Gloucester Park’s $450,000 night of pacing crucial to Sunday sale after last year’s record-breaking event

Following tonight’s $450,000 evening of APG Sales Classics at Gloucester Park, attention will turn to Sunday’s yearling sale at the Magic Millions Sales Complex. Last year’s sale shattered the record for highest priced yearling ever sold in WA, with a colt by American Ideal from Anna Faye knocked down to master trainer Justin Prentice for a whopping $160,000. Though the colt - now named Ideal An Ace - is yet to reach the track, all three of his brothers will grace the track over the coming days. Eldest brother Veeforvictory is rated a $15 TABtouch chance of success at Northam tonight, while Thelittle Master slipped over the $100,000 barrier last start and has reached career-best form as a newly turned four-year-old. He is a $4 chance to clinch the second event at Gloucester Park tonight, while Pinny Noir from the powerful Hall Sr barn will step out for his first start at the metropolitan track on Tuesday. He has trialled encouragingly and looks an each-way prospect, though top filly Captainshavtime appears the hardest to beat. That’s The Spirit, a leading contender for tonight’s WASBA award of broodmare of the year, had Middlepage, Let’s Rock Tonight, Spiritofanangel and Belly Up all win through the 2024 season. Belly Up, a son of Foreclosure, is the $2.25 favourite for the $100,000 three-year-old colts and geldings final having already earned in excess of $130,000 in his two-year-old year. This year, That’s The Spirit has a chestnut filly by Downbytheseaside up for auction as lot 344. Second favourite Captain Stirling’s ($2.50) half-sister will appear as lot 440, a dark filly by Bettors Wish, a young sire who is well represented in this year’s two-year-old ranks. His mother, Chemical Romance, has been a terrific producer and is also the dam of horses such as Bettor Reward ($244,000), Destined To Rule ($229,000), Bettor Romance ($159,000), Bettors Destroya ($79,000) and Sovrana ($177,000). Ideal Beach, a $130,000 purchase by Justin Prentice and Gloucester Park’s Trotsynd, has been solidly supported from $4.20 down to $2.60 favouritism for tonight’s $125,000 two-year-old colts and geldings final. The fastest heat winner clocked a 1:56.8 mile rate, decimating his rivals by 16.5m at just his first race start. This meant that all four of Coopers Beach’s racing-age progeny have won, with the eldest relation Mikis Beach another that Prentice has under his care and possesses one of the fastest sprints in the State. The full brother to Ideal Beach will go under the hammer as lot 352 on Sunday. Butter Me Up, the drifting former favourite ($2.65 to $3.90), made multiple runs in his heat to produce a fine qualifying effort although 20m inferior to Ideal Beach. His half-relation, a colt by Sweet Lou, is lot 350. Two-year-old filly Chefs Kiss was very new to the occasion on debut but overcame her indiscretions to score a mighty win in her heat. The daughter of Captain Ahab from Russian Ball is a striking, physical type and a $4.20 second favourite behind Ma Petite Dame for the fillies’ final. Her full-brother will pass through the ring as lot 351. Jemma Hayman, who trains Chefs Kiss, will no doubt be a buyer on Sunday but also a vendor with lot 324. Hayman’s mighty mare Double Expresso, who won one of the opening two-year-old races of the season in 2019, went on to score 12 of her first 16 starts and landed almost $330,000 from just 32 runs all up. As a half-sister to local stallion Shockwave, Double Expresso boasts rich bloodlines and her first foal, a filly by Always B Miki, is sure to command significant interest. Lot 384, the full-brother to one of the best pacers ever bred in WA, Never Ending, is the first full-relation to the champion local. He is also a half-relation to Isaiah Artois ($117,000), Dibaba ($112,000) and Mandy Joan ($168,000).