On a big, boisterous opening day of The Pinnacles carnival at a packed out Ascot racecourse, WA’s reigning Horse Of The Year Jokers Grin was definitely the headline act.
Trainer Bernie Miller's five year old son of Maschino lived up to all expectations, as he continued his merry march towards the G1 Winterbottom Stakes in two weeks time with a decisive victory in the G3 Colonel Reeves at 1100m.
The Joker was carrying 59.5kg and his nearest rival Oscar's Fortune (Rich Enuff) had 57.5 - giving the Dion Luciani trained / William Pike ridden second favourite every possible chance to turn the tables on the hotpot, after they met at equal weights first up in the G3 Prince Of Wales Stakes.
Punters could see no realistic danger to the top two and the market reflected that view, with the Gangemi stable's progressive 4YO Repossession (Sessions) - third in the Prince Of Wales - the only other runner under double figure odds at $11 in the nine horse field.
Interest was added with the talented Spacewalk (Exosphere) having his first start in the west.
Formerly trained by James Cummings, the G3 winner and earner of more than $880k in stakes is now trained by Grant and Alana Williams, having been purchased from Godolphin by Australian Bloodstock for $180,000 at the 2025 Inglis July (Early) Online Sale.
6YO Spacewalk was resuming from a Queensland winter campaign but punters were lukewarm on his chances first up and sent him out as a $16 shot.
It was a case of write your own ticket for everything else, and by the time the field were milling around behind the starting gates, Jokers Grin under Sean O'Donnell was showing $1.75.
This was a high pressure moment for O'Donnell, as Jokers Grin had only ever been ridden by one jockey at each of his eleven lifetime starts - and that was Bernie Miller's best mate Paddy Carbery.
With Paddy sidelined by concussion from a fall on Thursday at Bunbury, it was fellow veteran O'Donnell the trainer had entrusted to pilot his homebred superstar.
On jumping it was $30 roughie Acromantula (Written Tycoon) - first up on return to WA after a long stint in Melbourne - and $101 bolter Oxbridge (City Place) who burst out of the gates like their tails were on fire, and the two of them set a frantic pace with Kraken Time (Universal Ruler) under Holly Watson right up there with them vying for the lead.
Repossession (Brad Parnham) jumped well and took up fourth position on the rails, with Oscars Fortune settling midfield and Jokers Grin at the tail of proceedings early on!
At the 700m Oxbridge had burned them all off and was going hell for leather, out by two lengths from Acromantula. Repossession was getting the run of the race behind them. Oscars Fortune and Spacewalk raced side by side, as Jokers eased out to commence a move around the entire field.
Heads turned for home and still Oxbridge was running the race of his life! two lengths in front of Kraken Time at the 300m - but Jokers Grin had quickly hit top gear and rocketed past them on the outside. Game over! cheered all who backed the Joker
But suddenly Oscars Fortune and Pike exploded through with a rails hugging run and a last gasp challenge. Would it be enough? - not a chance.
Even with the weight impost and the wide sustained run, Jokers Grin was too strong.
He held off the challenge with authority, winning by just over half a length from Oscar's Fortune.
The two of them got right away from Repossession, who received every conceivable chance in third, with fast finishing roughie Hanchi (Squamosa) grabbing fourth.
Kraken Time stuck on bravely while Acromantula fizzled out to last with the gutsy Oxbridge - who finally ran out of gas, but had set the race up to run the impressive time of 1.03.59 for the 1100m.
Jokers Grin and his 77 year old trainer Bernie Miller are bona fide cult heroes in the west.
While Bernie has maintained steady condition over a good many seasons, his equine charge has returned from a six month spell as a noticeably bigger and stronger horse - Jokers Grin looks to be only just reaching his physical peak this year.
That's typical of his sire Maschino, who is renowned for the racetrack longevity, size and power of his progeny!
Bernie was characteristically low-key after his Joker's second G3 win.
“We got that one out of the way, and we’ll just focus on the next two weeks now, get the little champ right” said the proud trainer.
“Great effort by Shauny there, beautiful….he followed the instructions - Paddy's instructions not mine! - and absolutely rode him a treat.
He's improved (first to second up) a couple of lengths. He needs to lift again (for the Winterbottom) - and I believe he wil.l”
After his first race ride on WA's HOTY Shaun O'Donnell was blown away.
“I’m beyond words really… I’m very blessed to have gained this ride, through an unfortunate incident to Paddy - but I'm very grateful to Bernie and the owners and Paddy for letting me ride this bloody champion!” enthused the popular hoop.
“What a horse. He did the work and I just had to sit there and try not to muck it up - and didn't he do it well. Look, I know we don't compare horses, but he just reminds me of my old grey…( 3x G1 winner) Luckygray.
"They're just champions, these horses. They turn up all the time and you can give them a bit of a task and they'll just take you.
"It's what we do this for, to try and find these horses and it's a pleasure to be on him. He knows what he's here for and he's just a cool cat”.
His Colonel Reeves triumph advances Jokers Grin’s record to 9 wins and 2 seconds from just 12 career starts. Largely thanks to his famous Quokka victory, the Joker's prize money haul currently stands at a whopping $2,625,455 - and who wouldn't be grinning if they owned him!
Joker's Grin is a homebred for beloved local industry character Miller, who sent his dam - the winning Barely A Moment mare Walk In Beauty - back to Maschino after her first visit to the son of Encosta De Lago produced the trainer's G3 winner Cup Night.
That galloper was a multiple stakes winning sprinter and the mating was even more successful next time around!
The dam of Walk In Beauty was by the very good broodmare sire Tale Of The Cat, while her grand dam Bank Burst was a stakes winning daughter of the mighty Vain and she became a prolific producer of durable sprinter milers.
The third dam of Jokers Grin was the talented race mare Dam Burst by Bold Lad, a stakes placed multiple black type producer.
This female line is of great and consistent quality going back to the remarkable mare Rainbird, winner of the 1945 Melbourne Cup, a branch of Colonial Family 7.
From Rainbird descends the great NZ sire and broodmare sire Centaine, and the famous “Tennessee” family as well as top performers like Malaguerra, Aloha, Seabrook, Snitzerland, Nina Haraka, Foreplay and Rain Affair to name a few!
Jokers Grin is bred
5f x 5f to Mr Prospector
4m x 4f to Danehill sex balanced
His dam Walk In Beauty by the 3x G1 winning Gilded Time son Barely A Moment, has had five foals by Maschino and of three to race two are stakes winners. Waiting in the wings are a 2024 filly and a 2025 colt!
Walk In Beauty's 2018 foal by Vital Equine became the handy performer Ciscojoe.
The mighty Maschino goes from strength to strength - the prolific son of Encosta De Lago is widely admired for his ability to get horses of exceptional natural athleticism and amazingly good temperament.
Jokers Grin was Maschino's second winner on the first day of the Pinnacles carnival - his 5YO son Asphalt notched up his sixth straight win from only nine starts in Race 4 over 1600m - and 4yo gelding Charino was second over 1000m in Race 5.
His 3YO daughter Masmelo came from last in a big WA Champion Fillies Stakes field to finish 6th and may well prove to be another Classic contender for Maschino, following on from Machine Gun Gracie's Oaks/Derby domination last season!
Maschino stands at Alwyn Park Stud in Serpentine at a fee of $8,800.
