Gloucester Park preview

Star reinsman Ryan Warwick has fond memories of driving Gee Whiz Fizz to a last-stride victory in the group 2 Four And Five-Year-Old Championship 15 years ago – and he has high hopes winning the $50,000 feature event for the second time when he drives Dont Bother Me None in the big race at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Dont Bother Me None, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond and one of two four-year-olds in the 2130m race, is in top form, having won in convincing style at his past two starts. He is favourably drawn at barrier two, and Warwick is sure to be keen to set the pace.

Greg Bond will be looking to win this event for the third time. His two winners — Ohokas Bondy (2012) and Your Good Fortune (2013) were four-year-olds when they were successful, and like Dont Bother Me None they were by champion American-bred stallion Bettors Delight.

Colin Brown drove Ohokas Bondy and Your Good Fortune for their wins, and he will handle the speedy four-year-old Arma Einstein from the inside of the back line in Friday night’s race. Arma Einstein has won at two of his past three starts and is capable of a bold showing.

Dont Bother Me None is the least experienced runner in this week’s race, having started 21 times for 12 wins and four placings. He is versatile, having won after setting the pace and also when he has worked hard in the breeze.

Veteran trainer Ross Olivieri has won the Four And Five-Year-Old Championship with Heros Knight (1998) and Crombie (2011) and he is confident that Power And Grace will be ready to perform strongly at his fourth appearance after a nine-month absence.

Heros Knight was driven to his victory by Chris Lewis, who will handle Power And Grace from barrier No. 5. Lewis drove Power And Grace for the first time when the five-year-old set the pace and dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 27.8sec. to beat Hittheroadjack by a half-length over 2536m last Friday night.

“Ross said that Power And Grace was short of a run last week and that there was plenty of improvement left in the horse,” said Lewis. “Coming back from 2536m to 2130m is a help.”

Power And Grace is owned by Albert and Julie Walmsley, who will also be represented by Valentines Brook, who is trained and driven by Jocelyn Young and will start out wide at barrier seven. Valentines Brook maintained his consistent form on Tuesday of last week when he raced without cover and finished second to Sports Package.

The Bonds will also have a second runner, with Ideal Agent to be driven by Deni Roberts from barrier eight. Ideal Agent impressed last Friday week when, at his first appearance for ten weeks he began from the No. 9 barrier, settled down in last position, dashed forward to the breeze in the middle stages and went on to win from the pacemaker Doc Holliday.

Doc Holliday followed that effort with a sound third behind Know When To Run last Friday night after he had raced in the breeze for much of the 2536m journey.

Trainer Mike Reed and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko combined to win the Four And Five-Year-Old Championship with Kiwi Legend in 2017, and they will join forces this week when they will be hoping for a determined showing from Caveman, who will start from the No. 3 barrier.

Caveman has begun from the outside barrier (No. 9) and did not show up when unplaced at his past two starts following strong wins at his two previous runs.

Major Overs set to sizzle

Few pacers, let alone a two-year-old, set a scorching lead time of 35sec. in a 2130m event. But that’s what the Art Major colt Major Overs did last Friday week.

Champion reinsman Chris Lewis intends to use the two-year-old’s sparkling gate speed in a bid for victory in the $20,250 Hoist Torque Australia Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Major Overs, trained by Debra Lewis, will start from the No. 4 barrier in a field of five and will certainly be tested by Kim Prentice’s talented colts Tantabiddi and Soho Firestone, and Brian Ferguson’s highly-promising gelding Lethal Edition.

Major Overs, a $26 outsider from the outside barrier in the field of seven in the group 2 Champagne Classic two Fridays ago, began with blistering pace and burst straight to the front to record a lead time of 35sec. followed by solid quarters of 30.3sec., 30.5sec. 30.2sec. and 30.2sec. He was overhauled 60m from the post by the fast-finishing Lord Titanium and held on to finish second to that colt.

“He is a nice little horse with good gate speed, and he has good depth,” said Lewis. “It’s only a small field on Friday night, and we’ll be looking for the front.

“He ran a 35sec. lead time at his latest start and he was still there at the finish. You wouldn’t get too many youngsters who would be there at the finish after running such a fast lead time. And you would think that he will be suited over 1730m this week.”

Prentice trains Tantabiddi and Soho Firestone at his Blythewood stables, and he has chosen to drive Soho Firestone, who will start from the No. 2 barrier. Stablemate Tantabiddi will begin from the prized No. 1 barrier and will be driven by Mitch Miller.

Soho Firestone has raced only once, for an impressive all-the-way victory over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. He rated 1.59.9, with a final quarter of 28sec. In that event Tantabiddi settled down behind the pacemaker before breaking into a gallop 200m after the start.

Tantabiddi dropped back to last before he dashed forward to the breeze with 700m to travel. He wilted over the final stages to finish last in the field of five.

Then, at his next start on Monday afternoon this week, also over 1684m at Pinjarra, Tantabiddi was restrained from barrier four and raced one-out and one-back before going three wide on the home turn and finishing solidly to be second to Hotly Pursued.

