Will it be tricky for Miki in $100,000 feature?

Tricky Miki, the least experienced runner in harness racing’s $100,000 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night, has the class to overcome an awkward barrier at No. 5 and the disadvantage of being the only the runner who has not raced on the Gloucester Park circuit.

He is prepared at Boyanup by Justin Prentice, a master at producing young pacers in marvellous fettle for classic events, and will be driven by champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr.

Prentice is following the same pattern he used when he won this event with Highroller Joe in 2017, a gelding who was having just his third start in a race, after a debut win and a placing at his second start. Highroller Joe finished strongly from sixth at the bell to beat Mister Spot by just under three lengths.

Tricky Miki also will be going into Friday’s event with only two race starts under his belt – a dashing debut victory at Pinjarra, followed by a second placing to Paul Edward at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.

After winning the Westbred Classic with Highroller Joe in 2017 Prentice has played a prominent part in this event, training and driving $8 chance Major Martini to a fast-finishing two-length victory over stablemate Aristocratic Star (driven by Hall) in 2019, and then preparing Mighty Ronaldo, a $7 chance from the back line with Hall in the sulky, for a second placing behind the pacemaker Give Us A Wave last year.

Hall has given punters an important lead by opting to drive Tricky Miki in preference to Capel trainer Aiden de Campo’s smart colt Floewriter, who is perfectly drawn at barrier No. 1.

Hall drove Floewriter when he set the pace and finished second to his stablemate The Miki Taker in the Group 1 Pearl Classic last Friday week. Floewriter had led and won at two of his three previous starts, including the Group 1 $100,000 Sales Classic.

Tricky Miki made an auspicious debut at Pinjarra on June 7 when he was tenth at the bell before charging home to win by more than three lengths from Tomlous Jambo, rating 1.56.9 over 1684m, with final quarters of 27.9sec. and 28.6sec.

He then started from barrier six over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon when he settled down in sixth position, about nine lengths behind the pacemaker Linebacker. He raced without cover all the way until he got to the front 300m from home before being overtaken in the final couple of strides by Paul Edward, who had enjoyed a perfect passage behind the leader.

Hall was impressed with the effort, saying: “Tricky Miki is probably as good a two-year-old I have ever driven. I expect him to be a better horse after his run at Pinjarra, providing it wasn’t too close to Friday. I would have liked it if he had a bit more experience, going into Friday’s race.

“The winner rated 1.57.2 on Monday, and Tricky Miki was stuck in the breeze the whole way, and he was a littler bit fresh and overraced a little bit. At his previous start, Tricky Miki went straight past Paul Edward for pure speed.

“It’s a real hard race on Friday night, and I’m sure that Tricky Miki will develop into a very good three-year-old, and I’d be very surprised if he is not the best of them all by the time they are three.”

Prentice has a handy second-string runner on Friday night in Tomlous Jambo, who will be driven by Maddison Brown from barrier two on the back line. Tomlous Jambo has been placed at six of his ten starts, including a solid second behind Follow The Music in the Westsired Classic last Friday night.

De Campo holds a strong hand with three runners, Floewriter, The Miki Taker and Rock On Top. He will drive Rock On Top, who will start from the inside of the back line. Rock On Top impressed in the Pearl Classic when he was hampered for room until the late stages when a strong-finishing third behind The Miki Taker and Floewriter in the Pearl Classic. Ryan Warwick will handle Floewriter, and Dylan Egerton-Green has been engaged for The Miki Taker, who has a tough draw at barrier No. 9.

The Ryan Bell-trained Whataretheodds looks set to fight out the finish for outstanding young reinsman Michael Grantham after drawing favourably at barrier two. Whataretheodds has shown excellent promise in winning at four of his eight starts.

Champion reinsman Chris Lewis has won the Westbred Classic with Hail The Judge (1996), Mista Tigga (2004), Johnny Disco (2015) and The Real Ideal (2016) and he will have many admirers when he drives Follow The Music for trainer Ross Olivieri from barrier No. 4. Follow The Music led and was not extended in winning the Westsired Classic from Tomlous Jambo last Friday night.

by Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park