09 July 2015
by Ken Casellas
Ryan Warwick, who is enjoying his best season in harness racing, should continue on his winning ways by driving Dodolicious to victory in the $35,000 Retravision Gold Bracelet over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Dodolicious, a runaway winner of the group 1 $100,000 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies last Friday night, has drawn perfectly at barrier No. 1 in the field of six and she should prove too classy for the opposition.
The 36-year-old Warwick has driven 108 winners this season and will be looking for his third success in the Gold Bracelet after victories behind 4/1 chance Spirit of Navajo in 2005 and 3/1 chance Apache Sunrise in 2007.
Spirit of Navajo, trained by his cousin Aiden Warwick, started from the No. 1 barrier when she was untroubled to set the pace and romp to victory by more than three lengths over Navajo Blue. Two years later Apache Sunrise, trained by Grant Williams, was the lobe runner off the back line in a field of ten when she settled in eighth place, started a three-wide move after 550m, raced in the breeze and took the lead 550m from home before beating the fast-finishing Nowuseeme by a length and a half.
Dodolicious, owned and trained by her breeders Greg and Skye Bond, broke Tricky Styx’s track record for a two-year-old filly when she rated 1.58 to win last week’s classic by 16m from Jasmin Amal, with Malua Volio three lengths farther back in third place. That boosted her record to six starts for four wins and two seconds for earnings of $83,843.
Jasmin Amal, trained by David Thompson, produced a gutsy effort to finish second. She started out wide at barrier eight and was restrained to the rear by Morgan Woodley before she came home with a determined burst from the rear at the bell. She is handily drawn at No. 2 this week, but it is difficult to predict that she will seriously trouble Dodolicious.
The Ross Olivieri-trained Sheer Rocknoll has won at six of her ten starts and must be given some chance of upsetting Dodolicious. She will start from the No 5 barrier. She warmed up for this week’s race with a smart win over Kruzentaytayal, setting the pace and rating 1.59.4 in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Sunday morning.
The appearance of the New Zealand-bred filly Dame Puissant will add considerable interest. Trained at Henley Brook by Robbie Williams, Dame Puissant has been most impressive at her only three starts, all at Pinjarra, for a well-beaten second to Dodolicious over 1684m at her debut, followed by two very easy wins over 2185m.
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