Mogumber Park sire Rommel has been on a roll in the last fortnight and Bernie Miller was only too happy to saddle up the latest winner with his filly Madam Kisses at Pinjarra on Sunday.
The Hopeland-based trainer (Pictured with Madam Kisses / Western Racepix) prepares her for long-time local committeeman Keith Jeffreys and the Peel Bus Charter Hcp (1200m) was her third win in four starts at Pinjarra. “She can be feisty but hopefully she’s starting to settle down,” Miller said. “I think she can make the grade in town on a Saturday and some black-type isn’t out of the question of she keeps improving.”
Madam Kisses was hemmed in when scouting wide in the straight and that forced Pat Carberry to steer a course closer to the fence where she overhauled Ornamental Belle (Epaulette) before holding Material Witness (Star Witness).
Rommel sired her from Paul Jordan’s city-winning mare Lisetta (Bletchley Park). It’s a successful family of Group 1 fillies Kapalaran (MRC One Thousand Guineas) and her dam Better Gleam (ATC Flight Stakes). Lisetta is now owned by south-west breeder Tania Smith and she an unraced 2yo filly named Pure Sassy (Hvasstan) and a colt on the ground by Hi World.
Other trainers winning with the Rommels in the second-half of January include Simon Miller with Desert Vixen (Belmont), Luke Fernie with Men’s Club (Belmont) and Roy Rogers with Rocapozzene (Mt Barker).
In Brisbane, Chris Munce has Rommel’s budding stayer Military Gambler nominated to double up over 2200m at Eagle Farm this Saturday. It will be his first attempt getting out to that trip after surviving a protest at Doomben over 2020m on January 21.
Military Gambler was sent to the Sunshine State in utero after his Ascot-winning dam Call To Ransom (Red Ransom) changed hands at 2018 Magic Millions Perth Winter Sale. He was on-sold for $60,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and has since earned $234,000.
“I must admit I didn’t know much about Rommel but I loved his colt from the moment I saw him on the Gold Coast,” Munce recalled. “He’s a gorgeous grey – big and athletic with a great temperament. And he loves getting over a bit of ground.”
Rommel (Commands) has 13 yearlings entered for the Perth Magic Millions starting with the filly from unraced I Am Invincible mare Sound Of Thunder (Lot 18). She is being offered by Ridgeport Holdings owner Santo Guagliardo who raced Rommel to a Group 2 victory in the 2014 WA Guineas (1600m).
Sound Of Thunder’s first foal Soaring Solo (Safeguard) was a very impressive winner of the Crystal Slipper Stakes (1100m) at Ascot in November and that form-line is sure to stand up when she returns from a spell for Group 1 trainer Colin Webster.
