Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas

Suvaljko ranks Lion Queen as the best

Star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko has won the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies three times and he is bubbling with confidence that Lion Queen (Control The Moment) will give him another victory in the $100,000 APG feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“I have driven some very good two-year-old fillies, but Lion Queen stands out as the best I have handled,” he said. “She is better than my Sales Classic winners Classical Gas (1992), Jupiters Darling (2005) and Soho Interceptor (2018).

“Lion Queen is really classy; she is strong and she is fast. She is quick out and I will be aiming to lead. But I don’t care if she is caught in the breeze. She would still win, I reckon.”

Suvaljko is hoping that he has made the right decision in choosing to drive Lion Queen from the favourable No. 2 barrier over the 1730m journey — ahead of veteran trainer Mike Reed’s other runner, the unbeaten filly Water Lou, who has been handled by Suvaljko in all her three victories, including in a Sales Classic qualifying heat when she set the pace and won by 17m at a 1.57.8 rate.

Suvaljko also drove Lion Queen to an effortless heat victory (by 16m at a 2.0.4 rate). Lion Queen’s gross time of 2min. 9.4sec. was considerably slower than Water Lou’s gross time of 2.6.6.

Water Lou will be driven by champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.

Thirteen months ago Reed had two runners in the Sales Classic final, Cabsav and Temukas Girl, with Suvaljko opting to drive Temukas Girl, the $1.65 favourite from the No. 1 barrier, and Hall taking the drive behind the $16 chance Cabsav. Temukas Girl set the pace and wilted to third, with Cabsav finishing strongly from the one-out, one-back position to win the race.

Suvaljko said that Lion Queen could have run much faster in her heat if he had asked her for a stronger effort. “She ran home in 27.8sec. and I had a lap full of horse at the finish. She could have run another quick quarter after the finish. She ran home with final quarters of 27.7sec. and 27.1sec. when she won easily at Pinjarra at her previous start.”

Hall, who has won the Sales Classic with Soho Cannes (2011) and Red Hot Roxy (2016), said he was more than happy to be competing in Friday night’s race but conceded that Water Lou was likely to be tested from the outside barrier.

Champion reinsman Chris Lewis will be attempting to win the Sales Classic for fillies for the eighth time — after successes with Miss Booth (1991), Parthenon (1994), Backin A Jiffy (2000), Hindu Sitara (2003), Amongst Royalty (2006), Fidelious Charm (2008), Tenniele Erin (2017) and Double Expresso (2019). He will drive the Katja Warwick-trained World Secret, who should enjoy a comfortable trip after starting from the inside of the back line.

Xceptional Arma, trained and driven by Colin Brown, has sound  place prospects from the No. 3 barrier. Xceptional Arma had a tough run when a fighting half-head second to the frontrunning Princess Katie in a qualifying heat.

Hall praises Blaze Away

Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr and outstanding trainer Justin Prentice combined to win the Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings with Valedictorian last year and they are looking forward keenly to repeating the dose with the highly-promising Blaze Away (Sweet Lou) in the $100,000 APG feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Blaze Away gave a remarkable performance to win a qualifying heat on Tuesday of last week when he appeared to be struggling in second place with 60 metres to travel, two lengths behind Ten To The Dozen, before he recovered his composure and flew home with a brilliant late burst to snatch a last-stride nose victory.

Blaze Away enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before Hall switched him three wide 450m from home.

“I then thought he would definitely win,” said Hall. “As I eased him out I pulled the earplugs, and he just stopped. Pulling the plugs had the reverse effect. When I did that we went from chocolates to boiled lollies. It was like that someone had turned the engine off.    

“I then had to pull him back in behind Ten To The Dozen in the straight to get him to realise that he needed to keep going — which he did, and to get up and win showed that he has a good will-to-win and a good motor.

“It’s a cracking race on Friday night, and I’m happy with the draw (No. 4 barrier). He has good gate speed. There are so many good horses in the race that Blaze Away could run exceptionally well and still run fifth.”

The other heat winners in the final are the Ryan Bell-trained Waverider (barrier three) and the Kim Prentice-trained Soho Skyfall (barrier seven). In the heats Blaze Away rated 1.57, Waverider 1.58 and Soho Skyfall 1.56.2.

“I was really impressed with Soho Skyfall’s heat win,” said Prentice. “He has gone really good since the win (after racing without cover and beating the pacemaker Greatgreat Boulder). I’m very happy with him but the barrier makes it tough.” Soho Skyfall will be driven by Mitch Miller.

Waverider led from barrier four and won his heat by 2m from Thelittle Master, with reinsman Kyle Symington saying: “He went to the line strongly, and I wouldn’t change my drive with any other horse in the race. He should have taken benefit from the run.”

Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond have four runners in Friday night’s event — Thenu Came Along (Colin Brown, barrier No. 2), Ten To The Dozen (Deni Roberts, barrier eight), Greatgreat Boulder (Ryan Warwick, barrier nine) and Thelittle Master (Dylan Egerton-Green, sole runner on the back line).

