Barrier one the ace for WA talent

Smart three-year-old Powerplay impressed at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon when he finished powerfully from last to win effortlessly. But he will be seen in a vastly different role at Gloucester Park on Friday afternoon.

The Debra Lewis-trained gelding started off 40 metres in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra and was eighth at the bell before improving to fourth at the 400m and then bursting to the front 120m from the post before beating Over Armed and Jill Mach, rating 1.58.6 after revealing great speed to dash over the final 800m in 55.9sec.

Powerplay will start from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Vili Milisits Memorial Pace on Friday, with ace reinsman Chris Lewis planning to set the pace in a bid for an all-the-way victory. See fields here.

“He has lovely gate speed, and to lead and stay in front will be the plan,” said Lewis. “Leading should suit him. It was an excellent run at Pinjarra; the time was very good, and he had to get into the race by himself; he didn’t get a drag into it, so I was very pleased with his run.”

Powerplay, by Rich And Spoilt, has won at 12 of his 38 starts, and he is sure to be tested by Byford trainer David Thompson’s talented Sweet Lou colt Otis, who notched his seventh win when he surged to the front after 700m and set a solid pace to win very easily from Burghley Shard and Rocknroll Elliot at a 1.58 rate over 2536m last Friday week.

Otis, who again will be handled by Dylan Egerton-Green, will start from barrier four, with Rocknroll Elliot at No. 2 and Burghley Shard at No. 3.

Debra Lewis will have a handy second-string runner in Friday’s event in Cachinnation, who will be driven for the first time by Gary Hall Jnr from the outside barrier in the field of eight.

Cachinnation raced at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening when he started from the outside barrier and got his neck in front of the mobile barrier arm at release point before Lewis restrained him and then sent him forward to burst to an early lead. He set the pace and was still in front 10m from the post when he broke under pressure and finished a neck second to Faster Than Dad.

The stewards subsequently disqualified Cachinnation from the race.

Debra Lewis also has sound prospects in the opening event, the York Racing Inc. Pace, in which consistent five-year-old Pierre Whitby has the ability to overcome the awkward draw at barrier seven in the 2536m event.

Pierre Whitby celebrated his 100th start when Jocelyn Young brought him home from sixth at the bell to beat Bettorstartdreaming over 2536m on Tuesday evening.