Lethal Edition, to be driven by Micheal Ferguson from the outside barrier in the field of five, won on debut, over 1684m at Pinjarra three Mondays ago when he sat behind the pacemaker and finished strongly along the sprint lane to beat Ima Aussie Artist and Hotly Pursued. He then ran on from sixth at the bell to finish a close third behind Lord Titanium and Major Overs in the Champagne Classic.

Nevermindthechaos set for four in a row

In-form Mundijong trainer Michael Young makes no secret that he considers Nevermindthechaos the best pacer in his stable, and the speedy four-year-old mare is firmly on target to extend her winning sequence to four when she contests the $26,000 Hoist Torque Solutions Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Nevermindthechaos warmed up for Friday’s race in magnificent style, working hard in the breeze before going on to win a 1730m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, rating 1.53.4.

Miss Boudica set a fast pace and the 400m sections whizzed by in 28.7sec., 28.4sec., 27.6sec. and 29.3sec. Gary Hall jnr sent Nevermindthechaos forward to draw level with Miss Boudica 550m from home before she took a clear lead with 420m to travel

Nevermindthechaos was challenged strongly in the home straight by Bettors Destroya and American Arma and she held on resolutely to beat Bettors Destroya by a neck.

Nevermindthechaos will start from the No. 2 barrier in Friday night’s 2130m event in which she will clash with several highly-promising mares, including Three Rumours, Unconditional and Alta Cinderella.

“It is a good field, and I wouldn’t swap her for any of those mares,” said Young. “I knew she could do what she did tonight, so I wasn’t surprised at the fast time. She has gone 1.55 over 2130m a couple of times and has done it easily with the ear plugs in, unextended.

“The plugs had to come out tonight. Junior (Hall) said that when she hit the front, she switched off a bit. But when they came at her she found that bit extra. And that’s a good quality she has — digging in like that even after she has run sectionals like that.

“It is good that she is finally doing what I thought she was able to do. I have been saying for a fair while that she is the best horse I have got. So, it’s good that she is finally showing everybody the same thing.”

Busselton trainer Barry Howlett will be looking for a strong showing from his talented four-year-old mare Three Rumours, who has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier for her first appearance since she set the pace and won by more than five lengths from Sahara Storm, rating 1.56.3 over 2130m on December 3.

Chris Lewis drove Three Rumours in a two-horse standing-start trial over 2116m at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago. Three Rumours set the pace and beat One Bid Buys, a veteran trotter with a losing sequence of 72, by 60 metres, rating 2.0.6 after final quarters of 28.9sec. and 28.5sec.

“The trial was good, and No. 1 is an advantage,” said Lewis.

Three Rumours is a noted frontrunner, but Young said that he was keen for Nevermindthechaos to set the pace. Tonight, Miss Boudica, racing first-up, set the pace and paid the price. So, it could be the same scenario on Friday night if Three Rumours, racing first-up, leads and keeps Nevermindthechaos in the breeze. If Nevermindthechaos doesn’t lead, she will still be a great chance.”

Unconditional, trained by Greg and Skye Bond and to be handled by Ryan Warwick, will start from the No. 3 barrier. Unconditional resumed after a spell in a 2536m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when she began speedily from the outside barrier in a field of eight, set the pace and sprinted the final 400m in 27.7sec. to beat Peligroso by almost two lengths.

Alta Cinderella, a quality mare trained by Gary Hall snr will start out wide at barrier eight at her first appearance for four months. A winner at nine of her 20 starts, she will be driven by Maddison Brown.

Alta Cinderella impressed in winning a five-horse 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when she took the lead after 300m and bowled along in front on her way to winning by 13 lengths from Bettor Move Along, rating 1.57.6.

Miss Mucho tested in a stand

Smart mare Miss Mucho, who has been racing keenly in mobiles for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will be on trial for a start in the $30,000 Race For Roses, a 2503m standing start feature event on April 29, when she begins off 10m the $20,250 Taking You To New Heights Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

She will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, and her only appearance in a stand in Western Australia was six starts ago when she began off the 20m mark in a 2116m event at Pinjarra on February 14. She began smoothly and settled in fourth position on the pegs before moving to the one-out, one-back position 1200m from home. She finished solidly along the sprint lane to be third behind stablemates Hittheroadjack and Lawrence.

Miss Mucho contested four stands in New Zealand. She won at her first attempt when she started off the front in a 2600m event at Addington in February 2020 and was $54.10 outsider.

She led for the first 600m and then trailed the pacemaker before using the sprint lane to take the lead close to home and beat the $1.60 favourite Flying Even Bettor by a half-length.

She then had three more starts in stands at Addington and was not dangerous, finishing tenth, ninth and fifth.

Miss Mucho was unlucky in a 2536m mobile at Gloucester Park last Friday night when she enjoyed a good run behind the leader before hitting Savvy Bromac’s sulky wheel on the home turn, breaking and dropping back to finish eleventh behind Bettor Get It On.

Miss Mucho’s seven rivals on Friday night are all experienced and successful standing-start performers, with front-line runners American Bullitt and Gee Smith sure to be popular with punters.

To view the fields for Gloucester Park on Friday click here.

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park