Michael Howard
The hype machine has reached fever pitch after speed demon Petracca blitzed his rivals with a spectacular 40-metre win, positioning himself as a leading player in this lucrative two-year-old season.
Emma Stewart’s colt by Captaintreacherous out of Lovelist has been closely watched since a stunning first trial and only enhanced his reputation tonight with a powerful win for reinsman Nathan Jack and owners Danny and Jo Zavitsanos.
“He looks a superstar,” was TrotsVision co-host and leading reinsman Anthony Butt’s assessment. “That’s freakish that performance.”
The hit-out was Petracca’s third, having previously won his Bathurst Gold Crown heat and then overcame a difficult draw to power into third in the final.
The IRT Australia Shakamaker Classic always looked a case of how far would he win by, having been backed into a $1.04 favourite and when Jack slid quickly to the front it became a race against the clock.
A 27.1 second final quarter closed out a 55.7 second last half and a 1:54.1 mile race for the short distance, just 0.9 seconds outside of Act Now’s age track record over 1720 metres.
“I’m sure he’s got the potential to be the best (two-year-old I’ve driven), but (I am) not (declaring that) just yet,” Jack told TrotsVision.
“He was just a gem to drive. He’s got great manners. He went to Bathurst and just stood there in front of the whole crowd, nothing worried him. He’s just a natural.”
Jack said Stewart initially planned to spell him after the Bathurst campaign but instead elected to give him a run on home soil, a decision he made good in the $24,000 Classic, which he won by 40 metres ahead of Captain Foxtrot and Mister Hunter.
“(Emma’s stable) has done a great job with him like they do every year,” Jack said. “I take my hat off to them, year after year they get the best early one, they get the best late one. They just have the best juveniles.
“He just does everything right. You just click him up, he’s lazy, but you can chase him off the gate and he’ll come back to you.”
Jack walked away with a double having also steered Boots Electric to an impressive win in The Big Screen Company Pace, finding the front from the widest gate and then keeping his foot on the pedal throughout.
Boots Electric separated himself from the chasing pack and while Major Roll and Bulletproof Boy battled on well to place, the win was always in the leader’s keeping.
There was also plenty of pride in the Larajay Farm camp after Copacabana rewarded her big group of Cranbourne Club 21 owners, trainer Jess Tubbs and reinsman Greg Sugars.
The four-year-old mare had to do it tough in the Colin Redwood Memorial Victorian Square Trotters Association Handicap Final but fought brilliantly to the line for a third win in five outings and the fifth of her 20-start career.
“This is one we’re actually quite proud of, what we have been able to achieve with this girl,” Greg Sugars told TrotsVision.
“She came to us with a real rogue nature and a couple of trainers had gone through her and she was banished and looked like she was never going to make a racehorse.
“We got her to the races in one prep, which was a bit of a surprise and she performed quite well throughout the prep.
“We were always quietly confident that once she got that education out of the way and had a good spell and matured a little bit she had the chance to turn into a handy mare.
“Her attitude’s got a lot better, she’s actually a really lovely mare to have around the place. Her attitude’s done a complete 180 and we’re starting to get results on the track because of it.”
That was how it played out tonight, with Copacabana sitting outside Fling It Rainbow throughout even quarters and fighting on when favourite Love Gun attacked off the final bend.
The latter found the front but hung-in in the final 200 metres, threatening to encroach on Copacabana, which prompted his reinsman Chris Alford to correct him and Love Gun broke gait.
That opened the door for Copacabana to power to the finish, a win Sugars said was well deserved.
“(Love Gun) came very quick and poked his head in front, but no sooner that he hit the front it looked like his horse was under pressure and wanting to lay in, and my girl was still going strong at the one speed,” he said. “Even prior to him breaking I still had the thought I’m going to kick back and beat this one.”