Their best prospect could well emerge as Greatgreat Boulder, who has appeared somewhat temperamental at his two race starts, but has impressed with his brilliant gate speed.

Rocket City ready to shine

Rocket City (Huntsville), who excelled as a two-year-old last season when he won from the brilliant Valedictorian and finished second to the unbeaten star Never Ending in the $215,000 Westbred Classic, will reappear after a six-month absence when he contests the APG $50,000 Sales Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He is poorly drawn out wide at barrier eight in the 2130m event in which the in-form Lucapelo will be a warm favourite from the No. 3 barrier. But he has the class to seriously challenge the Michael Young-trained Lucapelo, who has set the pace and won at two of his past three starts.

Banjup trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green is looking forward to Rocket City’s three-year-old campaign. “His work has been good, leading up to this race,” he said. “His main dangers have drawn better than him but he has a great turn of foot, and hopefully he can get a nice track into the race, and hopefully we will see the best of him.

“He has been working with older horses and has been up to the mark. Whatever he does on Friday night, he will improve on.”

Young predicted a strong performance from Lucapelo, saying that the gelding was his best winning chance of his five runners at the meeting.

“He is hard to beat when he leads, and I think that the two horses drawn to his inside will be happy to sit on him. When he leads, he wins. And he can run good time in front.”

Star reinsman Gary Hall jnr said that Lucapelo would come out hard in a spirited bid to get to the front. “He certainly goes best when leading,” he said.

Gnangara trainer Luke Edwards declared that August Moon was “jumping out of her skin” and would prove mighty hard to beat in the APG $50,000 Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies.

August Moon has won in effortless style at her first two appearances after a spell and she will be a hot favourite from the No. 3 barrier in a field of six in which she will be driven by Hall jnr.

“August Moon is versatile and Gary will have options,” said Edwards. “She doesn’t need to lead to win, but I think she will go to the front.”

Hall is also looking forward to driving the Lisa Walton-trained Valbonne from the No. 1 barrier in the $20,375 apgold.com.au Pace. Valbonne began brilliantly from out wide at barrier seven when he was a very easy all-the-way winner at a 1.55.1 rate over 2130m last Friday night.

“He goes up to 2536m this week, and he won so well last week that I’ve got to have a crack at leading again,” said Hall.

Hall will also begin from the No. 1 barrier when he handles the Nathan Turvey-trained Benji in the group 3 $50,000 APG Harness Racing Is Our Focus Chandon Four-Year-Old Classic over 2130m.

Benji impressed with his first-up effort when second to stablemate Mea Culpa over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. “The quarter down the back in 27.3sec. took the sting out of him a bit but he still went quite good,” said Hall.

“If he comes off well out of that run he should be hard to beat on Friday night.”

Turvey will also be represented with Showpony (Jocelyn Young; barrier No. 2) and with Eton Rock (barrier three). He will handle Eton Rock, a promising pacer who has had 27 starts for nine wins and nine placings.

The Turvey runners are sure to receive plenty of opposition from last-start winners The Miki Taker, Alcopony and Free Wheeling, as well as the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Street Hawk, who will have many admirers.

Street Hawk, a winner at eight of his 16 starts, will be driven by Deni Roberts and will be the sole runner on the back line in the field of ten. He had a tough run without cover when a close second to the fast-finishing Alcopony last Friday night.

Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo will drive the talented The Miki Taker, who will start from barrier five at his second outing after a five-month absence.

The Miki Taker resumed in fine style, racing in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win from State Of Heaven and Mea Culpa over 2692m at Pinjarra three Mondays ago. The final three 400m sections were run in 28.5sec., 28.5sec. and 28.7sec.

“It was a good win, first-up,” said de Campo. “It is a nice even field on Friday night, and The Miki Taker has an awkward draw. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do. He is a horse who improves with racing, not so much fitness-wise, but it sharpens him up. Street Hawk looks the testing material.”

Mea Culpa returns to the city

Experienced six-year-old Mea Culpa’s past five outings have been at Pinjarra for three wins and two placings, and the Nathan Turvey-trained gelding looks hard to beat on his return to city racing when he contests the $18,500 APG Industry Owned Not For Profit Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He will be handled by Kyle Symington, who has driven the pacer nine times for five wins, two seconds and two thirds.

He raced without cover early and then set the pace on his way to winning comfortably from Benji, rating 1.55.8 over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. He was an all-the-way Pinjarra winner over 2185m the previous Monday when he dashed home over the final quarters in 28.1sec. and 27.3sec.

“Mea Culpa has been in this grade before and he has handled it fine,” said Symington. “We’ve got the good draw (barrier No. 1) and he has good gate speed. Our intentions will be to lead, and then hold our advantage.”

Mea Culpa’s chief rivals are likely to be the Greg and Skye Bond-trained pair of Master Yossi (Dylan Egerton-Green; barrier four) and Jett Star (Deni Roberts; barrier seven).

Master Yossi has finished second at three of his past four starts and is due for a change of luck. Jett Star will be racing second-up after a five-month absence and is capable of a bold showing. He has won at 13 of his 25 starts.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park