Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas.

Bettor Aim emerges from the wilderness

Forgotten pacer Bettor Aim (Bettor’s Delight) will return to racing after an absence of 1984 days when lines up to do battle with emerging super star Never Ending (Sweet Lou) in the $31,000 BOTRA — Thanking Our President Free-For-All over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

This promises to result in an audacious challenge by the nine-year-old against the brilliant four-year-old Never Ending, a winner at 15 of his 19 starts for earnings of $606,275 who is the favourite for the $2.1 million Eureka, the world’s richest harness race, at Menangle on September 7.

It is five and a half years since Bettor Aim, part-owned and prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, contested a race, when he was storming home before being checked, broke into a gallop 100 metres from the post and finished fifth behind stablemate Ana Malak in the group 1 Golden Nugget on February 22, 2019.

Bettor Aim is an outstanding sprinter, having set the pace and won a 1730m heat of the Nights Of Thunder in January 2019, rating 1.52.4, as well as rating 1.56.7 when he won over 1950m at Addington eight months earlier, at his final appearance in New Zealand. He has raced only 16 times for nine wins and two seconds.

Interestingly, Never Ending, trained and driven by Justin Prentice, has not raced over 1730m. He will start from the No. 6 barrier in the field of eight on Friday night, with Bettor Aim drawn at barrier No. 4, with Deni Roberts in the sulky.

Never Ending made a spectacular return to racing after a spell when he was eighth with 250m to travel before going five wide on the home turn and thundering home to snatch a last-stride victory over Tenzing Bromac at a 1.56.4 rate over 2536m last Friday week.

Bettor Aim broke down with a suspensory ligament injury after his run in the 2019 Golden Nugget, and about a year later an attempted comeback was abandoned.

“We brought him back after he recovered from his suspensory injury, but we couldn’t get him gaited properly,” said Greg Bond. “So, we decided to retire him and to deregister him. He then was in the paddock for two and a half years before Skye decided to put him back in work.

“It is all Skye’s project, and to her credit and to the horse’s credit Bettor Aim is ready to race again. He has been back in work for about six months, building him up and getting him ready.

“His work at home has been good, but I don’t think he’s going to come out and sit three deep and blow them away. However, we wouldn’t be racing him if he wasn’t ready to perform well.

“So far, so good. He was always going to be a genuine Free-For-All horse, and he will obviously improve off his first-up run.”

The Bonds have decided against giving Bettor Aim a workout in a recent trial before Friday night’s event. But the gelding excelled in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on May 15 this year when he was driven by Roberts and led from barrier three in the field of four and was not extended in winning by a neck from Little Darling, rating 1.58.9, with final 400m sections of 29.1sec. and 27.7sec.

It promises to be a fascinating race on Friday night when tactics are sure to play a significant role in the outcome.

Hampton Banner is a speedy beginner, and Chris Lewis could well be tempted to attempt to burst to the front with the seven-year-old from the No. 5 barrier. But Soho Dow Jones (barrier one), Talks Up A Storm (two) and While They Pray (three) also possess excellent gate speed.

Rodasi is on the improve

New Zealand-bred five-year-old Rodasi (Bettor’s Delight) maintained his steady rate of improvement when he finished a sound fourth behind Luke Attack at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.

It was a perfect lead-in for his run in the opening event on Friday night, the 2536m Become A BOTRA Member Pace.

Rodasi began speedily from barrier six in Tuesday night’s 2130m event. But he was unable to wrest the lead off Lord Publisher, and he then worked hard in the breeze.

Rodasi, who is trained by Debra Lewis, will be driven by Chris Lewis from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line on Friday night, and should prove hard to beat.

He is a full-brother to Our Corelli, who won 16 races in Western Australia between April 2018 and January 2020, with the Lewis stable winning two feature events in September 2019 — when he beat El Jacko and Our Jimmy Johnstone in the group 2 Navy Cup and defeated Vampiro and King Of Swing in the group 3 York Cup at Gloucester Park.

Our Corelli left Western Australia in February 2020 and continued his career in the United States where he won another 16 times and retired with a record of 167 starts for 32 wins, 42 placings and stakes of $487,677.

The Lewis stable also has excellent prospects in race two on Friday night, the $25,000 BOTRA Supporting The Industry Pace over 2130m in which My Ultimate Baxter is sure to prove hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier.

My Ultimate Baxter began speedily from barrier five and failed in a bid to get to the front from the polemarker Get Ya Bets On. Chris Lewis then rated My Ultimate Baxter expertly in the breeze, and the five-year-old took the lead on the home turn and won easily from the fast-finishing Lamandier, rating 1.54.6 over 2130m.

My Ultimate Baxter’s chief rivals on Friday night are likely to be Solesseo Matua, State Of Heaven and Loucid Dreams.

Chivalry out to buck the odds

Four-year-old Chivalry (Sweet Lou) is the least experienced runner in the Garrard’s BOTRA Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night and the only runner in the field of twelve who has not contested a standing-start event.

But the New Zealand-bred gelding’s trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper gives the son of Sweet Lou an excellent winning chance.

Harper, who has driven two winners of the BOTRA Cup — Ariege in 1998 and Shattering Class in 2000 — said he expected a powerful performance from Chivalry, who will start from barrier No. 5 on the front line in the 2503m standing-start.

He has raced only 22 times for ten wins and five thirds, and it will pay to overlook his last placing behind Sorridere and Whataretheodds in a heat of the John Higgins Memorial at Bunbury last Saturday week when he began from the back line, raced at the rear and was pushed wide in the final circuit.

“Chivalry has won at four of his past six starts, and I took him to Byford on Sunday to qualify for the stand,” said Harper. “He got away good in the trial, and he set the pace and ran home in 56sec. when second to Carana, one of the front-line runners in the trial field of four.

“The last mile was pretty slippery, and I knew that Chivalry needed the run, so I wasn’t disappointed when Carana got over him (and won by a metre) and I think he can win the BOTRA Cup.

“He is heading for the Golden Nugget, and if he is not one of the best four-year-olds here I’m a bad judge.”

Seven-year-old Carana, to be driven by Stuart McDonald for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will share the back mark of 30m with his four-year-old stablemate Lusaka, who is racing in outstanding form for his driver Deni Roberts.

Lusaka has had only one run in a stand for a fourth placing. He has won at 14 of his 30 starts and is destined to win many more races. Carana has won at 12 of his 30 starts, 27 of which have been in stands for 12 wins, seven seconds and three thirds.

Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has Otis racing in splendid form, and the six-year-old will have many admirers. He will share the 20m line with experienced standing-start campaigners, last-year’s BOTRA Cp winner Twobob Cracker and Feeling Aces.

Lucapelo (Maddison Brown; front line) has struck top form for trainer Michael Young, and the eight-year-old mare Jill Mach (trained by Karen Young and to be driven by Trent Wheeler) is a veteran of 108 starts, including 72 in stands for eight wins, 17 seconds and eight thirds.

Chris Voak, who trained and drove Carabao for his all-the-way win over Watching Our Coin and Chal Patch in last year’s BOTRA Cup, is hoping for a similar result when he handles Rock Artist (a winner at three of his five stands) from barrier three on the front line.

Two starts ago Rock Artist led and won a 2503m stand from Franco Mecca, who will start from barrier one and will be driven by Chris Lewis, who has won the BOTRA Cup with Village Kid (1985), Elteei (1986), Mach Ruler (2009) and Tartary Gladiator (2011).

The Bonds, who have been successful in the BOTRA Cup with Fizzing in 2019 and Minstrel in 2021, will be pinning their faith in the quality runners of the field, Lusaka and Carana.

Lewis picks Hold The Ammo

Champion reinsman Chris Lewis has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive Hold The Ammo (Sweet Lou) in preference to his stablemate Sebastian James in the $30,000 BOTRA The Future Is Harness Western Crown Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The two colts are trained by Katja Warwick and have been driven by Lewis in all their starts — two runs for Sebastian James for a third behind Lake Pichola and a narrow win over Captain Stirling, and three runs for Hold The Ammo for wins at Gloucester Park and Bunbury and a last behind Im Massimo at Pinjarra when he broke and dropped out of contention.

Sebastian James took advantage of the No. 1 barrier when he set the pace and held on to win from Captain Stirling over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday week, and he will enjoy the inside barrier again this week and the shorter trip over 1730m. He will be driven by leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko.

Lewis opted to handle Hold The Ammo, who was most impressive in the de Campo Memorial over 1609m at Bunbury last Saturday week when he began from the back line and trailed the pacemaker Captain Paprika before surging home along the sprint lane to win easily from Seaside Magic, with the final quarters being run in 29.2sec. and 27.9sec.

“Hold The Ammo is ready for Friday, and so is Sebastian James,” said Warwick. “Hold The Ammo’s run at Bunbury was pretty nice when he announced himself. He drove down in the passing lane and put lengths on them when they were running 27sec., and he went to the line with the ear plugs still in.”

Lake Pichola, who will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line, is a most impressive gelding who should fight out the finish. He will be driven by Chris Voak for trainer Ron Huston.

Lake Pichola enjoyed the one-out, one-back position before he sprinted home brilliantly to finish third in a three-way photo with Sebastian James and Captain Stirling last Friday week. That run followed his excellent debut when he ran home strongly from sixth at the bell to win from Im Massimo and Sebastian James over 2185m at Pinjarra.

Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo has decided to drive The Bettor Side (barrier seven) in preference to stablemate Captain Said So, who will be driven by Trent Wheeler from the more favourable No. 3 barrier.

The Bettor Side, winner of the $125,000 Sales Classic on March 1, resumed after a spell when he finished fifth behind Noble Thorundor over 2130m at Gloucester Park four Tuesdays ago.

“He was disappointing first-up but later I found out that he was suffering from a bit of a virus,” said de Campo. “We’ve got on top of that, and his recent work has been very good. So, I’m expecting him to return to his best on Friday.

“Captain Said So is going very well, even though he has a fair bit to learn, and his latest run (fifth behind Sebastian James) was a good run.”

Trainer Ryan Bell said he was expecting a strong performance from Its Crunch Time, who will start from barrier five, with Ryan Warwick in the sulky. The gelding broke through for his first win at his fourth start when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before going on to beat By Royal Command by three lengths, rating 2.0.9 over 2190m at Northam last Saturday night.

“I know they didn’t run home in fast time, but Its Crunch Time did all the work. He has come along in leaps and bounds and has improved out of sight,” said Bell.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park