21 September 2017 | Ken Casellas
Trainer Skye Bond and reinsman Ryan Warwick have made a flying start to the 2017-18 season and their golden run looks set to continue at full tilt at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
They appear likely to dominate proceedings with a powerful line-up of high-quality pacers.
Bond’s past 11 starters have produced nine wins, a second and a third and Warwick’s past 12 drives have resulted in ten wins, a second and a third. Bond is the leading trainer this season with 15 wins and nine placings from 28 starts and Warwick is a clear leader in the drivers’ premiership with an identical record of 28 drives for 15 wins and nine placings.
Warwick had two drives for two wins at Pinjarra on Monday and three drives for three wins at Gloucester Park on Tuesday and he has outstanding prospects of increasing his remarkable winning sequence by scoring with his first two drives on Friday night when he will be in the sulky behind hot Bond-trained favourites Dodolicious (race two) and Mighty Mr Sharkey (race three).
Dodolicious has won in grand style at her first two appearances after a spell and she should carry too many guns for her ten rivals in the 2130m TABtouch Interdominion Starts November 24 Pace for mares. In a good field, she will clash with smart last-start winners Forever Remembered and Foxy Dame and the in-form duo of Donegal Rundlescreek and Shes Artful.
Four-year-old Mighty Mr Sharkey is in dazzling form and will take a power of beating in the 2130m TABtouch Interdominion Heat Night Two Pace. He has set the pace and won convincingly at each of his past three starts and Warwick is expected to get him away speedily from the No. 3 barrier in a bid to take up the running.
Corey Peterson, who turned 17 on Wednesday, hopes to celebrate his birthday with a forward showing from the Peter Anderson-trained polemarker Bronze Seeker, who will be improved after his first-up eighth behind Dredlock Rockstar last week after starting out wide at barrier eight and racing at the rear.
Bond and Warwick also have strong winning chances later in the program with Fifth Edition (race four), Gaz Wannabet (race five), Simply Susational (race seven), Vampiro (race nine) and Bettor Not Bitter (race ten). Warwick will also handle last-start winner Yackandandah in race six, the Maureen Clement Memorial Pace.
Yackandandah overcame the difficult No. 7 barrier when he worked hard in the breeze before winning narrowly from the pacemaker Brookies Jet over 1730m last Friday night. Yackandandah is prepared by Clint Hall, who has opted to drive stablemate Fernleigh Rebel in preference to Yackandandah this week.
Vampiro and Bettor Not Bitter are outstanding prospects for the Bond-Warwick combination in the final two events on the program.
Vampiro, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old by Bettors Delight, chalked up his fifth successive victory when he raced wide early and then without cover before hitting the front 350m from home and scoring by just under a length from Responder, rating 1.57.6 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
Five-year-old Bettor Not Bitter, a winner at nine of his 32 starts, is a strong stayer capable of overcoming the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier nine in the 2536m TABtouch Pace. He had a tough run in the breeze and fought on gamely when second to the talented Livura over 2130m last Friday night.
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