Gloucester Park preview

Gloucester Park harness racing preview with Ken Casellas.

Bell’s fillies are favoured in classic

Fifteen years ago, Ryan Bell gave a copybook exhibition in the sulky to land the $85.80 rank outsider Centrefold Angel a thrilling winner over the $1.80 favourite Batavia Touchngo in the $100,00 group 1 Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park.

And on Friday night this week he will be a somewhat nervous but quietly confident onlooker as the two two-year-old fillies he trains — Bettagetonpip (Betting Line) and Copper Head Lady (Sweet Lou) — clash in the $50,000 group 2 Trotsynd Diamond Classic over 2130m.

Bettagetonpip has drawn perfectly at barrier one, while Copper Head Lady will start from the favourable No. 2 barrier. These two WA-bred fillies are expected to dominate betting on the race, with Bell giving both an excellent chance of winning.

Ryan Warwick will drive Bettagetonpip, and Aiden De Campo will handle Copper Head Lady. Warwick has won the Diamond Classic with In The Spotlight in 2021, and De Campo was successful behind Tricky Styx in 2014.

Warwick has unhappy memories of his first drive in a Diamond Classic final, in June 2005 when he handled heat winner Spirit Of Navajo, who hung out badly on the first turn and broke into a fierce gallop before being retired. Two years later he finished a neck behind Ruby Dazzler with Apache Sunrise.

Copper Head Lady, a brilliant heat winner last Monday week, is the fifth foal out of Artistic Copper, who shone as a two-year-old in 2013 when she won the group 1 Sales Classic but then did not contest the Diamond Classic two months later.

Artistic Copper’s first foal Some Copper Beach was driven by De Campo when she finished sixth in the 2019 Diamond Classic. Her third foal Artistic Scribe, driven by De Campo, was ninth in the 2021 Diamond Classic, and De Campo has high hopes that Artistic Copper’s fifth foal Copper Head Lady will win the big race this week.

“Bettagetonpip and Copper Head Lady have come on well since winning their qualifying heats (on Monday of last week) and they should perform strongly,” said Bell.

Bettagetonpip set the pace from barrier two in her heat and beat Queen Of All, while Copper Head Lady impressed when she raced in sixth position, one-out and two back before starting a three-wide move 750m from home and sustaining a powerful burst to get to the front on the home turn and then race away and win by two lengths from Ruby Lovera.

“Copper Head Lady is a versatile filly, and from barrier two she won’t have to do too much work to hold her position, said De Campo. “She has come from behind in each of her three wins, and if she gets a bit of luck, she will definitely be in it.”

Bell said he found it extremely difficult to split his two runners, saying: “I’m pretty sure that Bettagetonpip has enough speed to get to the lead. It will be up to Curley (Warwick) how he drives her. She is a bit one dimensional, compared with Copper Head Lady.

“Bettagetonpip will be hard to beat if she leads but if Copper Head Lady sets the pace, I don’t think she will be beaten.”

Queen Of All has been driven by De Campo at her two most recent starts for second placings behind Captainshavtime and Bettagetonpip. She is prepared by Katja Warwick, who trained Askmeilltellya for her Diamond Classic victory in 2019.

Warwick has engaged Chris Voak to drive Queen Of All, who is awkwardly drawn out wide at barrier seven. “She has trained on very well since her run in the heat, and she is ready for the race, but not ready for the draw,” she said.

Reinette, winner of the third qualifying heat for trainer Frank Nafranec and reinsman Trent Wheeler, faces a tough task from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the final.

Reinette trailed the pacemaker Winter Wonder before finishing strongly to beat that filly in her heat. Winter Wonder, to be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Justin Prentice, who will also be represented in the final with Ruby Lovera, to be driven by Kyle Harper from barrier four.

Ruby Lovera covered extra ground early in her heat before gaining a good passage, one-out and one-back, and then finishing solidly to be second to Copper Head Lady in the second qualifying heat.

Prentice, who is in Sydney with his star pacer Never Ending, has trained the winner of three Diamond Classics — scoring with Lady Luca (2016), Majorpride (2018) and Always An Angel (2020).

The Michael Young-trained Jaxs Ideal, who has been placed at five of her nine starts, will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko from the inside of the back line. She should enjoy an ideal passage and is capable of figuring in the finish.

Suvaljko picks Montana Glory

Leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive Montana Glory (Always B Miki) from the inside of the back line in preference to noted frontrunner Seven No Trumps from the prized No. 1 barrier in the 21130m Join Trotsynd Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Montana Glory, trained by Mike Reed, has been driven by Suvaljko at her two wins (at Pinjarra and Northam in February 2023) from 14 starts in Western Australia.

