Gloucester Park preview

There promises to be intense competition for spots in the fields for the rich Fremantle and WA Pacing Cups early in the New Year, and several Cup hopefuls will clash in the $30,000 Better Your Bet With TABtouch RWWA Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Highly promising four-year-olds Major Martini, Minstrel, Patronus Star and Hampton Banner will be under close scrutiny when they clash with experienced stars Galactic Star, Hurricane Harley, Bletchley Park and Motu Premier as well as the inexperienced but exciting prospect Wildwest.

Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr has given punters an important lead by opting to drive Major Martini in preference to Wildwest and Hurricane Harley.

This race will be an acid test for Major Martini, who is prepared at Boyanup by Justin Prentice, who also trains speedy frontrunner Hurricane Harley, who is handily drawn at barrier three on the front line of the 2130m event and will be driven by Maddison Brown.

Major Martini, a winner at eight of his 16 starts, will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, and Hall will be hoping to manoeuvre the gelding into a forward position soon after the start.

This will be Major Martini’s third appearance after a 19-month absence, during which time he recovered from a bruised pedal bone in his nearside front leg. He has been given a thorough preparation by Prentice and has not been extended in the two events he has contested in his current campaign.

He had the luxury of being able to stroll straight to the front and then set a slow pace before sprinting home brilliantly to win easily. At his first start after a spell, he sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.4sec. and 28.1sec. and beat Euphoria by two lengths. Then last Friday week he sizzled home with a 26.3sec. final quarter to beaty stablemate Gambit by a length.

Major Martini certainly has the class to figure prominently at his first outing against open-class company. As a two-year-old he won two group 1 features, the Sales Classic and Westbred Classic for colts and geldings, before finishing a head second to Jaspervellabeach in the Golden Slipper.

Then, as a three-year-old he was successful in two group 2 features, the Sales Classic and the Western Gateway Pace, before finishing second, a neck behind Patronus Star in the WA Derby in April 2020.

Hurricane Harley disappointed when he raced in the breeze and wilted to finish last behind Bletchley Park in the 2130m RWWA Cup last Friday week — after he had scored dashing victories in the Mount Eden Sprint and Howard Porter Memorial at his two previous starts.

He races at his best when he is able to lead, but whether he will be able to cross the polemarker Wildwest in the early stages is problematic. Wildwest notched his eleventh victory from 20 starts when he enjoyed the one-out, one-back trail before finishing powerfully to beat the pacemaker Hampton Banner over 2130m last Friday night. The New Zealand-bred gelding, trained by Gary Hall snr, will be driven by Callan Suvaljko.

Hall will also be represented by five-year-old Diego, who will be handled by Aiden de Campo and will be at handsome odds from the outside of the back line.

Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond hold a strong hand in Friday night’s event in which they will be represented by Galactic Star, a veteran of 32 wins from 100 starts, Patronus Star, a winner at 13 of his 29 starts, and Minstrel, who has had 24 starts for 13 wins.

Deni Roberts will be in the sulky behind the eight-year-old Galactic Star, who is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier. He finished strongly to win from his brilliant stablemate Mighty Conqueror two starts ago.

Dylan Egerton-Green will drive Patronus Star (barrier seven) and Ryan Warwick will handle Minstrel barrier eight). Both talented pacers will be racing first-up, but each is capable of a bold showing.

Hampton Banner (Chris Lewis) and the Stephen Reed-trained Bletchley Park (Lindsay Harper) are racing in excellent form, while Ross Olivieri’s eight-year-old Motu Premier (Emily Suvaljko) impressed with his fast-finishing first-up third behind Bletchley Park last Friday week.

Trial points to Rupert Of Lincoln

A last-to-first performance in a trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week was a pointer to a strong first-up showing by five-year-old Rupert Of Lincoln, a newcomer to the stables of Ross Olivieri, in the 2130m Choices Flooring Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The New Zealand-bred gelding will be driven by Chris Lewis from the prized No. 1 barrier in an event in which he will meet far stronger opposition than he did in the 2185m trial in which he was handled by Chris Playle.

Rupert Of Lincoln began from the outside barrier in the field of six, and after racing four wide for the first 200m he was restrained back to last while Sadhita was setting a slow pace.

The opening quarters of the final mile were run in 33.2sec. and 31.2sec. and Rupert Of Lincoln was eased off the pegs approaching the bell before he dashed to the front 470m from home and was not extended in winning by 2m from Torpedo Rock, rating 2.1.1, with final 400m sections of 29.3sec. and 27.5sec.

He has set the pace after starting from barrier one and won twice at Geelong and once each at Maryborough and Mildura. However, a study of his performances in New Zealand (three starts for two wins) and Victoria (36 starts for ten wins on country tracks and 13 placings) reveal that he does not possess particularly fast gate speed.

At his most recent appearance, over 2100m at Geelong on July 17 this year, he began from the No. 1 barrier and lacked gate speed, despite the urgings of Kerryn Manning. He then raced three back on the pegs before running home gamely along the sprint lane to finish a two-length second to the pacemaker Vandanta, who rated 1.59.2. Sahara Tiger, a stylish Gloucester Park winner at his WA debut on October 22, finished third.

Rupert Of Lincoln has a losing sequence of ten, and his most recent victory was 16 months ago when he began from the back line, raced three back on the pegs and ran home along the sprint lane to win narrowly from Yankee Lincoln, who rated 1.59.4 over 2190m at Shepparton, with final quarters of 28.5sec. and 27.5sec.

