Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ideal Muscle revived memories of star pacer Magic Flute’s victories in the 1957 and 1958 Easter Cups when he made most of the running and won the $50,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Easter Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ideal Muscle, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is a direct descendant of Star Song, the dam of Magic Flute, who was trained and driven throughout his highly successful career by the late Fred Kersley Snr.
Ideal Muscle is by American Ideal and is the first foal out of unraced Bettors Delight mare Delightful Page, who is out of Centrefold Angel, a winner of 14 races and $237,348 who traces her ancestry in a direct line back to Star Song.
Ideal Muscle, the $4.60 second favourite, began from the front line in Friday night’s standing-start Cup, and De Campo let him settle before dashing him to the front after 600m. The little four-year-old, who had been placed at his four starts this season, was able to relax with a casual opening 400m section of 32.5sec., followed by a 30.4sec. quarter, a flying 27.7sec. section down the back and a final 400m of 29.2sec.
He went on to win by a half-length from the 40m backmarker Spyglass ($10), who sustained a spirited burst from last with 1050m to travel. Nine-year-old Major Express, the $3.60 favourite from the 10m mark, produced an excellent performance at his first appearance for 531 days to finish third.
Major Express, driven by Chris Lewis, was sixth after a lap and he dashed forward to be third (three wide) at the bell and fought on gamely.
Ideal Muscle, bred and owned by Craig Lynn, has now earned $141,870 from nine wins and 14 placings from 33 starts, and his victory gave De Campo his first success in an Easter Cup and enabled him to emulate the performance of his father Andrew, who drove Smooth Business to victory in the 1993 Easter Cup.
“Ideal Muscle’s runs this time in have been really good,” said De Campo. “He got the job done tonight behind the tapes before we worked our way to the front, and then the easy first quarter won us the race.
“He is a funny horse who does only what he has to do. He tends to knock in the final 50 metres, so I wanted him to get away from the others before they tried to swoop on us, and it all worked out well for us.”