Gloucester Park preview

Valedictorian, a smooth-moving youngster, described by his trainer Justin Prentice as a pacer with a great attitude and a beautiful nature, is poised to set the pace and prove too smart for his nine rivals in the $100,000 APG Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Valedictorian was the fastest of the three heat winners and he has the class to give Prentice his 21ST success in a group 1 feature event as a trainer.

This will be Valedictorian’s second start, following his excellent debut in a qualifying heat on Tuesday of last week when he overcame the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9).

Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr did not bustle Valedictorian at the start, but when the gelding was out five wide early, and the three runners drawn to his immediate inside were restrained, Hall made a snap decision to revise his tactics and he dashed Valedictorian forward, three wide, to move to the breeze 450m after the start.

Sweet Lucifer was setting the pace and Hall decided not to apply any pressure to the leader, allowing Valedictorian to relax without cover almost two lengths from the pacemaker — until the final circuit when the Art Major colt surged to the front 500m from home and went on to win by 4m from Crowd Control, who ran on solidly from sixth at the bell.

It is not yet known whether Hall will be able to drive Valedictorian in Friday night’s final in which the colt has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier.

Hall has lodged an appeal against a suspension, seeking a two-day remission, which would enable him to take several important drives on Friday night. If his appeal on Thursday is unsuccessful, Prentice is expected to take the drive.

“Valedictorian went very well in his heat,” said Prentice. “He impressed me, and he seems to be improving all the time. He is nice and relaxed, and hopefully he’ll stay that way.”

Twelve months ago, Hall drove the Prentice-trained Tomlous Jambo into second place behind the pacemaker Floewriter in the Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings, and they combined to win the Sales Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings when Mighty Ronaldo beat Lavra Joe by a head.

Prentice trained and drove Major Martini to victory in the 2019 Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings, an event won by Hall jnr with Blissfull Boy (2010), Black Aquila (2011) and Allmightyjoelouis (2016).

One of Valedictorian’s toughest opponents on Friday night is likely to be Star Lavra, a big, well-muscled colt who will be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Gary Hall snr from out wide at barrier No. 8.

Star Lavra impressed at his debut when he raced in the breeze and finished second to the pacemaker Juggernaut in a qualifying heat on Tuesday of last week.

Juggernaut, prepared by Katja Warwick, is handily drawn at barrier three and will be driven by Chris Lewis, who has won this event seven times — with The Vigilante (1995), Saab (1997), Talladega (1999), On Line Brut (2000), Wirrpunda (2001), Lombo Wave Link (2005) and Mister Jadore (2013).

Rocket City, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, set the pace and won a qualifying heat by more than four lengths. That followed his fighting victory over Sweet Lucifer at Gloucester Park a fortnight earlier. Rocket City will start from the No. 5 barrier.

Suvaljko poised for fourth win

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since 22-year-old Shannon Suvaljko drove Classical Gas to victory in the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in January 1992.

He went on to win this feature event with Jupiters Darling in 2005 and Soho Interceptor in 2018, and now he has high hopes of winning the $100,000 APG Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night with Temukas Girl.

Temukas Girl, prepared by Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed, has drawn perfectly at barrier No. 1 in the 1730m group 1 classic, and the tough Fly Like An Eagle filly should carry too many guns for her nine rivals.

She gave a sample of her class when she began from barrier six, surged to the front after 400m and was untroubled to win a qualifying heat by two lengths from American Monarch on Tuesday of last week.

Temukas Girl covered the 1730m in 2min. 5sec. and rated 1.56.3, which compare most favourably with the 1.58.1 rate (gross time 2min. 7sec.) recorded by the other heat winner Between The Thorns.

Between The Thorns, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, is handily drawn at barrier two, and she looms as the main rival for Temukas Girl. Between The Thorns started from barrier six in her heat in which she dashed to the front after 400m and went on to win by a length from the Cabsav, a stablemate of Temukas Girl.

Cabsav, a winner at her previous start (when she beat Dourado and Temukas Girl at a 1.59.8 rate over 1684m at Pinjarra) will start from the No. 6 barrier on Friday night.