She will be making her first appearance after a six-month absence, with Reed saying: “She is first-up for a while, but her work has been good. If Seven No Trumps leads, she will definitely be in the finish.”

Seven No Trumps, trained by Peter Tilbrook, has won at nine of his 62 starts. Suvaljko has driven him at four of those victories, with three of them coming when he set the pace.

Seven No Trumps has not been successful for 18 months, but his recent efforts have been encouraging, with a last-start fourth behind My Little Big Man last Friday night coming after a second to Courage Of Lombo at Northam and his fourth behind Franco Western at the same track.

He will be handled by Dylan Egerton-Green, who had his first drive behind the five-year-old last Friday night.

Reed and Suvaljko also have bright prospects of winning the 2130m Trotsynd Group 1 Winners Pace with promising three-year-old Dark Eyes, who will be clashing with older and more experienced pacers.

Dark Eyes, a winner at four of his 22 starts, is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2, and his good gate speed should enable him to win the start and set the pace.

He was unlucky as a $126 outsider when he finished a close-up fourth behind quality three-year-olds Artful Miki, Bet The House and Menemsha last Friday night. He began from barrier seven in the field of eight and was a conspicuous last at the bell before finishing strongly along the inside. He was blocked for a clear run in the home straight.

“He is working good, and he definitely has a winning chance,” said Reed.

Let It Linga, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainer Michael Young, has a losing sequence of 19 but is racing keenly and is due for a change of luck after three seconds and a third placing at Gloucester Park from her past four appearances. She possesses good gate speed and is handily drawn at barrier three.

Young has excellent prospects of winning the $30,000 WASBA Pace for four and five-year-old mares with the brilliant New Zealand-bred Penny Black, who is capable of overcoming the wide barrier at No. 8 and extending her winning sequence to eight.

Rattlin Lilly, trained by Greg and Skye Bond and to be driven by Deni Roberts, will begin from the outside barrier in the field of nine and should again be placed behind Penny Black after her strong performance when second to that mare last Friday week after covering a lot of extra ground.

Roberts also has excellent winning prospects with last-start winners Tenzing Bromac and Aardiebytheseaside, two of the best pacers in the powerful Bond stable.

Tenzing Bromac, who won from Never Ending last Friday night, will start from barrier seven in the $31,000 Trotsynd Free-For-All over 2130m, while Aardiebytheseaside should extend her winning sequence to six by proving too good for her seven rivals in the Trotsynd Syndication Paced over 2130m.

Bet The House is stepping up

Bet The House (Betting Line), a leading contender for the $200,000 WA Derby on November 1, faces an interesting test when he competes against older and more experienced rivals for the first time at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

However, his part-owner and trainer Ron Huston is confident that three-year-old Bet The House, who has raced against his own age group in all of his ten starts for five wins, three seconds and one third placing, will prove hard to beat when he begins from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m Trotsynd Pacing For The Podium Pace.

“He pulled up big (in condition) after finishing second to Artful Miki last Friday night, so he needs to keep racing,” said Huston.

“He is a level eight three-year-old, so it’s hard to find (suitable) races for him. He has worked with older horses all his life, and he has probably run times better than the other horses in Friday night’s race.

“He should acquit himself well. He sprints strongly, and he hasn’t raced outside of his comfort zone at his first two runs in this preparation.”

Bet The House began from the outside barrier in a field of eight last Friday night when he dashed forward, three wide, after 400m and raced in the breeze until he took the lead 600m from home and was narrowly beaten by the fast-finishing Artful Miki.

At his previous appearance three weeks earlier Bet The House worked hard in the breeze when a neck second to the brilliant Vegas Strip.

Hardest for Bet The house to beat on Friday night appears certain to be the polemarker, the Kim Prentice-trained four-year-old Crowd Control, who will be driven by Mitch Miller.

Crowd Control will be having his sixth start in his current campaign. He is a good frontrunner who has raced 39 times for eight wins and 20 placings. He trailed the pacemaker Lady Prima Donna before getting off the pegs at the bell and running to the front 225m from home and finishing a half-head second to the fast-finishing Coney Island Lou, rating 1.56.7 over 2130m last Friday week.

Also expected to be prominent is six-year-old Strike Team, who will be handled by his trainer Aiden De Campo, who produced the Mach Three gelding in splendid condition last Friday night for his first run for 20 months.

Strike Team began from barrier seven and was eleventh at the bell before flying home with a sparkling burst of speed to finish an extremely close-up fourth in a four-way photo finish behind Otis, Acuto and Arma Xfactor over 1730m.

“He has plenty of ability but has had a lot of problems,” said De Campo. “I was happy with his first-up run and I expect him to run like that most times he goes on to the track.”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park