19 September 2019
by Ken Casellas

El Jacko and Vampiro, two of the star performers from the powerful Greg and Skye Bond stables, look set to dominate the $50,000 Navy Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night and have bright prospects of providing the husband and wife combination with a quinella result in the Group 2 feature event.

Punters face an intriguing quandary when choosing their selection in the 2130m race in which the talented stablemates have drawn favourably.

The only real certainty surrounding the tactics of the 12 runners is that polemarker Thereugo will reveal his normal brilliant gate speed and will set the pace for Lindsay Harper, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Tuesday.

El Jacko, with Dylan Egerton-Green in the sulky, will start from the No. 2 barrier, with Vampiro (Ryan Warwick) at No. 3.

El Jacko finished an eye-catching second to the pacemaker and stablemate Our Jimmy Johnstone in the 2536m James Brennan Memorial last Friday night after enjoying a perfect passage behind the leader. He was hampered for room until getting into the clear 100m, when he sprinted fast, but was unable to overhaul Our Jimmy Johnstone, who set his rivals a difficult task by dashing over the final two quarters in 27.5sec. and 28.1sec.

Vampiro started from the back line and raced in eighth position before fighting on doggedly to be sixth, less than three lengths from the winner and two lengths behind El Jacko. He will be very hard to beat this week, particularly if Warwick is able to slot him into the one-out, one-back position or the one-out, two-back spot.

El Jacko, a seven-year-old with 21 wins from 58 starts, is an enigmatic pacer who gave a sample of his class by racing three back on the pegs and flashing home along the inside to finish a half-length second to the pacemaker Rocknroll Lincoln in the 2936m WA Pacing Cup last January. Then, in March he won the Pinjarra Cup from Rocknroll Lincoln and the Narrogin Cup.

He has also had difficulty in the past of negotiating the final bend in races at Gloucester Park, particularly when racing one wide or wider on the track.

Astute punters could well opt for Vampiro, a six-year-old with 19 wins from 50 starts, taking into account his splendid performance four starts ago when he began from barrier seven and worked hard in the breeze before finishing powerfully to snatch a half-head victory from the pacemaker Our Corelli in the 2536m August Cup.

The Bonds also will be represented in Friday night’s Cup by 11-year-old Our Jimmy Johnstone, who will again be handled by Bailey McDonough, who rated the gelding perfectly in front to win last week’s Brennan Memorial. However, he will be at long odds this week after drawing the outside barrier (No. 9).          

Greg Bond is seeking his second success in the Navy Cup. He prepared 9/4 favourite Richard Henry, who started from the No. 2 barrier, set the pace for Colin Brown and held on to win by a short half-head from Lightning Jake in November 2006.

Chris Lewis, who has won the Navy Cup behind Skiptar (1980), Western Gentleman (1994), Mark Craig (1995), Super Strike (1996) and Lovers Delight (2015), will drive the in-form Our Corelli, who is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line.

Our Corelli has won seven times from 11 starts for trainer Debra Lewis and he was far from disgraced in fading to finish ninth in last week’s Brennan Memorial when he began speedily from the outside barrier but was unable to cross to the front. He then had a tough run in the breeze before wilting only over the final 150m.

Ross Olivieri, who has won the Navy Cup with Chipmont (1991), Mark Craig and Super Strike, will be pinning his faith on Mr Mojito, who will be driven by Chris Voak from barrier eight. Mr Mojito will be improved after his sound first-up fourth behind Our Corelli in the York Cup last Friday week, but faces a hard task from the wide draw.    

Champion trainer Gary Hall Snr has won the Navy Cup with Abit Rich (1997), Real Life (2009), Hokonui Ben (2012), Beaudiene Boaz (2016) and Chicago Bull (2017 and 2018). He will be represented in Friday night’s Cup by King of Swing (barrier five) and Speed Man (barrier seven), who will need plenty of luck from their awkward draws.