De Campo has a good second-string runner in American Monarch, the only runner on the back line who will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green. She made a sound debut in a heat last week when she raced without cover for much of the way and finished second to Temukas Girl.

“I was very happy with the runs of Between The Thorns and American Monarch,” said de Campo.

Prentice hat-trick on the cards

Talented Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of wins when he starts Tricki Miki in the $50,000 APG Sales Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He has won the group 2 feature event for the past two years, scoring with Major Martini in 2020 and Mighty Ronaldo last year.

Tricki Miki is favourably drawn at barrier two in the 2130m event, with two of his most serious rivals, Swingband and Floewriter awkwardly drawn at barriers eight and seven, respectively.

Tricky Miki has been freshened up since his all-the-way victory, by a head over the fast-finishing The Miki Taker and Swingband over 2130m five weeks ago. After a slow early pace, he dashed home over the final 400m sections in 27.9sec. and 27.6sec.

That was Tricky Miki’s third win from six starts and he looks set for a bright future.

Swingband, to be driven by Michael Grantham for trainer Ryan Bell, is a winner at four of his nine starts and has wonderful potential. He began from the No. 5 barrier and raced in the breeze for the final 1600m when a splendid second to the pacemaker Floewriter over 2130m last Friday night.

He led and won in good style from Maungatahi and The Miki Taker at a 1.56.9 rate over 2536m at Gloucester Park two weeks earlier.

Floewriter, who notched his eighth win from 16 starts when he led from barrier one and beat Swingband last Friday night, is awkwardly drawn at barrier No. 7. The Aiden de Campo-trained colt will again be handled by Ryan Warwick, while de Campo will drive stablemate Rock On Top from barrier two on the back line.

Rock On Top was sixth and last at the bell before finishing strongly, out wide, to be fourth behind Floewriter last Friday night. He has won at four of his 12 starts and is capable of a bold showing.

Mister Montblanc (barrier three) and Soho Santorini, the sole runner on the back line, are racing with admirable enthusiasm and will have admirers.

Mister Montblanc, trained by Annie Belton and to be driven by Chris Lewis, had a tough run without cover when second to Tumblin Dice over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. He set the pace with wins at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park in January.

Soho Santorini, trained and driven by Kim Prentice, has resumed after a spell in fine style, with a first-up third at Pinjarra behind Mister Montblanc after he had raced wide early and then in the breeze, followed by a strong but narrow victory over Whataretheodds and Griffin Lodge at Gloucester Park.

Taking The Miki gets her chance

Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri has Taking the Miki close to her best after four impressive runs since resuming from a spell, and she looks set to prove hard to beat in the $50,000 APG Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Taking The Miki, handily drawn at barrier No. 3 on the front line, is sure to appreciate a return to her age group after a stout-hearted and somewhat unlucky fourth behind outstanding open-class mare Savvy Bromac last Friday week.

Taking The Miki, to be driven by Chris Voak, led for the first 1000m before being overtaken by Savvy Bromac and then losing momentum when the pace slackened at her latest appearance. She fought on gamely into fourth position. She had finished second at her three previous outings after resuming from a spell.

Taking The Miki, Wonderful To Fly and Sovrana look set to fight out the finish. Wonderful To Fly, trained and driven by Shane Young, will start from barrier two on the back line. A winner at ten of her 19 starts she is versatile.

Wonderful To Fly started from the outside barrier in a field of nine a fortnight ago when she raced in the breeze for much of the way before bursting to the front 350m from home. She led by a length on the home turn before wilting to finish third behind Sovrana and the pacemaker Queeninthecorner.

A fortnight earlier Wonderful To Fly gave a superb frontrunning display to win by 10m from Taking The Miki, rating 1.57.5 over 2130m, with final quarters of 27.9sec. and 27.1sec.

Sovrana, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, will have many admirers on Friday night, despite starting from barrier eight. She also began from the No. 8 barrier last Friday week when she settled down in sixth position before following Wonderful To Fly in the one-out, one-back position and then finishing powerfully to take the lead in the final 40m and win by a half-length from Queeninthecorner.

The Mike Reed-trained Queeninthecorner was a runaway all-the-way winner three days earlier, and she cannot be left out of calculations from the awkward draw of No. 7 on Friday night.

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

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park