Aussie News - 17th August

By Adam Hamilton 

FORMER Kiwi pacer Cash N Flow seems to still be getting better.

Despite being a rising eight-year-old, the one-time All Stars’ team member, won a staggering 10th – yes 10th – Menangle mile free-for-all last night.

And, just as he did at his previous run, he again broke his PB, this time clocking a sizzling 1min49sec flat and he cleared out to win by 11.4m and finish with splits of 53.1 and 26.2sec.

The knockers will point-out he’s been superbly placed by Craig Cross and Luke McCarthy, but any horse winning 10 races on end – let alone from the outside draw in blazing times on most occasions – is pretty special.

Life will get harder when he will inevitably have to clash with Miracle Mile-winning stablemate King Of Swing and even Ride High, but let’s savour Cash N Flow’s amazing deeds for now.

The Mach Three gelding’s won 29 of his 63 starts – including 13 of 20 this season – and is super close to topping $500,000 in earnings.

He’s now broken 1min50sec an amazing six times at Menangle, which no other horse has done.

Earlier in the night, Cross and McCarthy also won with Kiwi owner Trevor Casey’s talented former NZ and WA mare Dracarys, who strolled home in a 1min51.2sec mile at just her second run for the stable.

Another winner with strong Kiwi interest on the night was former Paul Court-trained Mach Da Vinci, who is now trained by Peter Hanson in NSW and scored in a 1min52.3sec mile. He’s won two of three runs for Hanson. 

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CHICAGO Bull earned a short spell after taking his record to 54 wins from 82 starts at Gloucester Park night.

More importantly, he won 11 of his 16 starts in a comeback campaign from a career-threatening injury and produced some performances which indicated he was right back to his best.

“We really didn’t know what to expect when he came back,. We knew he’d need some hard racing to get fully fit, but he just kept getting better and better every week,” driver Gary Hall Jr said.

“It’s pretty amazing really when you consider what he went through with his back. Some of his wins since coming back have been enormous.”

Chicago Bull drew the pole for the first time in more than two years and used it to lead, dictate and win without any fuss in the August Cup on Friday night.

While he gets a break, WA’s others stars like Shockwave, Mighty Conqueror and Vampiro are about to resume. And Handsandwheels will keep building as well.

It’s a smart play by trainer Gary Hall Sr, let the others lock horns now and bring Chicago Bull back closer to the rescheduled Fremantle and WA Pacing Cups in November/December.

Chicago Bull also edged super close to $1.9 million earnings with his latest win.

Also last Friday, Hall Sr beat Hall Jr in the other feature when Fakes News came off the back of the emerging While They Pray in a 54.9sec last half to win the fourth event.

The Hall Sr-trained Fake News led, former Kiwi driver Stuey McDonald took the sit on Hall Jr aboard While They Pray and nabbed it late to win by 1,2m in a 1min55sec mile rate for 2130m.

And, later in the night, Hall Sr and Hall Jr combined again to win with the gifted but still raw talent, Wildwest.

The four-year-old resumed with a spell to come from a 30m handicap at his first Aussie standing-start run and narrowly but very impressively.

The son of Raging Bull won his first and only NZ run at Winton and then moved to WA where won his first seven starts for the Halls.

Wildwest unravelled when eighth and 12th respectively in two of WA’s biggest 4YO races late last year.

“His return has been delayed because of a few issues, just niggling problems, nothing serious. It was a big effort,” driver Gary Hall Jr said.

Adding to the class of the meeting, WA Derby winner Patronus Star survived a late scare to maintain his unbeaten WA record for Team Bond.

The former Kiwi three-year-old worked to the front after 600m and looked to loaf at times before staving-off a late surge from Bracken Sky to win by a half-neck.

Patronus Star, nominal favourite for the major WA 4YO races in January, has won all six runs for Team Bond, including four this campaign.

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MEGASTAR Kiwi filly Amazing Dream’s racetrack return was postponed, but trainers Darren Weeks and Kylie Rasmussen still took a glamour girl to Albion Park last night.

Last season’s champion Queensland filly Smart As Camm Be returned to racing with a blazing win.

Just when it seemed Tact Bess was home, Smart As Camm Be grew wings in a 27.5sec last quarter to snatch a two-metre win in a 1min55sec mile rate for 2138m.

It was Smart As Camm Be’s first run since winning the Redcliffe Oaks as part of a stellar three-year-old season. That was way back on June 22, last year.

She’s won 13 of her 16 starts and almost $180,000 in stakemoney.

Weeks scratched Amazing Dream, despite looking good in an Albion Park trial during the week, citing he felt she was still short of the fitness she needed for a racing return.

In the feature of the night, NSW trainer John Boserio snatched a fortunate win with Hes Watching gelding Hes Sweet in the $104,200 Group 1 Brisbane APG Sales Graduate final.

It was fortunate because the leader veering off the track down the last time, which aided Hes Sweet’s cause and certainly didn’t help favourite and runner-up Jasper.

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JOT down the name Reactor Now as a horse to follow.

The big, raw, even ungainly son of Auckland Reactor is still very much a work in progress, but he packs one heck of a motor.

Just check out his Shepparton win last night if you didn’t see it.

Reactor Now came from the back row, never stopped working and racing greenly and still bludgeoned his way to powerhouse win in a brisk 1min55sec mile rate for 2190m.

Driven by Josh Aiken and trained by his father, David, Reactor Now has won 10 of his 14 starts, including eight of his past nine.

In the following race, former Kiwi trotter Robbie Royale added to his terrific record since coming to Brent Lilley’s Aussie barn.

The six-year-old Raffaello Ambrosio gelding led throughout from the pole to beat a handy field, including another talented recent Kiwi import in CK Spur, who finished third.

It was Robbie Royale’s fourth win along with three placings from 10 starts since crossing the ditch.

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