HARNESS RACING WA MARCH/APRIL 2020 CAVIAR THE STAR OF FREMANTLE CUP BONDS’ CONQUER PACING CUP IN MIGHTY WAY LADIES OF PACING AWARDS LUNCHEON FOR ALL YOUR WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HARNESS RACING INFORMATION Better your betting experience Sky Racing Watch live racing T&Cs apply. Sky Racing vision applies to all Aus. & NZ races. Race Replays applies to all Aus. races ex. VIC thoroughbreds. Past the post and protest payouts only applies to Fixed Odds ‘Singles’ bets on Aus races. Call Gambling help on 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au. CONTENTS Better your Harness WA is a publication of Racing and Wagering WA (RWWA) PUBLICATION DESIGNER: Michele Florent CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Michael Heaton, Tim Blee CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Scott Hamilton Media betting experience Photography by Jodie Hallows ALL ENQUIRIES: Kelly Sarich 02 EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: (08) 9445 5504 ADDRESS: 14 Hasler Road Osborne Park WA 6017 ONLINE: rwwa.com.au FACEBOOK: /racingandwageringwa TWITTER: @OfficialRWWA @RWWA_Harness HARNESS RACING DEPARTMENT HEAD OFFICE ADDRESS: 14 Hasler Road Osborne Park WA 6017 EMAIL: [email protected] OFFICE HOURS: 7.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday DRIVING MASTER: Trevor Warwick MOBILE: 0434 609 604 TRAINERS' CENTRE PH: (08) 9445 5267* FAX: (08) 9445 3056 24HR NOM SERVICE PH: (08) 9445 5268* * N.B. all incoming and outgoing calls are recorded 06 10 STEWARDS DEPARTMENT GENERAL MANAGER INTEGRITY Denis Borovica PHONE: (08) 9445 5427 CHIEF STEWARD Barbara Scott PHONE: (08) 9445 5176 FAX: (08) 9477 5215 EMAIL: [email protected] DEPUTY CHIEF STEWARD Rhys Chappell PHONE: (08) 9445 5177 FAX: (08) 9477 5215 COVER IMAGE: BONDS’ CONQUER PACING CUP IN MIGHTY WAY EMAIL: [email protected] SENIOR INVESTIGATOR: Geoff Johnson MOBILE: 0408 843 560 RWWA INTEGRITY RECORDED MESSAGE SERVICE: (08) 9445 5565 CAVIAR - THE STAR OF FREMANTLE CUP .............................2 Sky Racing EMAIL: [email protected] BONDS’ CONQUER PACING CUP IN MIGHTY WAY ..................6 Watch live racing LICENSING & REGISTRATIONS LADIES OF PACING AWARDS LUNCHEON ...........................10 ADDRESS: 14 Hasler Road COMMUNITY TAB .............................................................14 Osborne Park WA 6017 EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: (08) 9445 5568 WILLIAMS HARNESS RACING CLUB 75 YEARS ....................16 FAX: (08) 6314 4792 STEP BACK IN TIME1952 CARINVAL ..................................18 RACING AND WAGERING WA HEAD OFFICE ADDRESS: 14 Hasler Road 2020 FEATURE RACES .....................................................22 Osborne Park WA 6017 PHONE: (08) 9445 5333 APG SALE RESULTS ..........................................................24 FAX: (08) 9244 5914 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.rwwa.com.au RACING POLICIES & GENERAL RACING INFORMATION ...... 25 STAKES EMAIL: [email protected] 1 T&Cs apply. Sky Racing vision applies to all Aus. & NZ races. Race Replays applies to all Aus. races ex. VIC thoroughbreds. Past the post and protest payouts only applies to Fixed Odds ‘Singles’ bets on Aus races. Call Gambling help on 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au. HWA CAVIAR The star of Fremantle Cup By Michael Heaton Betterthancheddar five-year-old Caviar Star Hall Snr is no stranger to racing at the elite level, having upstaged more-fancied rivals to take out the trained in excess of 50 Group 1 winners in his illustrious $300,000 Retravision Fremantle Cup (2526m) at career to date, but it’s fair to say that his latest Fremantle Cup triumph came as somewhat of a surprise to the legendary Gloucester Park on January 10, extending Hall of horseman. Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr’s unrivalled record to nine wins in the time-honoured race. “Leading up to the carnival I didn’t think I’d have a horse in any of the good races, really,” Hall Snr said. The gelding went into the feature event in solid form after “I was trying to qualify Caviar Star, Ideal Liner, Herrick returning two second-place finishes and a win at his three Roosevelt and Speed Man. lead-up runs, however, he started on the fourth line of betting at $7.50 in a race comprising of five runners from “Speed Man had a hard run leading into it, then Herrick the strong stable of Greg and Skye Bond, as well as talented Roosevelt got into the Fremantle Cup but drew bad, and I pacers Shockwave and Bill Haley. actually thought he was probably a little bit better horse than what Caviar Star was at the time. Image: Turnstiles to be installed at Gloucester Park 2 CAVIAR The star of Fremantle Cup “But the thing about Caviar Star is he has real determination opportunity to work at Kevin Pizzuto’s stable in Sydney in and that’s what makes him so special. 