Lewis teams up with Master Jaxon

Star harness racing reinsman Chris Lewis has been snapped up to drive Master Jaxon by owner-breeder John Bell and Collie trainer David Hunter in the $25,000 Kerry Clarke Westbred Four and Five-Year-Old final at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Master Jaxon has drawn awkwardly at barrier seven in the 2130m event, but Lewis, fresh from landing a treble at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, has excellent prospects of overcoming that disadvantage.

Lewis will be handling Master Jaxon for the first time in a race. He replaces Stuart McDonald, who has driven the four-year-old in both his starts for Hunter, but is now serving a term of suspension.

The son of Cams Fool boasts an excellent record of 11 wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 32 starts and the stable’s confidence was boosted by the horse’s eye-catching performance in a 2100m event at Bunbury last Saturday night.

Master Jaxon was restrained from barrier six and was last in the field of 12 with a lap to travel before he unwound a spirited finishing burst to be second to Sky Art. The third quarter of the final mile was covered in a slick 27.7sec. before a final section in 29sec.

A fast pace in Friday night’s race will suit Master Jaxon, and this is a strong possibility, with Jax Or Better (barrier one), Bhagwan (two) and Three Bears (three) all possessing good gate speed and being proven frontrunners.

Jax Or Better will be driven by Kyle Harper for Pinjarra owner-trainer Mark Lee. The gelding’s most recent success was when he started from the No. 1 barrier and set the pace before beating Spendthelot over 2190m at Northam last February.

Three Bears, to be driven by Kiara Davies for Busselton owner-trainer Barry Howlett, is a brilliant frontrunner who has won at nine of his 20 starts this season. He led and won by almost six lengths from Master Jaxon at Pinjarra three starts ago before he made most of the running and held on to win narrowly from the talented Bungalow Bill on the same track a week later.

Then he started from barrier seven at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he was restrained to the rear. He fought on doggedly, out wide, from 12th at the bell to finish eighth behind Rub Of The Green.

Bhagawn, to be driven by Kristy Sheehy for Oakford trainer Neil Lloyd, runs his best races in front and he will prove hard to beat if he gets to the lead in the early stages on Friday night. He was a 42/1 outsider when he started from the outside of the back line in a 2536m mobile event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night. He battled on from last at the bell to finish seventh, eight lengths behind the winner Our Sky Major.

Choccy Mac, to be driven from barrier four by his trainer Justin Prentice, is capable of a bold effort. He has won at ten of his 31 starts and was an effortless all-the-way winner at Narrogin two starts ago.

Ken Casellas