Son of Art Major chasing biggest win to date

There is sure to be a touch of emotion if co-trainers Simone and Andrew Walker land harness racing’s $35,000 The Downtowner Warragul Pacing Bowl Cup on Sunday.

They are lining up the progressive Denis William in the Group 3 and if he salutes it will be the emerging five-year-old’s biggest win to date.

But even more so it will be a deeply personal triumph for the co-trainers, with Denis William named after Simone’s father William (Bill) and Andrew’s father Denis.

“When we broke him in and he showed natural ability, we thought we’d name him after our fathers,” Simon said. “I think they’d be proud of him.”

Simone Walker has fond memories of the Warragul Cup and if Denis William, a son of Art Major who’s won 11 of 35 starts and earned $90,000, can get the job done it will be her third driving win in the feature.

She won her first on Doolan Jack in 2009 and then saluted on Hectorjayjay in 2014 –  both trained by her father.

“(The cup) has been pretty good to me,” she said, recalling Jack Doolan as a “great little horse”.

“He was just tough, really tough. He tried his heart out. It was a huge run. He deserved to win that one.

“He was no superstar, but each time he went out he tried his guts out for you. That’s all you can ask of a horse really.”

And Hectorjayjay?

Walker summed him up in a few words: “He was just pure speed.”

The Walkers, who are based at Koo Wee Rup, are tipping their toes in the water a little in taking Denis William to the Warragul Cup, which has attracted a field of six.

It is his first country cup and significantly his first time over the long trip.

“We’ve had it as the plan for a while. It’s not far from home and it’s a good chance to see how he goes over the distance,” Simone said.

“We had hoped to see a bigger field though to ensure it was truly run. It’ll be tricky. Not a lot of moves are usually made in small fields. They’re hard to drive in. Everyone often sits back and lets the leader have its own way. I just hope someone makes a move and spices up the race.”

Walker said for all Denis William’s potential he was still maturing as a racehorse.

“He’ll put in a good one and then a poor one. He loses a bit of concentration. That’s his big problem. He’s still very, very immature,” she said.

“He’s improving. It’s just all mental with him. The ability is there. He’s just raw.”

The Emma Stewart-trained Demon Delight is the stand-out on form in the Cup.

He has had an enormous country cups campaign since returning from an 18-month break and is going for a third win in a row after saluting in the Charlton and Echuca pacing cups.

The Warragul Pacing Bowl Cup is the seventh race on an eight-event program and immediately follows the Group 3 $20,000 Eddie Evison Warragul Trotters’ Cup, in which Horsham Trotters’ Cup winner Havehorsewilltravel starts off the back mark of 50m for trainer Andy Gath. Click here to view the fields.

By David Brehaut