“Always An Angel seems to like racing the way she does, and I didn’t want to get into a fight with her. I tried something a bit different, and it worked.”

Booraa, a filly by Mach Three, is owned by Team Bond and is prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond. Her ten WA starts have produced four wins and four placings, and she now has raced 23 times for seven wins, eight placings and stakes of $57,700.

Bettorstartdreaming bounces back

Talented Bettors Delight five-year-old Bettorstartdreaming bounced back in fine style to score a runaway victory in the 2130m DTS, Your One-Stop Shop Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night after a disappointing effort when a distant seventh behind Born To Boogie seven nights earlier.

Favourite at $2.30, Bettorstartdreaming surged to the front from barrier six after 250m and relished his frontrunning role, sprinting over the final 800m in 56.4sec. to beat $10 chance Infatuation by four lengths at a 1.57 rate.

The victory gave Lindsay Harper (trainer) and his son Kyle (reinsman) the first leg of a double, which they completed three races later when Hengheng scored an all-the-way win.

A week earlier Bettorstartdreaming raced wide early and then without cover before fading to finish almost ten lengths behind the winner.

“It was disappointing, even though Born To Boogie rated 1.55.2,” said Lindsay Harper. “But Bettorstartdreaming did spend all his lollies early when the lead time (35.1sec.) was very quick.

“His form in front has been very good, and now we have to get him to do that from behind. There are no set plans for him. We’ll just keep rolling along and see how he goes. If he keeps improving, maybe …”

Bettorstartdreaming won five times in New Zealand, and his 25 WA starts have produced four wins and seven placings. He has inherited much of the ability of his dam Yankee Dream, who earned $262,989 from 15 wins and 18 placings from 56 starts.

Savvy Bromac is flying

Brilliant New Zealand-bred mare Savvy Bromac continued her march towards the $125,000 Westral Mares Classic on November 26 with a dazzling performance to win the DTS, Your Rural Fencing Experts Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Driven superbly and with extreme confidence by Emily Suvaljko, Savvy Bromac, the $1.80 favourite, raced three back on the pegs and in fifth position and she was hopelessly hemmed in half way down the back straight in the final circuit as $10 chance Wainui Creek was issuing a serious challenge to the pacemaker Sheez Our Hope ($4.20).

Approaching the 250m mark Savvy Bromac was sixth, with Wainui Creek forging clear and being heralded as the winner. But Suvaljko managed to ease Savvy Bromac off the pegs and the mare charged forward, four wide, on the home turn before flying home to win by a half neck from Wainui Creek.

This was a splendid performance at her third start after a spell and following her first-up fourth behind Born To Boogie and her flying finish when a head second to Delightfull.

“Everything worked out nicely and we’re ticking over nicely leading up to the Mares Classic,” said trainer Nathan Turvey. “She has had three nice little stepping stones and should be cherry ripe in a month. She was pretty keen tonight and was pricking her ears on the line.”

Savvy Bromac, a four-year-old by Mach Three, now has earned $110,712 from her eight wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 26 starts.

Wainui Creek, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, lost few friends with her stout-hearted effort, racing wide early and then in the breeze.

Just Wing It gets the job done

Lightly-raced six-year-old Just Wing It, described by his trainer Ross Olivieri as a problem child, impressed at his third appearance after a nine-month absence when he overcame a tardy beginning and finished with a powerful burst to win the 2503m Stay Safe, DTS PPE Products Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

A $7.90 chance, Just Wing It was slow into stride from the outside of the front line in the standing-start event, and he was seventh at the bell, with Nearis Green setting a brisk pace and the 40m backmarker and $3.20 favourite Alta Blues following Just Wing It in the one-wide line.

Chris Lewis sent Just Wing It forward, three wide, at the 400m, and the New Zealand-bred son of Art Major sprinted strongly to hit the front 50m from the post, passing $8.50 chance Gee Smith who had taken the lead with 350m to travel. Alta Blues fought on determinedly to be second, one and a half lengths behind Just Wing It.

Just Wing It was successful at his WA debut when he beat Impressive Signs by two lengths in June of last year. But he has caused Olivieri many headaches.

“He has been a nice horse around the stable, but has had a multitude of problems,” said Olivieri. “He was hitting his knees and we have tried everything in a bid to get him off his knees.

“We have experimented with full spreaders and go-straights and have tried all sorts of shoeing. He now wears a single spreader, and that has done the trick. He has had three runs in three weeks and will probably miss next week before contesting a stand the following week.”

Olivieri said that he was quietly confident on Friday night, revealing that his wife Jemma had worked Just Wing It on the track during the week and saying it was the best the horse had ever worked.

Just Wing It is a half-brother to Our Blackbird, who earned $288,647 from 18 wins and 26 placings from 112 starts. He was prepared by Olivieri when Stuart McDonald drove him into fifth place behind Lennytheshark in the final of the Interdominion championship at Gloucester Park in December 2015.

“There are no similarities between Our Blackbird and Just Wing It,” said Olivieri. “Our Blackbird was a little Bettors Delight horse, while Just Wing It is a big Art Major pacer.”

Our Sequel revives fond memories

Forty-odd years ago Colin Joss was a high-profile trainer who prepared several star pacers, including Satinover, Burrows, Palimar and Tarport Sox.

Earlier this year the 72-year-old Joss decided to end his long career as a trainer. But it didn’t take him long to change his mind and to get involved again in the sport of harness racing.

He was a contented man at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Our Sequel, a $7.50 chance, was driven by Ryan Warwick to an all-the-way victory in the 2130m DTS, 123 Kelvin Road Maddington Pace at Gloucester Park.

This gave Joss his first success for two and a half years — since Warwick drove Breach The Beach to victory over Art Tutor at Gloucester Park on May 7, 2019.

“Before buying Our Sequel I had retired and wasn’t going to train any more,” said Joss. “I sat on the couch for three weeks, and I thought that this is ridiculous; I’m going to drive myself crazy. So, I got the boys together and bought Our Sequel, who was advertised for sale for $15,000.”

Our Sequel, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old, is now raced by Joss’s wife Pauline and three of his long-time mates, Craig Bradshaw (a FIFO worker), Mark Roberts (retired) and Rex Gray (an actor).

It has been a good purchase, with Our Sequel having six starts for Joss for Friday night’s win and a couple of fourths for earnings of $12,568.

Our Sequel races in the Joss colours of red and white checks (chosen because of his lifelong support of the South Fremantle Football Club). They are the colours worn by the drivers of Courage Tells, who won 11 races for Joss a few years ago.

They were also carried to 28 victories by Satinover, the Black Flash who defeated the mighty Pure Steel the first time the champions met in a race. Soon after that Pure Steel defeated Satinover in the Match Race of the Century at Gloucester Park in May 1980 to end Satinover’s remarkable winning sequence of 19, which also included the Australian Pacing Championship.

Burrows was an outstanding mare who finished fifth behind Rhetts Law in the 1982 Inter Dominion championship final at Gloucester Park. She also finished second to Pure Steel in the 1981 Fremantle Members Sprint and was second to Black Irish in the same event in 1982. She also finished third in the 1982 Fremantle Cup.

Palimar won 24 races and earned $306,125. He finished second to Village Kid in the 1989 Fremantle Members Sprint and second to Trunkey Sting in the 1990 Fremantle Cup. Earlier, Joss took Palimar to Sydney for the 1988 Interdominion championship at Harold Park where he finished second to Our Maestro in the final.

Tarport Sox gave Joss one of his biggest victories when he won the 1990 WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park.

Joss is the eighth trainer that Our Sequel has had in his 54-tart career of 12 wins, seven placings and $72,906 in prizemoney. Quite remarkably, on Friday night Warwick became the 20TH person to have driven the Mach Three gelding in a race.

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park