Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas

Egerton-Green seeks a repeat

Star reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has happy memories of his thrilling victory with Newsy in the Diamond Classic for three-year-old fillies two years ago — and now he aims to repeat the dose when he drives Our Lady Jen (Captaintreacherous) in the $50,000 Nova 93.7 Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Newsy, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, was the $1.30 favourite from the No. 1 barrier, and Egerton-Green drove the filly to an all-the-way victory, scoring by a half-head from Always An Angel.

Our Lady Jen, trained by Jesse Moore at Northam, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s group 3 event, and Egerton-Green will be anxious to win the start and set the pace.

Our Lady Jen has resumed after a spell in sound form, fighting on sixth at the bell to finish fourth behind Overly Excited over 1780m at Northam on April 29 before her excellent third behind Flametree and Lady Violetta over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.

She enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before being switched three wide approaching the home turn and running home determinedly.

“She is getting fitter and fitter with each run,” said Egerton-Green. “She felt like she was going to go close (to winning) last week. But she switched off a little bit. She should now be spot-on, and she has the gun draw, and I think she will give them a shake. We will probably run the gate and see where we lob. She’s versatile and is definitely a realistic chance.”

Last year Moore was the breeder and part-owner of Zephyra, who overcame the wide barrier at No. 7 to score an effortless victory in the Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies. Zephyra was trained and driven by Egerton-Green. She is the of Moore’s former star mare Tricky Styx, who won the Diamond Classic for two-year-olds when she beat Soho Tokyo by a head in 2014.

Flametree (Huntsville) was the $1.60 favourite when she started from barrier one and set the pace before fading to tenth behind Zephyra in last year’s Diamond Classic for two-year-olds. She is, by far, the most successful filly in Friday night’s race, with seven wins and five placings from 15 starts.

Flametree, prepared by Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, qualified for this week’s event with a dashing victory in a qualifying heat on Tuesday of last week when she enjoyed the one-out, two-back trail and was sixth 100m from the post before charging home, out five wide, to snatch victory from Lady Violetta and Our Lady Jen.

However, Mitchell Miller, who has handled Flametree at 14 of her 15 starts for seven wins, has given punters strong lead by choosing to drive the Paula Petricevich-trained Sweet Vivienne, a winner at five of her 16 starts.

Miller was in the sulky when Sweet Vivienne finished third behind Gliding Star and Brulee in a qualifying heat. Sweet Vivienne began from barrier six and made an unsuccessful early challenge for the lead before dropping back and running on from fifth at the bell.

Sweet Vivienne is racing with great heart and will have many admirers when she starts from the favourable No. 2 barrier. Flametree has drawn out wide at barrier eight and will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko.

In what appears to be a very open contest, back line runners Gliding Star and Lady Violetta are worthy of strong consideration.

Gliding Star, to be driven by Chris Voak for trainer Jemma Hayman, impressed in a qualifying heat last week when she started from the outside barrier (No. 9) and was eighth at the bell gaining in an inside run and flashing home to win from the pacemaker Brulee and Sweet Vivienne.

“From the back line, Gliding Star will have to be driven with a sit,” said Voak. “We might be able to get into the one-out, one-back or the one-out, two-back position.”

Lady Violetta, to be driven by Kyle Symington for trainer Ryan Bell, ran an excellent trial for this week’s race in a heat last week when she began from the outside barrier (No. 9), dashed forward early and worked in the breeze before finishing second to Flametree.

Swingband gets his chance

Brilliant four-year-old Swingband (Alta Christiano) looks set to improve on his 50 per cent winning record by overcoming a wide barrier at No. 7 and proving to speedy for his eleven rivals in the 1730m Vale Russell Stranger Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His clash with outstanding six-year-old Prince Of Pleasure should be one of the highlights of the ten-event program. Swingband has two important advantages over Prince Of Pleasure — he has drawn inside of Prince Of Pleasure (barrier eight) and has the benefit of a strong first-up performance when third behind Arma Einstein and El Chema in the group 3 Four and Five-Year-Old Championship last Friday week, while Prince Of Pleasure will be racing first-up after a four-month absence.

Swingband began from barrier seven last Friday week when he dashed forward and worked hard in the breeze. He possesses excellent natural speed and he rated 1.54.3 at his most recent appearance over 1730m when he won easily in the group 2 APG Gold Bullion final for three-year-old colts and geldings in April 2022. He rated 1.54.2 at his debut as a two-year-old and winning over 1684m at Pinjarra in July 2021.

The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred Prince Of Pleasure won at his first seven starts in Western Australia and his admirers will point to the fact that he faces a massive drop in class this week — after competing against several top-flight pacers, including Magnificent Storm, Jumpingjackmac, Lavra Joe, Patronus Star, Hampton Banner, Mighty Conqueror and Vampiro, in his most recent campaign.

Prince Of Pleasure (Bettor’s Delight), a winner at eight of his 22 starts, is prepared by champion trainer Gary Hall snr and will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, who said that the Bettors Delight gelding was working in fine style but was likely to be in need of the run.

The Halls are also looking forward to the return to racing of Finvarra and Armed Reactor.

Finvarra (American Ideal), trained by Hall snr, will start from the outside in a field of seven in the 2130m Smooth FM Pace in which he will be driven by Hall jnr and will clash with smart in-form pacers Jett Star, Ima Fivestar General and Galactic Star.

“Finvarra is working well, but this appears a tricky race for him, first-up from the outside draw and against horses with race fitness,” said Hall jnr. Finvarra, a winner at 11 of his 23 starts, will be having his first start for five months.

Hall jnr trains the enigmatic eight-year-old Armed Reactor, who will be having his first start for four months when he begins from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Nathan, Nat and Shaun For Breakfast Pace.

