Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas.

Trial points to Highview Heidi

A dashing trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week is a significant pointer to the filly’s ability to overcome the outside barrier and win the $21,000 Download The TABtouch App Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Highview Heidi (Rock N Roll World), trained in Bunbury by Paul Strachan, will be driven by Chris Voak, who was in the sulky when she raced in fifth position in the Indian file 2185m trial at Pinjarra and was eased off the pegs 1100m from home and raced in the breeze before surging to the front with 480m to travel on her way to winning by three and a half lengths from Write Rite Right.

Highview Heidi rated 2.1.4, with the final 400m sections being covered in 27.6sec. and 30sec.

She will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight on Friday night when she will be having her first start since she enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win by 5m from Shoobees Double at Gloucester Park nine weeks ago, rating 1.58.2 over 1730m.

Voak sounded a word of caution when assessing Highview Heidi’s prospects, saying: “I’m not sure where I’m going to get from the wide barrier. However, the trial was very good, and we should finish thereabouts.”

Hot Hand Horror, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, will make her debut in Friday night’s race and has drawn perfectly at the No. 1 barrier, with De Campo saying: “She is a handy filly who does everything right, and she should be able to hold her own.”

Hot Hand Horror improved from fourth at the bell to finish third in last week’s trial. Shoobees Double, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for Simone Strachan (wife of Highview Heidi’s trainer), revealed sparkling gate speed in last week’s trial to burst to the front before setting the pace and wilting to finish fourth.

Shoobees Double will begin from the No. 3 barrier on Friday night and the massive filly appeals as the likely pacemaker. “She will go good over a mile,” said her driver Shannon

Suvaljko.

With Trent Wheeler opting to drive at Friday night’s Bunbury meeting Coolup trainer Frank Nafranec has engaged Deni Roberts to drive promising filly Reinette, who will begin from the No. 6 barrier.

Reinette led from barrier four and won easily at her debut at Pinjarra in early January, and then at her third start she was prominent throughout and won convincingly over 1609m in 1.56.3 at Bunbury on March 2.

Other last-start winners in Friday night’s 1730m event are Diamondsareforever and Poppys Last Dance.

Waverider is raring to go

Brilliant colt Waverider (Downbytheseaside) looks set to give punters a flying start by winning the opening event at Gloucester Park on Friday night, despite drawing the outside barrier in the field of eight in the $21,000 Westside Auto Pace over 2130m.

“I wasn’t planning to start Waverider on Friday night but he’s that well at home that I decided to start him because he is jumping out of his skin,” said trainer Ryan Bell.

“He will then back up and run in a heat of the Pearl Classic next Tuesday. Then there’s the final of the Pearl ten days later, and after that he will have a let-up before getting ready for the Westbred Classic and WA Derby.

“It’s not going to be a walk in the park on Friday night, but I do think he is the best horse in the race.”

Waverider has shown great promise in winning at five of his eight starts. At his most recent appearance he gave an outstanding performance when a half-length second to Bet The House in the group 3 Caduceus Club Classic last Friday week after being restrained to the rear from a wide barrier.

“He tramped three deep from the 1200m when he and Bet The House ran away from the others,” said Bell.

Waverider will again be driven by Kyle Symington, and he should prove too smart for the opposition which includes the Robbie Williams-trained Opal Hunter, who impressed two starts ago when he raced in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win easily from Thenu Came Along over 2130m.

Waverider’s stablemate Franco Encore will be driven by Mitch Miller from the No. 3 barrier. Franco Encore caught the eye at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he began from the outside barrier, was trapped three wide early and then restrained to the rear before finishing strongly from tenth at the bell to be second to Arionrock.

Serpentine trainer Gary Hall snr will be looking for a strong performance from Atlas The Titan, an inexperienced colt by Lazarus who will be making his first appearance at Gloucester Park. His three starts have been at Pinjarra for a debut second placing to Fat Louie and a last-start victory on Monday of last week when he raced without cover before winning by two lengths from Prince Of Pain.

Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is contemplating driving Ideal Muscle conservatively when the gelding starts from barrier six — after he set a solid pace in the Caduceus Club Classic before fading to finish tenth behind Bet The House.

“Ideal Muscle did a fair bit off the gate before he pulled hard in front and couldn’t relax,” said De Campo. “I think he choked down a little bit, and I’ll probably drive him a bit quieter on Friday.”

Lavra Joe, Pinny Tiger to clash

A clash between top-flight pacers Pinny Tiger and Lavra Joe in the $35,000 Narrogin Cup on Saturday night is sure to provide plenty of fireworks.

The Michael Brennan-trained Pinny Tiger will be driven by Chris Voak from the No. 1 barrier on the front line in the 2662m Cup, with Lavra Joe, to be driven by Gary Hall jnr for owner-trainer Ray Jones, drawn to begin from the No. 3 barrier on the back line.

Pinny Tiger, who finished second to Vultan Tin in the 2022 Narrogin Cup, is in top form with four wins and three placings from eight starts in his current campaign. He trailed the pacemaker Jumpingjackmac and ran home solidly to finish third behind Catch A Wave and Jumpingjackmac in the 2936m Fremantle Cup last Friday week. He led and won from Steel The Show and Tenzing Bromac, rating 1.55.6 over 2536m the previous week.

Lavra Joe, a winner 33 races and $734,883 in prizemoney, was withdrawn 18 minutes before the Fremantle Cup when he was suffering from a mild colic attack. He had put up a remarkable performance the previous Friday when he thundered home from the rear to finish fourth behind Catch A Wave in the Nullarbor slot race.

Adding considerable spice to the Narrogin Cup will be the appearance of evergreen veteran pacer Vultan Tin, who is trained by Dan Costello and will be driven by Toby Lynn.

Twelve-year-old Vultan Tin will be contesting the Narrogin Cup for the sixth time when he starts from barrier four on the back line. He has won the Narrogin Cup three times — driven by Voak to victory over Im Full Of Excuses in 2017, handled by Shannon Suvaljko when he won from Antero in 2021, and driven by Mitch Miller when he beat Pinny Tiger in 2022.

Vultan Tin has amassed $1,077,605 from 33 wins and 54 placings from 229 starts.

The only mare in Saturday night’s Cup is Nullarbor Navajo, who will begin from the No. 4 barrier for trainer Corey Peterson and reinsman Stuart McDonald. She impressed at Gloucester Park last Friday night when she raced in the breeze for most of the way and fought on grandly to finish third behind Aardiebytheseaside and Acharne Girl in the 2130m WASBA Breeders Stakes.

Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has eight-year-old To Fast To Serious racing keenly, and the WA-bred gelding will start from barrier five and is capable of a bold showing. He ran home strongly when second to Steel The Show over 2536m last Friday week, and then finished a sound third behind Jumpingjackmac and Steel The Show over the same distance last Friday night.

‘Tough’ role for The Miki Taker

Ace trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is planning to give his smart pacer The Miki Taker (Always B Miki) a searching test when the drives the five-year-old from barrier four in the $25,000 Trotsynd Syndication Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Noted frontrunner Hampton Banner looks certain to set the pace from the No. 1 barrier, and De Campo plans to send The Miki Taker forward from the outset in a bid to race in the breeze.

“This is a race in which The Miki Taker should race outside the leader, so I will be driving him tough which will give him his chance of winning,” said De Campo.

Hampton Banner, trained by Debra Lewis and to be driven by her husband Chris, is in fair form and has managed one placing from six starts in his current campaign —when he led from barrier No. 1 and finished third behind Tenzing Bromac and Tricky Miki over 2130m four starts ago.

Hampton Banner has a losing sequence of 27, with his most recent success being when he set the pace over 1730m and held on to beat Wildwest by a half-head at Gloucester Park on November 18, 2022.

Last Friday night Hampton Banner began with his customary speed from barrier six but was unable to cross to the lead and then was restrained to the rear before battling on to finish fourth behind Jumpingjackmac in a field of six.

Four-year-old Lusaka, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is in top form and is capable of a strong performance from barrier five even though he is rising a good deal in class.

Lusaka won for the 13TH time from 24 starts when he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing with a powerful burst to beat Vanderbilt and Franco Ecuador, rating 1.55.9 over 2130m last Friday night.

Classic Choice gets his chance

Shannon Suvaljko is driving in superb form, and he has established a commanding lead on the WA drivers’ premiership table, having landed 77 winners this year to lead from Chris Voak (62), Gary Hall jnr (59), Stuart McDonald (57) and Deni Roberts (53).

He has been booked for six drives on the nine-event program at Gloucester Park on Friday night and he considers that Classic Choice (Sweet Lou) could prove to be his best winning chance when he starts from the No. 2 barrier for trainer Debbie Padberg in the 2130m The West Australian Pace.

Classic Choice has been unplaced at his past seven starts, the victim of a succession of unfavourable barrier draws.

“If Classic Choice can hold the lead, he will be hard to beat,” said Suvaljko.

Withoutthetuh (barrier three), Dominus Factum (six) and Navy Street (seven) possess good gate speed, but it appears problematic that any of those pacers will be able to muster sufficient early speed to deny Classic Choice the luxury of setting the pace.

The main danger to Classic Choice certainly appears to be the Greg and Skye Bond-trained six-year-old Jett Star, who will be driven by Roberts from the outside barrier in the field of eight.

Jett Star has dashed to the front in the final stages at each of his past two starts but has been relegated to second by fast-finishing pacers Eldaytona and Middlepage. He will appreciate a drop in class here and should prove hard to beat.

Suvaljko also expects a strong showing from Sweet Vivienne in the Harry Capararo Westbred Pace for four and five-year-old mares, and from Valhalla Miss in the Nova 93.7 Pace.

“Sweet Vivienne has drawn perfectly at barrier one and I expect her to go well in front,” said Suvaljko. “But Acharne Girl looks very hard to beat.”

Acharne Girl, trained by Gary Hall snr, is the only runner on the back line, and Gary Hall jnr will have many options during the 2130m event. Acharne Girl also started off the back line last Friday night when she raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before finishing strongly to be second to the brilliant Aardiebytheseaside.

Valhalla Miss, trained by Craig Hynam, will start from the No. 4 barrier on Friday night when Storm The Beach, the least experienced runner in the field, will be all the rage.

Storm The Beach, prepared by Katie Howlett, is drawn out wide at barrier seven, but he has the class to overcome that disadvantage.

He will be driven by Chris Voak, who said: “He drops hugely in class and looks my best chance on the night. He ran a really good race against quality opposition last week (when eighth behind the brilliant Mister Smartee).”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park