by Ken Casellas
Prominent owners Steve and Christina Chapman and their children are sure to be cheering enthusiastically in the final stages of the Gannon’s Pony Trots at Gloucester Park Pace on Friday night — when their two runners are likely to be involved in a ding-dong tussle for supremacy in the 1730m event for three-year-olds.
El Barcelona and Runrunjimmydunn are two of four runners in the field of eight who are trained by Gary Hall sen. and they should fight out the finish.
Runrunjimmydunn (Clint Hall) prevailed when he charged home to get up in the final stride to defeat El Barcelona (Gary Hall jun.) in a 2130m event last Friday week. Runrunjimmydunn is generally expected to start a warm favourite, but El Barcelona has the ability to turn the tables.
El Barcelona has drawn barrier No. 6, with Runrunjimmydunn drawing the outside No. 8 barrier. This could prove a decisive advantage for El Barcelona, who should settle in front of his stablemate.
The barrier draws were reversed when the New Zealand-bred geldings last met and when they settled at the rear. After 450m El Barcelona followed the three-wide move of Bravo Tex before getting to the breeze 1000m from home. Clint Hall then sent Runrunjimmydunn forward, three wide, with 900m to travel.
El Barcelona forged to the front at the 600m mark as Runrunjimmydunn moved into the breeze position. In a stirring duel, Runrunjimmydunn got up to beat his stablemate in a close photo-finish.
Quite remarkably, the two pacers go into Friday night’s race with a record of 14 starts for five wins. They are both showing steady improvement and Hall sen. Is confident they will prove worthy candidates for the rich Golden Nugget Championship in the coming summer.
The Hall stable’s other runners in Friday night’s event are The Publisher, to be driven by Kim Prentice from the No. 2 barrier, and Herrick Roosevelt, to be driven by Chris Lewis from barrier seven.
The lightly-raced Herrick Roosevelt possesses excellent gate speed, but is still learning to race, being inclined to overrace. However, he looks destined for a bright future. He led from the No. 2 barrier and won from El Barcelona over 2130m at Gloucester Park at his second start in a race, last December.
The Publisher has won once (as a two-year-old in New Zealand) made his Australian debut at Gloucester Park last Friday week when he pulled hard in the breeze in the middle stages and faded to last behind Runrunjimmydunn. Then he raced at Northam on Tuesday night when he ran home strongly, out wide, from eighth at the 400m to finish a neck second to Ace Bromac.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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