by Ken Cassellas
Wanneroo trainer Julie O’Neill has bright prospects of landing her most important victory after her smart filly Infinite Symbol drew the prized No. 1 barrier in the $35,000 Allwood Stud Gold Bracelet at Gloucester Park tonight.
She has engaged Clint Hall to drive Infinite Symbol after the filly’s regular reinsman Wayne Reid was suspended for 26 days for having caused interference with Infinite Symbol in the $100,000 group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies last Friday night.
Reid has handled Infinite Symbol in all her 11 starts for three wins, three seconds and two thirds. He also drove the filly’s sire Indomitable Saab in all of his 16 wins.
Remarkably, Infinite Symbol has also started from the No. 1 barrier at her past two outings — for well-beaten seconds behind the brilliant Cott Beach. Her three consecutive No. 1 barriers have been in random barrier draws.
Blythewood trainer Gary Elson has decided to bypass this week’s feature event and is concentrating on the $125,000 Golden Slipper next Friday night with Cott Beach, who gave a bold frontrunning display to crush her rivals in last week’s Westbred Classic.
Infinite Symbol is still comparatively green, but she does possess good gate speed and Hall is sure to be anxious to take full advantage of the inside draw and jump the filly to the front. She jumped in front from the No. 1 barrier in last week’s event, but was unable to hold out Cott Beach, who began fast from barrier five and burst into the lead after 90m.
Infinite Symbol trailed the pacemaker and bumped into Rosies Ideal about 275m from the finish. Both pacers lost ground in this incident when they locked wheels. However, each ran home solidly to finish third and fourth, respectively, behind Cott Beach. They were promoted to second and third after the stewards disqualified the second filly across the line (The War Nurse) after she had raced inside the pegs in the latter stages of the race.
Last Friday week Infinite Symbol began fast from the inside barrier in the $30,000 Westsired Classic and led for the first 70m before Cott Beach charged to the front. Even though she raced greenly in the final lap, Infinite Symbol ran home solidly to be second.
This followed three successive victories for Infinite Symbol, at Pinjarra (when she led from barrier six), Bunbury and Gloucester Park.
Infinite Symbol’s chief rivals this week appear to be Cimorene, Rosies Ideal and Ella Gant Player.
Cimorene, trained at Wonnerup by Terry Ferguson, will be handled by Gary Hall jun., who won the Gold Bracelet in 2013 with the Glenn Elliott-trained Generally Outspoken. She is handily drawn at barrier two and Hall is expected to challenge Infinite Symbol for the early lead.
Cimorene started out wide at barrier nine in last week’s event when she worked hard, three wide early and then in the breeze before gaining the one-out and one-back trail. However, she wilted after having worked hard in the early stages and finished tenth before being promoted to ninth.
She finished strongly to win narrowly at Gloucester Park at her two previous starts and it is worth noting that she rated 1.58 for the 2130m journey when she defeated hot favourite Miss Sangrial in the group 1 Diamond Classic two starts ago. This equalled the track record for a two-year-old filly, set by the brilliant Dodolicious in July 2015.
Dodolicious, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, also won the 2015 Gold Bracelet when she rated 1.58.7. The Bonds will be hoping for another Bracelet success with the promising Ella Gant Player, who is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line.
Ella Gant Player caught the eye with a strong effort in last week’s Westbred Classic in which she started out wide at barrier eight and was 11th at the bell before she met with interference and broke. However, she made up a lot of lost ground and finished fifth before being promoted to fourth. She finished gamely when a narrow winner at Gloucester Park two starts before that.
Ella Gant Player will be handled by Ryan Warwick, who won the Bracelet three times — with Spirit of Navajo (2005), Apache Sunrise (2007) and Dodolicious (2015).
Rosies Ideal, trained and driven by Shane Young, will start out wide at barrier eight on Friday night, but looks set to be prominent. She impressed with her stout-hearted effort in last week’s race in which she was promoted to third and finishing in fourth position.
She raced at the rear before moving to seventh (three wide) at the bell, but lost ground at a critical stage when show locked wheels. She recovered from that setback with a strong finishing burst. That followed her strong finishing effort to score an easy win over 2100m at Bunbury at her previous outing.
Young has won the Gold Bracelet with Alfa Triumph in 1985 and Gay Adventure in 1987, and his twin Kim was successful with Turlington in 1998.
The War Nurse, trained at Bunbury by John Graham, is racing keenly and will have admirers from the No. 4 barrier. She finished strongly when second to Cott Beach last week, but was disqualified for having raced inside the pegs in the latter stages of the race. Morgan Woodley was suspended for 28 days for that infringement and Graham has engaged Chris Lewis for this week’s event. Graham trained and drove Ferrari Trunkey when she won the classic in 1986.
Lewis is the most successful driver in the history of the Gold Bracelet, having been successful with Smooth Sensation (1991), Flames And Flowers (1997), Lady Maryclaire (2002), Vinnies Sister (2003), Fidelius Charm (2008) and Sensational Gabby (2011)
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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