Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old Montana D J looks set to make a successful Australian debut when he contests the $21,000 Retravision Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A newcomer to the Mardella stables of Michael Young, Montana D J will start from barrier four on the front line in the field of eight in which he will clash with two other highly promising former New Zealand pacers Frankie Major and Bellissimo Acquisto.
Montana D J, who has had 30 starts for six wins and nine placings, has warmed up for his return to racing in fine style with wins in 2150m mobile trials at Byford on the past two Sundays.
He raced without cover before taking the lead with 300m to travel before winning his trial by two and a half lengths from Winegum last Sunday. He rated 1.57, with final quarters of 29.4sec., 29.3sec. and 28.2sec.
A week earlier Montana D J was not bustled early before getting to the front after 150m and then setting the pace and running home with final quarters of 29.7sec., 29.5sec. and 28.9sec. He won by a neck from the fast-finishing Perfect Major.
Montana D J has raced five times in standing-start events in New Zealand for one win, two thirds, a fifth and a seventh placing. His most recent start was in a 2200m stand in a field of six at Cambridge on January 19 this year. He raced three back on the pegs before finishing determinedly to win from Brookies Jaffa at a 1.59.7 rate on a heavy track, with the final 800m of 57.6sec. and a last 400m of 27.9sec.
“The first of his trials at Byford was not that good when he didn’t let down like we had hoped he would,” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. “Then his second trial was very good.”
Chris Voak faced a difficult decision before choosing to drive Frankie Major ahead of the Michael Brennan-trained Bellissimo Acquisto, who will be handled by Ryan Warwick.
“I expect both those horses will take plenty of beating,” said Voak. “Merv Butterworth owns Frankie Major, and he rang me and asked me to drive his horse. In 15 years of driving horses he owns he has never before asked me to stick to a particular pacer.”
Frankie Major is a four-year-old who is trained by Jemma Hayman. He has had 39 starts in New Zealand for six wins and 12 placings. He has raced twice in stands for a third and a sixth placing.
His sixth was in a field of six at his most recent appearance, in a 2700m stand at Alexandra Park on February 16 when he set the pace until the final 300m. It is worth noting that Frankie Major was competing against several top-flight pacers, with Mach Shard winning from Self Assured.
Mach Shard boasts a record of 108 starts for 20 wins, 24 placings and stakes of $815,253, while Self Assured is a superstar who has earned $2,419,069 from 30 wins and 33 placings from 74 starts.
Frankie Major certainly will appreciate competing against considerably inferior opposition on Friday night.
Bellissimo Acquisto is an experienced standing-start performer, with eight of his ten New Zealand starts being in stands for one win (over 2600m at Addington in May 2022) and four placings. He has had seven starts in WA for five wins and two placings.
Four of his WA runs have been in stands for two wins at Pinjarra (last October) and third placings at Pinjarra and Narrogin.
Bellissimo Acquisto resumed after a spell in a 2636m stand at Narrogin on May 11 when he raced without cover in the middle stages and finished third behind Trouble Supreme. “He has trained on very well since his first-up third and if he steps on Friday night, he will be tough to beat,” said Voak.
The fourth New Zealand-bred pacer in Friday night’s event is the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Carana, who will share the back mark of 20 metres with Debbie Padberg’s evergreen eight-year-old Deeorse, who will be having his 163RD start in a race.
Carana is a standing-start specialist who is in wonderful form, with his four starts (all in stands) in his current campaign producing two wins and two placings.