Never Ending story starts again

The wait is over.

Outstanding young WA pacer Never Ending (Sweet Lou) opens a campaign aimed at the $2.1mil TAB Eureka when he returns to racing at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

And his return carries added importance and focus after long-time TAB Eureka favourite Frankie Ferocious’ shock first-up flop at Albion Park last night.

Racegoers can expect to see a more mature and seasoned racehorse, which excites trainer-driver Justin Prentice more than anything else.

“We hoped the racing against the good ones earlier in the year would bring him on and it seems to have,” Prentice said. “We’ve needed to be patient with him, but it seems like it’s all coming together now.

“This will be the first of two, maybe three runs he has before we take him across to Sydney early.”

The plan is to run over 2300m at Menangle (on August 24) two weeks before the TAB Eureka on September 7.

“He’ll definitely race there before the TAB Eureka and that suits best, but I’d want him across well before that so he can trial or at least have a solid workout at Menangle before that first race,” Prentice said.

“It’s such a different track (to Gloucester Park), I’m mindful we will probably want to change his gear, depending on how handles the track.”

Never Ending hasn’t raced since striking trouble at a crucial stage and breaking stride when ninth in the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 19.

Opinions vary, but Never Ending was at least going to be right in the finish of the race won by Victorian star Catch A Wave were it not for the incident.

Never Ending was the first confirmed TAB Eureka runner this year, when slot owner Rob Watson used his Soho Standardbreds slot to lock-in the gelding.

He will become the first WA-trained pacer to contest the TAB Eureka, which was held for the first time last year and won by the Victorian-trained, but SA-owned Encipher.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia