Gloucester Park preview

Talented reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green hopes to continue his perfect record in the sulky behind Ideal Agent when he drives him in the $50,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Easter Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He has the skill to overcome a few hurdles, with Ideal Agent starting off the 20m mark in the demanding 2902m staying test in his first appearance in a stand in Western Australia.

However, Ideal Agent, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is blessed with wonderful ability, and the New Zealand-bred five-year-old has excellent prospects of giving the Bonds their third victory in the Easter Cup, following wins with Assassinator in 2017 and Mighty Conqueror in 2019.

Egerton-Green is hopeful that he can improve on his second placing with the Bond-trained Where Ya Bin in the 2020 Easter Cup and his third with the Bond runner Glenledi Chief in 2021 Cup which was won by $26 outsider Leap Of Faith who defeated Bond’s No. 1 runner Lawrence by a neck.

Egerton-Green has handled Ideal Agent twice for narrow wins in mobile events over 1730m and 2130m after the horse started from wide barriers and raced wide early and then in the breeze.

Ideal Agent performed strongly in his four 2700m standing-start runs in New Zealand, recording a win, a second, a third and a fourth placing.

He will share the 20m mark on Friday night with another New Zealand-bred five-year-old Doc Holliday, and these two pacers look the class runners and should fight out the finish, barring bad behaviour at the start.

Interestingly, Ideal Agent made his WA debut in a 2130m mobile event at Gloucester Park on September 21 last year when he was a $9 chance who raced in the breeze and fought on tigerishly to finish second, a short half-head behind the pacemaker and $1.07 favourite Doc Holliday.

These two pacers resumed their rivalry in recent weeks, with Ideal Agent racing without cover before finishing strongly to win by a neck from the frontrunning Doc Holliday in a 2130m mobile event on March 25.

Then they clashed again in the group 2 Four And Five-Year-Old Championship last Friday night when Doc Holliday raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before finishing powerfully to win from Arma Einstein and Ideal Agent.

Ideal Agent endured a much tougher run. He began out wide at barrier eight and settled down in eleventh position before starting a three-wide move 1050m from home and battling on from fifth at the 100m to finish third, three lengths behind Doc Holliday.

Michael Young, trainer of Doc Holliday, said that the Easter Cup was certainly a race that his five-year-old was capable of winning.

“It is a pretty open field in which the 2900m will probably sort out a few,” he said. “The distance should really suit Doc Holliday, and apart from Ideal Agent, I think he’s got the rest of the field covered.”

Star young driver Emily Suvaljko is looking forward for another strong effort from Doc Holliday. “He should love the 2900m,” she said. “Everything worked out perfectly for him last week, and we might drive him a bit tougher this week.”

Suvaljko chose to drive Doc Holliday in preference to the Glenn Elliott-trained Twobob Cracker, an experienced standing-start performer she drove to a comfortable victory over the pacemaker Gee Smith in a 2503m stand last Friday night.

Kyle Harper will drive Twobob Cracker from the inside of the front line on Friday night when the four-year-old will have a chance of setting the pace. Gee Smith will start from the outside barrier (No. 5) on the front line and will be driven by Chris Lewis, who has won the Easter Cup seven times, scoring with Pallaton (1980), Gold Rowan (1984), Village Kid (1987), Abmidas (1997), Party Date (2005), OK Windermere (2006) and Lovers Delight (2015).

The Code Breaker is ready

Victorian-bred five-year-old The Code Breaker has finished at the rear at his first two starts after a seven-month absence. But star reinsman Chris Voak is confident the Ross Olivieri-trained gelding will prove hard to beat in the 2536m Garrard’s Here On Track Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Code Breaker, a winner at ten of his 42 starts, is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2, and Voak would dearly love to set the pace.

“I reckon if he is able to lead, he will be very hard to run down,” said Voak. “So, Plan A is to lead.”

The Code Breaker began out wide at barrier eight in a 2130m event last Friday night when he settled down at the rear in the field of twelve. Voak then sent the gelding forward, three wide, 1200m from home, and he quickly moved to third at the bell before continuing three wide in the final circuit.

He was still third with 250m to travel before he faded to finish eleventh, just over three lengths behind the winner Hittheroadjack.

“The Code Breaker was short of a run last week when I gave him plenty to do,” said Voak. “He was three deep from the 1200m, and they went 27.9sec. down the back. He has trained on well since last week’s run.”

There is likely to be a keen tussle for the early lead in Friday night’s race, with the polemarker Texas Tara and Palatino, who will start from barrier three, both possessing excellent gate speed.

The Cody Wallrodt-trained Palatino looms as a major hope. He led from barrier one and withstood an early challenge for the front when he went on to set the pace and win by a length from Will I Rocknroll, rating 1.56.3 over 2130m last Friday week.

Palatino will be driven for the first time by Emily Suvaljko, who said: “He is a very good frontrunner who very rarely gets beaten when he leads. The two horses on his inside could also be keen to lead, so if we can’t lead it will be ideal to get some cover.”

Kyle Harper drove Palatino to victory at his most recent start, but he chose to handle the Bob Mellsop-trained Our Star Watch, who will start from barrier six.

“It is an awkward draw, but he is ready to win,” said Mellsop. “I wouldn’t be worried if he has to sit in the breeze. I have had a few problems with him touching his knees. But he seems to be over that now.”

