John Dunne
Magnetic Terror completed a clean sweep of the Gordon Rothacker Memorial Championship when he outstayed his rivals in the final at Melton on Saturday night.
Kate Gath took off on Magnetic Terror ($2.25 favourite) with 1600 metres to travel and the five-year-old staved off all challenges in the home straight scoring by a head from Illawong Awesome with
Corravally Star a metre away third.
Gath said the win was a blueprint of his heat win the previous week when he sat parked outside the leader.
“We had to do it that way again, it was a pretty good effort really as the second quarter was solid and the last two were solid, so he’s gone really well,” Gath said.
“I’m just rapt that he could get the win for Mick Boots who has a few horses with us, he spends a lot of money and it’s good to get the win for him,” she said.
Gath said Magnetic Terror has a few strings to his bow.
“He’s really fast too so he’s a little bit versatile and when he gets up in grade we’ll probably use that more, I think he tends to love not doing a lot of work initially out of the gate but after that you can make a move like we did tonight and be too strong still at the end,” she said.
The win completed a double for Gath who partnered talented South Australian filly Miss Idaho ($2.10 favourite ) to victory in the Benstud Standardbreds Youthful Stakes (2YO Fillies) earlier in the night.
Gath timed her run to perfection easing out of the one out one back trail around the final bend and holding out the challenges to score by a metre from Our Ultimate Gracy and Jumpingjoy.
The Ryan Hryhorec trained Miss Idaho is building an impressive picket fence form line winning her past seven starts following a second on debut at Mildura in May.
Following her double, Gath is now two wins clear of Mark Pitt in the Metropolitan Drivers Premiership.
Meanwhile the Scott Ewen prepared Bulletproof Boy continued to reap the financial benefits of playing at home rather than campaigning in Brisbane when he completed back-to-back wins at
Melton.
The eight-year-old, who was sent out a $1.65 favorite, was untroubled to lead all the way defeating the Larajay Farm stablemates Triple Eight and La Captain in the Logical Staffing Solutions Free For All.
“He’s won two races here and I don’t think he would have won much more money up there even winning a heat and it would have been hard to win the final,” Ewen said.
“I didn’t pull the plugs tonight, he did it pretty comfortably, I flicked him up but he always had them at bay- it’s just a freak that he is going as well as he is at the moment,” he said.
Ewen believes Bulletproof Boy is racing as well as ever.
“He wasn’t as strong a few years ago, if he led and copped a bit of pressure then he wouldn’t take it but they put it to him now and he keeps finding,” he said.
“He’s definitely in career best form.”
Ewen indicated Bulletproof Boy would be aimed at bigger spoils after Christmas.
“We’ll freshen him up for and see if we can get him ready for the Hunter Cup,” he said.
And Ewen didn’t rule out a trip to Sydney in the new year.
“I still think the sprints are his go and I said to the owners it would be good to have a crack at the Miracle Mile heats,” he said.
“He’s good enough to be a chance in them, and like anyone, you’ve got to draw a barrier but if he does I think he’s a good chance.”
