Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas

Bonds aiming for Cup hat-trick

Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond have bright prospects of completing a hat-trick of victories in the $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Cup when last-start winners Patronus Star (American Ideal) and Genledi Chief (Well Said) clash in the group 3 feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The pair of New Zealand-bred six-year-olds have the class to overcome awkward barriers to fight out the finish of the 2130m event, and I favour the brilliant Patronus Star to carry too many guns for Glenledi Chief.

The Bonds have won the past two Lord Mayor’s Cups with Mighty Conqueror winning in December 2020 and Minstrel setting the pace and winning from Roman Art last February. These victories followed the Bond-trained El Jacko finishing second in the two previous Lord Mayor’s Cups when beaten by Vultan Tin in February 2019 and by Handsandwheels in January 2020.

Deni Roberts will handle Patronus Star, who will start from the inside of the back line, immediately behind the polemarker and likely pacemaker Hampton Banner. Gary Hall jnr will drive Glenledi Chief from the No. 7 barrier.

Patronus Star had a perfect sit in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win by a half-length from Glenledi Chief in the 2130m Media Guild Cup last Friday week. The final 800m was covered in a brisk 55.2sec.

Glenledi Chief was gallant in defeat, after having worked hard in the breeze outside the pacemaker Hampton Banner. Glenledi Chief again raced without cover when Hampton Banner set the pace in a 2536m Free-For-All last Friday night, and he finished determinedly to win by a nose from the fast-finishing Handsandwheels.

Nine-year-old Handsandwheels is racing with youthful enthusiasm for trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo. He raced three back on the pegs and did not gain a clear run until the final stages in last week’s race. Handsandwheels will start from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night, but he is unlikely to be able to muster sufficient early pace to get past the polemarker Hampton Banner.

Jocelyn Young, who will drive Hampton Banner for trainer Debra Lewis, said she was pleased with the gelding’s close-up third behind Glenledi Chief and Handsandwheels last Friday night when Hampton banner began brilliantly from barrier seven to burst straight to the front.

After modest opening quarters of 31.4sec. and 29.3sec. Hampton Banner sprinted the third 400m section in 27.8sec. before a final quarter of 28.5sec.

“Barrier one helps this week, and I’d say he will lead — and then it’s up to him,” said Young. “He faded back to fifth over 2130m two starts ago, and then he didn’t get beaten by much over 2536m last week.”

Emily Suvaljko poised for 500TH victory

Outstanding young driver Emily Suvaljko will contest eight of the nine events at Gloucester Park on Friday night in her quest to chalk up her 500TH winner in a magnificent career.

She needs just one winner to reach that milestone — and she suggests that her best winning prospects will be Know When To Run (Roll With Joe) (race three) and My Prayer (race seven).

If the 22-year-old Suvaljko is successful on Friday night her 500TH winner will come five years and seven days after her first drive in a race, when she finished fifth with the 70m backmarker Erskine Range in a 2530m stand at Bunbury on February 10, 2018. Her next drive was at Northam a week later, on February 17, when she was successful with Undercover Art, who finished strongly to beat the pacemaker Win And Grin.

Morgan Woodley is the youngest driver in Western Australia to land 500 winners. He won with his first drive when Ultimate Sin was successful at York on July 23, 2005. He was 21 when he landed his 500TH winner when two-year-old Shipwreck beat Arch On Fire by a head at Gloucester Park on July 24, 2010. His milestone came up five years and one day after his first winner.

The Justin Prentice-trained Know When To Run is the lone backmarker in race three, the 1730m Happy Birthday Anne Gartrell Pace, and Suvaljko gives the lightly-raced seven-year-old a good winning chance.

Know When To Run raced without cover early and then enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before taking the lead 250m from home and dashing away to win by four lengths from Rock Me Over over 2536m last Friday night.

“Barrier ten is not ideal over 1730m,” said Suvaljko. “We will probably be behind the leader (Disco Under Fire) or three back on the fence. But if we get any sort of luck he can win. He has a good turn of foot and he seems to come back very well after a freshen-up.

“Last week I had to go earlier than I wanted to. He has a real quick 200m whereas it is harder for him to sustain his sprint over 400m. But I thought he sustained his sprint very well last Friday. At the finish he had the plugs in, and I had stopped driving him over the final stages.

“Every time you ask him, he gives you something. I think he won with a little bit left in the tank.”

Toughest for Know When To Run are expected to be the ten-year-old Disco Under Fire and the eight-year-old James Butt.

Gary Hall jnr is certain to be anxious to win the start and dictate terms in front with Disco Under Fire in the 1730m sprint event. James Butt will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko and will start from the No. 2 barrier. He is in splendid form, with an all-the-way 1730m win three starts ago followed by excellent seconds to Handsandwheels and Pradason on the past two Friday night.

Emily Suvaljko is looking forward to driving the Barry Howlett-trained My Prayer for the first time when the seven-year-old mare will start from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m $1 million Slot Race @Gloucester Park Pace.

My Prayer has a losing sequence of 20 and has been unplaced at her past ten starts. She started from barrier four and raced at the rear throughout when last in a field of 12 over 1730m last Friday night.