Harper will also drive Iamthefirecracker for Mellsop in the 2130m Garrard’s Your One Stop Shop Pace. “He has been screaming out for a barrier, and barrier one this week is a bonus,” said Mellsop.

“He has a lot of ability but not the greatest tractability. My preference will be to lead, and here he gets the opportunity to put his hand up.”

A win with Iamthefirecracker or Our Star Watch would come as some compensation for Mellsop and Harper, who were disappointed that Special Lady was robbed of victory in a race on Tuesday night when that mare took the lead 220m from home and was certain to win before locking wheels with Eldaytona on the home turn and being knocked out of contention.

Jack Farthing ready to resume

Speedy pacer Jack Farthing will reappear after an eight-month absence when he begins from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Garrard’s Service With Integrity Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“I’m hoping he will find the form he had when he was racing in the Cup races (in November and December 2020 when he finished fifth behind Chicago Bull in the Fremantle Cup),” said Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice.

“He was working in fantastic style last time in but wasn’t producing his best at the races. I am happy with his work at home, and he looks way better than he did during his previous preparation.”

Jack Farthing, a winner of 18 races, will be driven for the second time by Gary Hall jnr, who handled the gelding at his West Australian debut in October 2020 when he sat behind the pacemaker Baylan Jett and ran on to win by a neck from Braeview Bondi.

Two of Jack Farthing’s main rivals loom large as the speedy mares Born To Boogie and Savvy Bromac.

Born To Boogie, to be driven by Chris Lewis for trainer Ross Olivieri, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier at her first outing since late last November. She warmed up in encouraging style when she set the pace in a four-horse 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week and was not extended in winning by a length from Argyle Red, rating a slow 2.0.3, but impressing with final quarters of 28.8sec. and 26.6sec.

Born To Boogie, a winner at four of her 26 starts in New Zealand, has been a revelation with her ten WA starts producing seven wins and three seconds.

Emily Suvaljko will handle Savvy Bromac from barrier five for trainer Nathan Turvey. She enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position for much of the way when a fighting second to Bettor Get It On in the 2536m Empress Stakes last Friday week.

“She was a little below her best in the Empress Stakes,” said Suvaljko. “However, she’s working well. There are a few nice ones drawn on our inside, so I’d say we will be driving her to use her speed (as a sit-sprinter).”

Another mare, the Barry Howlett-trained My Prayer has impressed with several recent promising efforts, and she will have admirers. She is awkwardly drawn at barrier six and will be handled by Jocely Young, who will replace Mitchell Miller, who has opted to drive evergreen veteran Vultan Tin.

Vultan Tin, who boosted his earnings past the $1 million mark when he won the Narrogin Cup last Saturday night, faces a stern test from the outside barrier (No. 9), but cannot be left out of calculations.

Hall likes Twoandahalf Tigers

Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr has advised punters not to disregard the winning prospects of  Twoandahalf Tigers in the 2536m Garrard’s Online www.Horseandhound.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, even though the ten-year-old has been unplaced at his past 15 starts.

Twoandahalf Tigers, prepared by Pinjarra trainer Tracy Reay, will begin from the No. 1 barrier, and Hall said that the New Zealand-bred gelding was capable of setting the pace and winning.

“He has been racing well off back marks in stands, and he should be prominent from the ideal barrier,” said Hall.

Twoandahalf Tigers started off the 30m mark in a 2631m stand at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when he was ninth at the bell and then got off the pegs before starting a three-wide move at the 700m to finish fourth behind frontmarker Twobob Cracker.

Three nights before that Twoandahalf Tigers ran home strongly from ninth at the bell to finish fourth behind Euston Flyer in a 2130m mobile event at Gloucester Park.

Hall is happy to be reunited with Twoandahalf Tigers, a pacer he drove to five Gloucester Park wins in 2016 and 2017.

Hardest for Twoandahalf Tigers to beat looks certain to be Blissfullabbey, who should appreciate a considerable drop in class and has the ability to overcome an awkward barrier at No. 7.

Hall has excellent winning prospects with Alta Cinderella in race four and Tricky Ric in race nine, a 2096m standing-start trot.

“Alta Cinderella (having her second start after a spell) has drawn No. 1 and she gets her chance to win,” said Hall. “She’s quick out and should lead. She has done plenty of work and the 2536m won’t worry her.

Brilliant three-year-old filly Wonderful To Fly should again prove too smart for the colts and geldings by scoring a comparatively easy victory in the 2130m Garrard’s Perth Pace. She warmed up in impressive style when she set the pace and coasted to victory in a 1730m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.

“At this stage everything is going according to plan, leading into the final of the $50,000 Gold Bullion,” said trainer-reinsman Shane Young. “It was an easy run tonight, and it’s a good option to compete against the colts and geldings in a small field on Friday night.”

One of Wonderful To Fly’s rivals is Linebacker, who was sixth at the bell before dashing to the front at the 400m and then careering away to win by 14 lengths in a 2242m event at Narrogin last Saturday night.

“We have the draw advantage (barrier two) over Wonderful To Fly (four),” said reinsman Chris Voak. “She is the best horse in the race, and I will have to see what Barry (trainer Barry Howlett) wants to do; whether to attempt to lead or to sit-sprint. Either way, Wonderful To Fly will be very hard to beat.”

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

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park