Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Coolup trainer Frank Nafranec has been involved in harness racing for much of his life but in recent years he has made only occasional visits to the city to race his pacers.
And therefore, it was a moment to savour at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he prepared his first city winner for almost eleven years when Trent Wheeler drove Reinette to victory in the $50,000 Team Bond Champagne Classic for two-year-olds, a Group 3 feature over 2130m.
This gave the 69-year-old Nafranec his biggest success in the sport. It was his first city winner as a trainer since To Transcend won a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park on October 1, 2013.
To Transcend won 16 races in a 148-start career. Nafranec was the gelding’s trainer for 64 of those starts for ten wins, 23 placings and stakes of $91,210. Another of his pacers Auto Pilot was in his care for 15 races for six wins and six placings for stakes of $37,054.
Reinette, a winner at Pinjarra and Bunbury from her first five starts before she lined up against six colts and geldings in Friday night’s feature event, was an $8.80 chance from the No. 5 barrier.
Wheeler got Reinette away to a flying start and she burst straight to the front before surrendering the lead to the $1.60 favourite Captain Stirling after 220m.
American Major ($3.50) was left in the breeze, and he and Captain Stirling were locked together for much of the final 1200m, and the two colts were unable to hold out the fast-finishing Reinette, who took the lead on the home turn and went on to win by a length from Captain Stirling, rating 1.58.2.
Reinette’s first two runs after a spell resulted in a second and a fourth placing behind Highview Heidi in races for fillies at Gloucester Park.
“Our plan was to win last week (when leading and finishing fourth in the Gold Bracelet) and then give her a break,” said Nafranec. “But she pulled up so well that I decided to run her this week.”
Nafranec races Reinette (French for Little Queen and also the name of a variety of European apples) in partnership with his wife Alison, their sons Adam and Rick, Travis O’Neill, Matt Feighan, Graham Ventris, David Hickmott and Sean Farrell.
“We went to the 2023 yearling sale intending to buy a colt and finished up buying two fillies, Reinette (for $15,000) and Titus (for $16,000),” said Nafranec, who paid tribute to the skill of Dean Miller in breaking in both fillies.
Titus has had three starts for one placing and stakes of $2077 and Reinette has earned $44,557 from her three wins and one placing from six starts. Reinette is by former star pacer Vincent and is the second foal out of Aqueensomewhere, who raced 31 times for six wins, 12 placings and $44,768.
Aqueensomewhere’s dam Queen Delilah won ten races, including three as a two-year-old in 1999, and has produced six winners, including Jumbo Operator, who earned $313,175 from 24 wins and nine placings from 43 starts.