“I haven’t yet watched replays of her runs, but I know she always used to grow a leg out in front,” said Suvaljko. “I think I can cross to the front in this race, and if I do, I’ll be staying in front.”

The Amber Hare gets her chance

The Amber Hare (For A Reason) has enjoyed very little luck in running in five starts since her impressive victory over Three Rumours three months ago, and her trainer-driver Jocelyn Young is hoping for a change of fortune when the stylish five-year-old contests the $30,000 TABtouch Summer Feature Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Amber Hare will start from the No. 5 barrier in the 2130m event, with her most serious rival Nevermindthechaos drawn at No. 6. The Amber Hare reappeared after a seven-week absence when she raced in the one-out, one-back position but was badly hampered for room until late —when she finished strongly into third place behind Bettor Get it On and Vivere Damore.

She was blocked for a run when unplaced at two of her three previous outings, and in between those runs she raced three wide in the middle stages and took the lead 600m from home before finishing fifth behind Himself in the group 1 Golden Nugget on December 16.

“She probably needed the run last week, and she should improve on that effort,” said Young. “I have no set plan from barrier five but I’d say I’ll probably have to go forward and hope she is somewhere near the top of her game.

“She’s got speed but is probably more of a rolling type. She has got high rolling speed, rather than point-to-point speed.”

There is a strong chance that Young will be anxious to stay in front of Nevermindthechaos, who has created a wonderful impression in winning at ten of her 26 starts. The Michael Young-trained Nevermindthechaos notched a hat-trick of Gloucester Park wins before she finished sixth behind Bettor Get It On in a group 3 1730m event last Friday night.

There were excuses for that unplaced performance. Nevermindthechaos started from the outside of the back line, started a three-wide burst 1050m from home but was inconvenienced at the 600m when she raced roughly for a couple of strides and lost valuable momentum. She also received a self-inflicted cut to the inside of her fore cannon bone.

Young trainer-reinsman Corey Peterson is confident of a strong showing from Nullarbor Navajo, who is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2. The six-year-old is a newcomer to the Peterson stable and has had three starts for her new trainer for fast-finishing seconds to Beyond The Sea and Nevermindthechaos before her sound fifth behind Bettor Get it On last Friday night.

“This will be a chance to see how she performs against the better mares,” said Peterson. “She’s definitely one to follow, and she’ll be winning races — and it looks like that Friday will be a chance.

“I’m not sure about her gate speed, but we will definitely be finding out on Friday. And if we get to the top we will be holding it. She is versatile, has got speed and she can do it tough.”

Valentines Brook seeks five in a row

Valentines Brook (Rock N Roll Heaven), one of the State’s most improved pacers, will be aiming to stretch his winning streak to five when he contests the $23,750 Trotsynd Syndication Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“He’s racing at his top, the distance (2130m) suits and we have a reasonable draw (No. 3) in a small field,” said talented young reinsman Kyle Symington.

Symington is fully aware of the quality of the opposition, but he said: “Valentines Brook probably will get his chance at some point in the race.”

Valentines Brook, prepared by Jocelyn Young, has revealed wonderful versatility in his recent wins — racing in the breeze, setting the pace, sitting behind the pacemaker and tramping three wide for much of the race.

Boom Time, another versatile pacer, has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier for his first appearance for Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman after a four-month absence. He will be handled by Chris Lewis and is capable of a bold first-up showing.

Sheez Our Hope will start from barrier two for trainer Mike Cornwall and reinsman Kyle Harper, and she will have many admirers after her excellent fourth behind Bettor Get It On last Friday night when having her first start for eleven months. She trailed the pacemaker Vivere Damore and was badly blocked for a clear run in the final stages.

Pradason (barrier five) and Eldaytona (six) have abundant gate speed, and the sparks could fly in the early stages with several runners contesting the lead.

Pradason is in career-best form, and he was untroubled to set the pace and win from James Butt over 21230m last Friday night for trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo.

Eldaytona, resuming for trainer Sue Wiscombe and driver Lindsay Harper after a two-month absence, is a dashing frontrunner, while The Ideal Touch, trainer Gary Hall senior’s only starter at the meeting, was an all-the-way winner two starts ago who has sound each-way prospects from the No. 4 barrier.

Also in the field is ten-year-old Galactic Star, a winner of 32 races and $718,023 in prizemoney. He will start out wide at barrier seven, but is capable of making his presence felt.

Blythewood trainer-reinsman Corey Peterson is looking forward for a bold showing from seven-year-old Theo Aviator, who will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line in the Perth APG Yearling Sale Pace.

Theo Aviator has not been successful for three years but he looms large as a wonderful each-way prospect, following his unlucky third behind Pradason and James Butt over 2130m last Friday night. He trailed the pacemaking Pradason all the way and was badly blocked for a clear passage in the final lap.

“He drops back a grade here, and that suits him,” said Peterson. “He had no luck last week when he couldn’t get out. He went to the line hard held and I didn’t pull the plugs. From barrier eleven this week we’ve got options. We can race three back on the pegs or we can stay in the moving line.”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park