It was a night to remember at Gloucester Park on Friday, with Stuart McDonald stealing the spotlight thanks to a well-earned treble, headlined by a surprise victory in the Group 2 North Coast Fibreglass Neerabup Four-Year-Old Classic.
McDonald’s cool and calculated drive aboard $29.10 outsider Franco Motu delivered a thrilling finish, storming home from the one-one position to edge out stablemate Alta Tribute ($16), giving trainer Gary Hall Snr a record eighth win in the prestigious event. The win marked McDonald’s first city treble since May last year, and Franco Motu now looms as a serious contender for the $200,000 Golden Nugget.
McDonald timed his run to perfection, switching three wide at the 200m mark after Alta Tribute had taken over the lead. “The early pace wasn’t particularly fast, which made it hard for the ones at the back,” McDonald said. “I was happy to drive Franco Motu — and Alta Tribute produced another outstanding effort.”
Hall’s team looks strong heading into the Golden Nugget, with Sweet Pins also impressing in a narrow second-place finish behind Hillview Bondi in the Bathroom Central WA Pace.
McDonald’s other winners included Mad Monday, who delivered a powerful Derby trial in the Fibreglass Shower Specialists Derby Preview. The $22.50 outsider surged from seventh to win stylishly, leaving stablemate Rumble Strip and Elite Fleet in his wake. “I was shocked by the way he pulled away from them,” McDonald admitted. “He steamed past like they were standing still.”
Her Presence rounded out McDonald’s treble, ending a ten-run losing streak with a strong sprint finish in heavy rain to claim the Lori Ki Pace.
Meanwhile, Arma Xfactor returned to the winner’s circle after a 13-month drought, thanks to a bold front-running drive by Maddison Brown in the $31,000 Pensamarr Pace. The six-year-old stallion, plagued by hoof issues early in his career, has benefited from corrective aluminium shoeing that’s helped him stay sound and balanced.
Trainer Colin Brown was thrilled with the result. “We predicted horses on his inside would restrain early, and Maddison executed the plan perfectly,” he said. Arma Xfactor defied the odds to beat star mare Penny Black, with champion Mister Smartee finishing a game fourth after a wide run.
Another standout was Maximum Rock, who made a statement with a dominant five-length win in the Noel Mulholland Pace. Trainer-driver Chris Voak was pleased to see the gelding bounce back after illness. “He had plenty left on the line,” Voak said, eyeing a Golden Nugget berth.
In the Our Ninnie Eileen Mary Pace, Overly Excited broke through for his first metro-class win, grinding out a narrow victory on a rain-soaked track. The $23.80 outsider, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, showed grit to hold off Fly To The Finish in a half-head thriller. “He went roughly down the back but fought on just enough,” Egerton-Green said.
Finally, Amalfi Knight continued his rise with a comfortable win in the Slay The Day Pace. The WA-bred gelding, once too unruly to contest major two-year-old events, has matured under Aiden De Campo’s patient guidance. “He was a horrible horse to break in,” De Campo revealed. “But now his tractability is super.”
Amalfi Knight rated 1.55.1 in his third career start and looks set for a promising campaign, with De Campo planning a few more runs to further his education.
Ken Casellas