Busy time ahead for Deni

West Australia’s leading reinswoman Deni Roberts acknowledges in-form pacer Minstrel (Rocknroll Hanover) will need to be at the peak of his harness racing form to land the money from a wide draw in Friday night’s Group 3 $50,000 Governors Cup at Gloucester Park.

The Greg and Skye Bond prepared seven-year-old has been in a rich vein of form winning five of his past six starts including last month’s Group 3 Pinjarra Cup.

Roberts is under no illusion as to  the magnitude of the task ahead for the son of Rocknroll Hanover.

“It’s a pretty classy field now and he will need to be at his best with the right run,” Roberts said.

Roberts said she intends to press forward at the start.

“There is a bit of speed underneath him so I’ll have to drive by the seat of my pants as things unfold at the start,” she said.

Prior to his current winning streak, Minstrel had won just one of his previous nine starts.

“He had some issues last year and went out for a spell and those issues were gone by the time he came back into work,” she said.

Roberts cites stable mate Tenzing Bromac, whom she drove to victory at Gloucester Park a fortnight ago, as one of the hardest to beat along with the Ray Jones trained six-year-old Lavra Joe.

“Tenzing Bromac has a few quirks but Dylan (Egerton- Green) knows the horse well and he  raced well in really good class races last time in,” she said.

Meanwhile,  Roberts is gearing herself for a busy few weeks ahead as Team Bond launches a home town assault on the $1.25m Nullabor slot race on 19 April.

“The stable has Minstrel, Tenzing Bromac, Ideal Agent and Steel The Show who are all in contention to fill the slot in the Nullabor and then the Fremantle Cup,” she said.

“The next month is going to be big.”

For complete race entries, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink