Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“I’d say Pinny Tiger will burn to the front,” declared ace reinsman Chris Voak when assessing the six-year-old’s prospects in the $100,000 Trotsynd J. P. Stratton Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Am I going to fire Pinny Tiger out? Absolutely, there’s no doubt about it, especially over 2130 metres. It’s going to be extremely quick early if he doesn’t cross to the front. Leading is his best chance of winning.
“I haven’t spoken to Mouse (Pinny Tiger’s trainer Michael Brennan) yet, but I have no doubt he will say ‘pull the trigger early and take no prisoners. The journey is a major factor for Pinny Tiger.”
Pinny Tiger will start from the No. 5 barrier, with the brilliant Mister Smartee, the odds-on favourite to extend his winning sequence to eight and his record to 13 wins from 15 starts, favourably drawn at barrier two.
Gary Hall Jnr, who drives Mister Smartee for his father and trainer Gary Hall Snr, is under no illusion that the exciting New Zealand-bred four-year-old will have a simple task of winning the start and setting the pace.
“We will try to lead,” said Hall Jnr. “Mister Smartee runs his best races in front, and he’s getting better at getting out of the gate. Pinny Tiger has great gate speed, and we will have to come out and see one way or another whether he can hold out Pinny Tiger.
“We have had a few runs now in which we have asked Mister Smartee to come out (fast), and he should be ready for it on Friday night.”
Mister Smartee maintained his superb form last Friday week when he set the pace from the No. 2 barrier and won the 2536m Brennan Memorial by a length and a half from the Voak-trained Sangue Reale, who began from barrier one and trailed Pinny Tiger before getting into the clear 50m from the post and running on strongly.
Pinny Tiger began from the inside of the back line and raced three back on the pegs before getting off the inside on the home turn and fighting on to finish fourth. His cause was not helped by overracing when hemmed in on the pegs.
Voak, who has received permission from the stewards to drive Pinny Tiger ahead of his own nomination Sangue Reale, said that Kyle Symington, who drove Sangue Reale in the Brennan Memorial, had told him that the rejuvenated eight-year-old would have given Mister Smartee something to think about if he had gained a clear run earlier.
With Symington to drive Swingband for trainer Ryan Bell, Voak has engaged leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko to handle Sangue Reale, who faces a tough assignment from out wide at barrier eight.
“The draw kills Sangue Reale, but he has gone to a whole new level lately,” said Voak. “I’m excited about him getting a start in the WA Pacing Cup (on November 8). He is a sit-sprint horse, and I give him a big chance if the race is run upside down.”
Bell said that Swingband, a winner at 13 of his 33 starts, was ready to perform strongly at his first appearance since finishing tenth behind Catch A Wave in the Fremantle Cup on April 26 this year. A week earlier Swingband impressed when he ran home powerfully to finish a close third behind Catch A Wave and Minstrel in the $1.2 million Nullarbor.
Swingband is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line. “I’m very happy with him,” said Bell. “He had a race condition hit-out at Gloucester Park last Saturday with a galloping pacemaker when he worked over a mile and a half. He has been in work for a good while. We have taken our time with a specific plan not to go to the well too early.”
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice holds a strong hand in Friday night’s Cup in which he will drive Mighty Ronaldo from the prized No. 1 barrier, and he has engaged star Sydney reinsman Jack Callaghan to drive stablemate Tricky Miki from barrier three.
Mighty Ronaldo finished solidly from sixth at the bell to finish third behind the pacemaker Diego and Gambit in the Stratton Cup in January 2023. Mighty Ronaldo is sure to be improved by his first-up sixth behind Mister Smartee in the Brennan Memorial last Friday week.
Tricky Miki looks set for another strong performance following his splendid second-up effort when he set the pace from barrier one and sprinted over the final 800m in 55.4sec. to win a 2536m event last Friday night, beating Lavra Joe by 8m.
Maddison Brown will be looking for a remarkable three successive wins in the Stratton Cup with Diego, who will be having his second start after a brief spell. He is awkwardly drawn at barrier six.
Diego began from the No. 1 barrier when he led throughout and beat Gambit and Mighty Ronaldo in the Stratton Cup on January 6, 2023, and he also set the pace from the No. 1 barrier when he beat Magnificent Storm and Tenzing Bromac on October 27, 2023.
Diego is trained by Hall Snr and is one of the master trainer’s four runners, the others being Mister Smartee, Wildwest (Aiden De Campo) and Jumpingjackmac (Stuart McDonald). Hall has won the Stratton Cup seven times, scoring with Bengeeman (2002), Alzona (2011), Waylade (2015), Chicago Bull (2018 and 2020) and Diego (January 2023 and October 2023).
Deni Roberts will drive Tenzing Bromac from the inside of the back line. He will have admirers following his fighting third behind Mister Smartee last Friday week when he had a tough run in the breeze.