Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Exciting New Zealand-bred pacer Hugotastic is poised to make a successful debut at Gloucester Park despite a back-line draw in the $23,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Australia and NZ Pace on Friday night.
The five-year-old is prepared by leading trainer Michael Young and will be handled by Gary Hall Jnr, who was deeply impressed when he drove the gelding to a brilliant victory at Pinjarra last Monday week.
“That performance showed that he is very fast,” said Hall. “I pulled out down the back (after racing in the one-out, one-back position) to try to get up there and get level with them (the leaders). I gave him an inch of rein and he dashed straight past them.
“The track was very fast, and I think he broke 26sec. for that quarter, which was fairly motoring for a restricted class horse.” Hugotastic rated 1.55.7 over the 2185m journey and won by 14m from the pacemaker No Noney.
Hugotastic, whose 14 New Zealand starts produced three wins and seven placings, will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in Friday night’s race, with Hall saying: “We should have plenty of time to get into the race.”
Hugotastic, who is by Sweet Lou, is a half-brother to Bettor Get It On and Mr Fantastic, who were guided to several wins in WA when driven by Hall. Bettor Get It On (51 starts for 11 wins and 19 placings for stakes of $191,675) won the Group 3 Coulson Pace in December 2021 and the Group 2 Empress Stakes in April 2022 before Emily Suvaljko drove her to victory in the Group 3 Laurie Kennedy Pace in February 2023.
Mr Fantastic won easily at Bunbury in July 2021 at his Australian debut, and he won the Group 3 Higgins Memorial at Gloucester Park in July 2022. He has a record of 52 starts for 14 wins, eight placings and $156,207.
Hugotastic’s toughest rival on Friday night is expected to be the Shane Gaebler-trained No Noney, who will be driven by Chris Lewis and will start from the inside of the back line. He is racing in splendid form, with his five appearances after a spell producing four seconds and a third placing.
Hall and Young also have excellent winning prospects with another Sweet Lou gelding, the WA-bred four-year-old Blaze Away, who will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the $23,000 www.horseandhound.com.au Pace over 2130m.
Blaze Away notched his fifth win from 15 starts when he dashed to an early lead and set a brisk pace before winning by more than three lengths from At The Pointy End over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. His five starts in his current campaign have resulted in three wins at Pinjarra and third placings at Gloucester Park and Northam.
“Blaze Away will need a bit of luck from the wide draw,” said Hall. “But he’s not weak and his Pinjarra win was impressive.”
At The Pointy End, to be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will begin from the outside of the back line. She finished strongly from eighth at the bell when second to Blaze Away at Pinjarra.