“If Armed Reactor had drawn one I would have declared him,” said Hall. “He is flying at home, and he will come out of the gate, but he probably will have to race in the breeze (outside the polemarker Cheer The Major).

Cheer The Major, to be driven by Kyle Harper for trainer Gary Elson, was a $61 outsider last Friday night when he began from barrier nine when he dashed forward out three wide and then worked hard in the breeze outside Whos The Dad before wilting to finish eighth behind Hillview Bondi in a fast-run 1730m event.

A week earlier Cheer The Major excelled as a pacemaker when he won from Illawong Mustang and The Miki Taker over 2130m.

Toughest for Cheer The Major and Armed Reactor to beat is sure to be the Debra Lewis-trained four-year-old Goodfellaz, who is in top form with wins over Hillview Bondi and Jett Star followed by seconds to Alcopony and Wonderful To Fly at his past four starts.

Hall jnr, who has several good each-way prospects, is anxious to maintain his brilliant form on Friday night after starting the week with four winners at Pinjarra and three at Gloucester Park on Tuesday.

Punters who follow Hall have cashed in handsomely this week. His Pinjarra winners were Sporting Grace ($1.04), Blaze Coops ($9.90), Cams Boulder ($11.70) and Yankee Lincoln ($15.20), and his Gloucester Park winners were Never Ending ($1.04), Feeling Aces ($2.70) and Shoot Through ($12.20).

His best prospects could be Armed Reactor and the Michael Young-trained Watts Up Sunshine in the third event, the 2130m Nova 93.7 Pace, in which the experienced five-year-old is favourably drawn at barrier two.

“Watts Up Sunshine’s latest run (fourth behind Talks Up A Storm last Friday night after racing without cover) was very good,” said Hall. “He gets out good and if he gets past the one (Rascal) he will be a winning chance. He’s probably a good chance wherever he races — in any position.”

Trials indicate Otis is on song

WA-bred five-year-old Otis (Sweet Lou) has been out of action for 18 months, and two recent excellent trials at Pinjarra are a firm indication that he is ready to produce a powerful first-up effort when he begins off the 10-metre mark in the Smooth FM Perth ON Digital Radio Handicap.

His clash with the brilliant four-year-old mare Taking The Miki (Always B Miki) should produce plenty of fireworks. Otis will be having his first start in a stand, whereas Taking the Miki has performed superbly in recent standing-start events.

“Both his trials have been good,” said trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green. “In the first of the trials he finished second to Never Ending, and then he broke two minutes in a 2116m stand, in which he ran good sectionals.

“He has had a long time off due to a leg injury. His work has been good, and he should be thereabouts on Friday night.”

Otis started from barrier seven in a field of eight in a 2185m mobile trial on April 26 when he dashed to the front after 120m before taking the sit behind Never Ending 400m later. Egerton-Green eased Otis off the pegs 380m from home and the Sweet Lou horse ran home solidly to finish a head second to the outstanding and unbeaten Never Ending, rating a smart 1.56.9, with a final 400m in 27.1sec.

Then, on May 4 Otis began smoothly in a 2116m standing-start trial in which he took the lead after 700m and sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.7sec. and 28.1sec. on his way to win the trial by 45 metres at a 1.59.3 rate.

Chris Voak, who drives Taking the Miki for trainer Jemma Hayman, said: “She has the form on the board, and if she steps well and gets to the front, she’ll have a very good winning chance.”

The Miki Taker and Otis are unlikely to have things all their own way in a race in which the 30m backmarker Middlepage, The Code Breaker, Yankee Rhythm and others are racing in fine form.

Voak aims to be positive

“I’m dodging when I should be diving, and vice-versa with Carabao,” said star reinsman Chris Voak when assessing the five-year-old’s prospects in the final event, the 2130m Nova 93.7 Pace, at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“I’d like to take luck out of equation, and I give Carabao a good winning chance. He just needs the right racing luck. If he doesn’t get to the front, I’ll probably take the sit behind Vintage Blu.”

Carabao (American Ideal) did not contest the early lead (from barrier two) last Friday night, and he was shuffled back to sixth before Voak sent him forward with a three-wide burst approaching the bell. He fought on gamely to finish fourth behind Hillview Bondi.

A week earlier Carabao trailed the pacemaker Cheer the Major and was blocked for a clear run in the closing stages when an unlucky fourth behind that pacer.

Carabao’s toughest opponents this week are expected to be Ideal Tomado (barrier six) and Lil Happy Fella (seven). Ideal Tomado, trained by Michael Young, will be driven by Maddison Brown, who replaces Gary Hall jnr who will handle General Jolt, a six-year-old he trains.

Brown will be seeking to maintain her one hundred per cent record with Ideal Tomado, a smart gelding she has driven twice for easy all-the-way victories at Pinjarra in December.

Hall has driven General Jolt for two Gloucester Park wins from his past three starts.

Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green will be looking to complete a hat-trick of wins with Lil Happy Fella, who is capable of overcoming a wide draw at barrier seven in the field of eight.

“There should be a good bit of speed on, and with a bit of luck I can see Lil Happy Fella hitting the line strongly,” said Egerton-Green.

Voak also is upbeat about the chances of veteran pacer Carrera Mach in the Freshest Hits and Throwbacks on Nova Pace in which the eight-year-old is favourably drawn at barrier two in the field of eleven. Carrera Mach trailed the frontrunning Mea Culpa when a sound third behind that pacer last Friday night.

“This is a winnable race for Carrera Mach,” said Voak. “I think we will have a red-hot go at trying to cross and lead. If he leads, he will run a strong race.”

For complete Gloucester Park race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park