01 March 2018 | Ken Casellas
Shannon Suvaljko is setting a cracking pace in the Western Australian Statewide drivers’ premiership and he is bursting with confidence that he will cause an upset by winning the $100,000 Clipsal By Schneider Electric Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will drive Soho Interceptor from the awkward draw at No. 6 on the front line in the Group 1 feature event over 1730m.
The Art Major filly, bred and owned by Rob Watson and prepared at Hopeland by Glenn Elliott, caught the eye in a qualifying heat at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when she enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing fast to be second to Cap In Hand, with the final quarter being run in 27.8sec.
Cap In Hand, trained by Katja Warwick and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, has not been extended in winning at her only two starts, at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park, and she is likely to vie for favouritism with the Justin Prentice-trained Has No Fear, who has scored brilliant victories at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at her past two outings.
Suvaljko, who leads the drivers’ premiership at the half-way mark of the 2017-18 season with 92 winners from Chris Lewis (83) and Hall (82), declared that Soho Interceptor was capable of a bold showing on Friday night.
“She has huge gate speed and so we will come out and have a look (for the early lead),” he said. “I think that she is definitely the one to beat. Cap In Hand and Has No Fear haven’t drawn all that well.”
Soho Interceptor finished fifth behind Bettor Captured at her debut, at Pinjarra on January 29 when she shied at an object on the track and broke into a gallop. A month later she finished an impressive second-up second to Cap In Hand on Tuesday of last week.
“I sat back with her in the heat and she flew home,” Suvaljko said. “I think she is my best drive on the night.”
Soho Interceptor is bred on royal lines. Her dam Aussie Made Lombo amassed $578,456 in prizemoney from 22 wins and 26 placings from 62 starts. She won two Group 1 Classics as a two-year-old in 2010, the Bathurst Gold Tiara and Seymour Nursery at Albion Park. Her final race before going to the breeding barn was at Gloucester Park in March 2013 when she won the Group 2 Empress Stakes.
Aussie Made Lombo’s dam Tailamade Lombo earned $1,354,978 from 49 wins and 25 placings from 110 starts. She won seven races as a two-year-old, was successful in the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Moonee Valley in 1998 and won the Group 1 Queensland Pacing Championship in October 2000, beating Courage Under Fire.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice has high hopes with both Delightfull and Has No Fear. He will handle Delightful from barrier three on the front line and Tom Buchanan will drive Has No Fear, the solitary runner on the back line.
“Delightfull hit the line really good in her heat (when she raced three back on the pegs and ran home strongly, three wide, to be third behind Cap In Hand and Soho Interceptor),” Prentice said. “She is improving with every run and I think she will be a better horse up on the speed, so we’ll come out and have a look for the lead.
“Has No Fear showed her versatility in her heat when she came home, out three deep, to win by four lengths.” Has No Fear, purchased at the APG yearling sale in Perth 12 months ago for $20,000, revealed excellent gate speed when she led and won easily at Pinjarra at her previous outing.
“Barrier ten is not a bad draw and Tom will have to see what happens early and then weigh things up from there,” Prentice said.
Cap In Hand has been untroubled to set the pace and win at her two starts and Hall Jnr is not particularly concerned at her unfavourable draw at No. 7.
“If we had drawn to lead she would have been awfully hard to beat,” Hall said. “But she is still going to be hard to beat, even from No. 7. I don’t think it is a major concern (not leading). The first trial in which I drove her, she was back in the field and they ran super quick time and she finished pretty well.”
La Roue de Lamour, a $57,000 yearling and trained by Annie Belton, is capable of figuring in the finish after drawing the No. 2 barrier. She made a good debut in a qualifying heat when she raced in fifth place, three back on the pegs, before finishing solidly on the inside to be third behind Has No Fear and Soho Westeros. She will be driven by Chris Voak.
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