2017 before relocating back to the west six months later. “He’s got a never-say-die attitude and I think that’s what’s It was upon his return that he secured a job working for Hall held him in good stead. Snr and, now the stable’s foreman, he says he had always dreamed of driving a Group 1 winner but didn’t think it would “As far as ability goes, he’s only limited, but he’s as tough as be for his boss due to the dominance of WA’s leading driver any horse I’ve had.” and Hall Snr’s son, Gary Jnr. Despite having tasted success in the Fremantle Cup on eight “At the start I got told that I’d just be the stablehand and I previous occasions, as well as winning three Inter Dominions had to work my way up and I’d get more opportunities the and a record 11 WA Pacing Cups, Hall Snr appeared almost- more work I do,” McDonald said. unusually overjoyed following the win of Caviar Star. “I never thought I’d drive a Group 1 winner for Senior. He says the surprise factor made the achievement even more enjoyable, as well as sharing the moment with a “He always has a few runners in those races, so I thought I relatively-new ownership group. might pick something up, but I definitely didn’t think I’d ever be on the best chance in the race of ours. “I was pretty chuffed to win it because I was thinking that I couldn’t possibly,” he said. “We might not always get along and we have our blues, but I have a lot of respect for him.” “I thought he was a rough hope, but that he’d need every bit of luck he could possibly get. McDonald drove Caviar Star in the gelding’s three last starts leading into the Fremantle Cup, however, as the stable’s “The owners have only come into my stable in the last second-string driver, he says he wasn’t confident of retaining couple of years, too, so it was great to see them have the drive in the Group 1 event. success in a race like that. “I wasn’t 100 per cent sure, because we had a couple of “It was a big thrill and we didn’t pay a lot for him, either. chances going into it and Junior hadn’t been offered the “I think he was about 60 grand landed in Perth from New drive on Shockwave yet,” he said. Zealand, so he was relatively cheap, really.” “It wasn’t until a week before the race where it was found Caviar Star’s driver, 25-year-old New Zealand-born Stuart out that he was offered the drive on Shockwave and was McDonald, crossed the ditch more than eight years ago and going to take it, then I was told I was getting the drive on has called Australia home ever since. Caviar Star. After previous stints with Perth trainers Greg Schofield and “After the draw I always thought I could win it from quite a Ross Olivieri, the former leading WA junior driver took up an few different positions, but I never got confident because I 3 HWA just wasn’t sure what was going to happen with so many Bond “It was an awesome feeling, but then I had to drive in the next runners in the race. race which took the buzz away a bit, so all I could think of was, ‘I need to do that again’.” “But I knew how good the horse was going leading into the race and then I knew at the 600 how good he was travelling, Usually one to downplay his performances in the sulky, so it was just a matter of getting into the clear. McDonald was lauded by Hall Snr following the Fremantle Cup victory. “In running, all I had to worry about was the last 500 metres and if I was going to have to get lucky or be able to force my The champion trainer was quick to praise the under-rated way out somehow.” ability of his newest Group 1-winning driver. McDonald was able to obtain a clear passage passing the “Stewy’s a pretty good driver,” Hall Snr said. 400-metre mark before pulling the plugs and looming “He stuck with Eloquent Mach all the way through his ominously approaching the home turn, however, race-leader preparation and I kept him on. Vampiro ($23) kicked clear entering the straight. “I think eventually he could make a driver of the top echelon.” Always up for a challenge, Caviar Star knuckled down to the task brilliantly, levelling up to the pacemaker at the 50-metre Reflecting back on a period of dominance that has seen him mark and pulling away late to snatch victory by a head. conqueror the pinnacles of Australasian pacing, Hall Snr is surprised with the way his own career has unfolded.