Gary Hall, Sr. and Jr. become first locals to win the Group 1 Nullarbor.

by Adam Hamilton

Pride has been restored.

And it took Western Australia’s iconic harness racing family to do it.

After interstate raiders dominated the first two running’s of Australia’s richest Group 1 harness race — the $1.25 million Nullarbor — Gary Hall, Sr. and son Gary, Jr. got the locals on the board with Mister Smartee’s minor upset win at Gloucester Park on Friday night (April 25).

The 75-year-old Hall, Sr. labeled it one of his best and most satisfying wins through a storied career.

It’s a huge call given the Hall of Famer has won 13 WA Pacing Cups (WA’s most prestigious race), 10 Fremantle Cups and also three Inter Dominion pacing finals.

“This sits right up there with the best wins,” Hall, Sr. said. “The build-up to the race was enormous, for so many weeks. It felt like a real us [Western Australia] against [the interstate horses] battle.

“Don’t get me wrong, I loved the banter between Jason [Grimson, trainer of Swayzee] and our crew, but it definitely fires you up. For all the success I’ve had, this is now WA’s biggest race and I didn’t want to retire without getting one on my CV. I haven’t got a lot of time left. To be the first WA trainer to do it is special, too.”

Hall, Jr. said sharing the moment with his father certainly took the win to another level.

“Oh, hell yes,” Hall, Jr. said. “For all he’s achieved, to team up with him and add a Nullarbor, which has grown into something great really quickly, is awesome. I know what [my dad] means about the pride thing, too. We’re a proud bunch over here, quite parochial, and it’s certainly stung that interstate horses have come and won the Nullarbor both times so far.

“It’s something I’ve stewed on and it really brewed this week. I thought, we’ve just got to win it, whether it’s us or Minstrel, we’ve just got to beat those eastern staters.”

As has become customary with Team Hall, it was a combination of superb training and a glorious drive.

Less than two weeks ago, Hall, Jr. worried if Mister Smartee would peak in time for the biggest race of his career.

“I was a bit disappointed with his first up run and felt we’d left him out [spelling] a week or two too long,” he said. “That’s where dad came into play. It really was only when I worked him during the week, I said to dad he felt spot on.

“I was relieved as much as anything because I think so much of the horse and knew it would be a brutally hard run race.”

Hall, Sr. revealed he had to convince Hall, Jr. to “back him in” and race Mister Smartee the week before.

“Yeah, I just knew the horse needed a ‘maintenance’ run as much as anything else,” Hall, Sr. said. “‘Junior’ wasn’t so keen, but the run definitely brought him on.”

Then came Hall, Jr.’s drive to land Mister Smartee in the perfect stalking position behind the two big guns and favorites [Minstrel and Swayzee] as they went to war through the middle stages.

Swayzee’s driver Cam Hart, knowing he had to try and grind Minstrel into submission, scorched through a 27.8 second split from the 1,200 meters to 800 meters and went :28.4 again for the next 400 meters.

“They were absolutely flying,” Hall, Jr. said. “The race mapped exactly as I hoped, but our guy still had to be good enough to follow that pace, come three wide and run them down.

“It’s a huge effort from a horse still learning his ringcraft and only having his 22nd start.”

Mister Smartee powered home to win by 2.1 meters over emerging former Kiwi pacer Gee Heza Sport with Minstrel a close third and Swayzee fighting on bravely in fourth, just 2.8 meters from the winner.

The mile rate was a blistering 1:54.4 for the long 2,536-meter trip, just 0.4 seconds off the track record.

Hall, Sr. was moved to declare Mister Smartee second only to his former champion and three-time Inter Dominion winner Im Themightyquinn as the best horse he has trained.

“I love this horse and he’s still getting better,” he said. “I got more and more confident by the day we could win it. I said going into it, ‘Quinny’ couldn’t beat this horse in a race if Mister Smartee led.”

Hall, Sr. admitted he now has some serious thinking to do with the Brisbane Inter Dominion starting on July 5.

“I said going into this race that he’d have to win it for me to seriously consider Brisbane… I have to now,” he said. “It’s just such a long trip to get from Perth to Brisbane and then to take on Leap To Fame.

“I’ve got to weigh-up whether we go or stay home and focus on the WA Pacing Cup at the end of the year and wait until next year before we start taking him on the road for the big races.”

Mister Smartee’s 22 starts have netted 17 wins, two seconds and now $1,090,770 in prize money.

The great thing for fans is that most of the stars from the Nullarbor will clash again next Friday night in the $300,000 Group 1 Fremantle Cup at Gloucester Park.

The stretch to a grueling 2,936 meters will certainly suit Swayzee, who lost no admirers with his close-up fourth given the work he did in the Nullarbor.