Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion trainer Gary Hall Snr enjoyed wonderful success earlier this century with the Bettors Delight pacer Slick Bird, who was retired after having 34 starts for ten wins, nine placings and stakes of $89,999.
A highlight of Slick Bird’s career was her third placing behind Artemis Belle in the WA Oaks in May 2011, and her fourth foal Acharne Girl followed in her dam’s footsteps by finishing third behind Taking The Miki in the WA Oaks last October.
Acharne Girl has developed into a smart four-year-old this year and her victory in the $23,000 Allwood Stud For All Your Breeding Requirements Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night boosted her earnings to $118,062 from eight wins and five placings from 21 starts.
She is by Hall’s former outstanding pacer Alta Christiano and is a full-sister to While They Prey (39 starts for 16 wins, 12 placings and $170,788) and Faster Than Dad (39 starts for 12 wins, nine placings and $111,816). Acharne Girl’s half-brother Slick Artist (by Art Major) was retired with earnings of $370,303 from 29 wins and 50 placings from 143 starts.
Acharne Girl was the $1.10 favourite from barrier No. 5 on Friday night, and Gary Hall Jnr did not bustle her early as he quickly angled her in to enjoy the ideal one-out and one-back passage while the polemarker and $14 second fancy Paroquet set the pace from Stormyskyes in the breeze and Shehadi enjoying the trail.
A slow lead time of 40sec. was followed by modest opening quarters of 31.4sec. and 29.7sec. before the final 400m sections whizzed by in 28.5sec. and 28sec.
Hall switched Acharne Girl three wide 300m from home and the mare finished strongly to get up and win by a head from the fast-finishing $21 chance Beyond The Sea.
This victory gave the Hall father and son combination its fourth success on the night, following earlier wins with Captain Bligh, Prince Of Pleasure and Master Publisher.