No doubt Lewis will be keen to take full advantage of the No. 1 barrier on Friday night, but there is a strong chance that Rupert Of Lincoln might not have sufficient early speed to hold out the Tony Hynam-trained Joe With the Flow, who will be driven by Lindsay Harper from the No. 2 barrier.

Joe With The Flow possesses excellent gate speed, and he began fast from the No. 2 barrier in a 2536m event last Friday night when he led for the first 700m before Harper elected to take the sit behind the favourite Rock Me Over.

Joe With The Flow was hopelessly blocked for a run in the final stages and finished a close-up and most unlucky fifth behind Disco Under Fire. Joe With The Flow has been unplaced at his past seven starts, but he appeals as a major player in this week’s event. His most recent success was ten starts ago when he began speedily from barrier three and set the pace before beating Machlani over 2536m last March.

Another runner who looks set to fight out the finish is Caris Hamilton-Smith’s six-year-old Rockaball, who will be driven by Micheal Ferguson from out wide at barrier six. Rockaball, who led and finished a nose second to the brilliant Papinik over 2536m three starts ago, caught the eye as a $71 outsider last Friday night when he was eighth at the bell on the pegs before charging home, out five wide, to finish fourth behind Mirragon over 2536m.

New role for Blue Blazer?

The all-conquering combination of trainer Nathan Turvey and driver Emily Suvaljko should be at the fore again at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Blue Blazer starts from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Catalano Truck And Equipment Pace.

Blue Blazer, a New Zealand-bred six-year-old, has not been seen as the pacemaker in any of his 50 starts in Western Australia where he has been recognised as a strong finisher, and all his six victories in the State have been come-from-behind efforts.

However, there is a strong possibility that Blue Blazer will be seen in the role of pacemaker this week. The previous time he began from the No. 1 barrier was seven starts ago when he revealed good gate speed to lead in the early stages before taking the sit behind outstanding fast-class performer Vampiro in the group 2 Navy Cup in mid-September.

He did an excellent job to finish fourth behind the brilliant Magnificent Storm, and he beat home horses of the calibre of Vampiro, Thats Perfect and Galactic Star.

Blue Blazer will be having his first start for three weeks — since he started from barrier nine, raced four wide early and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, after Whoswhointhezoo was forced to vacate that position when one of sulky tyres was punctured. Blue Blazer battled on doggedly to finish fourth behind stablemate and pacemaker Walsh.

Blue Blazer has a couple of smart beginners on his outside: Valbonne at barrier two and Whatabro at barrier No. 3.

Valbonne, who will be having his first start for Oldbury trainer Lisa Walton, will be driven by Maddison Brown. He has led and won five times (three times at Gloucester Park and twice at Northam).

Whatabro, to be driven by Michael Grantham for trainer Michael Brennan, has been unplaced at his past five starts, since leading and winning from Jaspervellabeach and Queen Shenandoah on October 15. That was his third all-the-way victory at Gloucester Park.

Other runners expected to be prominent include the Brennan-trained Lord Rosco (barrier eight) and Aiden de Campo’s bonny mare Mandy Joan, who should enjoy a good passage after starting from the inside of the back line. She drops appreciably in class and is capable of surprising.

Alice Kay gets her chance

Handy four-year-old pacer Alice Kay, described by her trainer Katja Warwick as an amazing trier and a very tough mare who keeps digging in, gets an excellent chance to celebrate her 50TH start with a win in the 2130m Specialised Equipment Funding Solutions Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Alice Kay will start from the No. 2 barrier and will be handled by Shannon Suvaljko, who drove her aggressively last Friday night when he dashed her forward from the back line to work hard in the breeze all the way before fighting on to finish second to the speedy pacemaker Mirragon over 2536m.

That was Alice Kay’s first appearance for seven weeks, and she is sure to have derived great benefit from the outing. She revealed her ability as a frontrunner four starts ago when she led from the No. 1 barrier and won by more than three lengths from Our Star Watch over 2536m.

In what should develop into a keenly-contested affair, has sound prospects of beating her well-performed rivals Leosabi, Typhoon Banner and Pocket The Cash.

Leosabi, trained by Nathan Turvey and driven by Emily Suvaljko, is in wonderful form and looks set to fight out the finish despite starting from the outside of the back line. She raced three back on the pegs and did not get clear until late when a fast-finishing third behind The Ideal Touch and Typhoon Banner last Friday week. That followed impressive wins over 17309m and 2536m at his two previous starts.

Typhoon Banner is in splendid form for trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green and is due for a change of fortune after his past four runs have produced three seconds and a third placing. He has the strength and ability to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the front line.

Pocket the Cash will start out wide at barrier eight for Bunbury trainer Stephen Reed at his first appearance since he ran home solidly to be second to Jesse Allwood over 2536m on July 11. He will be driven by Jocelyn Young.

Punters will be looking to Gary Hall jnr to get them away to a successful start and then a winning finish to the ten-event program, with Hall driving The Ideal Touch in race one and Youre So Fine in the tenth event.

The Ideal Touch had a tough run in the breeze when third behind Machnificent last Friday night, a week after he endured a similar trip before winning from Typhoon Banner and Leosabi.

Gary Hall snr prepares The Ideal Touch and two-year-old Youre So Fine, who will start from the outside in the field of six in the final event. Youre So Fine covered extra ground when narrowly beaten by the fast-finishing Floewriter last Friday week. He also had a tough run when a winner over Paul Edward at his previous start.

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

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park