18 October 2018 | Ken Casellas
Veteran mare Sea Me Smile has turned the corner and excellent efforts at her past two outings suggest that she has sound prospects of ending an eight-month drought and breaking a losing sequence of 31 when she contests the $20,000 Life Is On With Clipsal Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The versatile seven-year-old who will be having her 135th start in a race, will begin from barrier four on the front line in the 2130m event for mares. Sea Me Smile, trained at Hopeland by Debra Lewis, will be handled by her husband, champion reinsman Chris Lewis.
Sea Me Smile has impressed at her past two starts, earlier this month. She began speedily from the No. 7 barrier and burst to the front after 25m before surrendering the lead to Kingsman 200m later at Gloucester Park on October 2. She was hampered for room until the final 100m when she fought on to finish second to Kingsman.
Three nights later Sea Me Smile started out wide from barrier nine and was restrained before settling down in seventh position, four back on the pegs. She was seventh on the home turn and finished strongly to be a 10m second to Bettorgrinanbarit.
One of her chief rivals on Friday night is likely to be the Kevin Keys-trained Tajies Girl, who has a losing sequence of 15. The nine-year-old Tajies Girl, a veteran of 147 starts, will be driven by Michael Grantham. She possesses good gate speed and is likely to go forward from the No. 5 barrier.
Tajies Girl has finished second at each of her past two starts. She fought on from fourth at the bell to finish second to Liam Neil in the 2185m Alcoa Cup at Pinjarra two starts ago and then was restrained at the start from barrier four and raced in last place in the field of six before charging home, out wide, to finish a close second to the pacemaker Shes Turbo Charged. She was at a disadvantage, with her deafeners failing to release.
Shes Turbo Charged will start from the outside (barrier nine) on Friday night and there is a strong possibility that Shannon Suvaljko will take advantage of her sparkling gate speed in a bid to charge to the front soon after the start.
The likely favourite is the consistent Ross Olivieri-trained Soho Changeling, who will be driven by Chris Voak from the No. 1 barrier. The Aiden Warwick-trained Millwood Brandy is also sure to be strongly fancied from the favourable No. 2 barrier. Millwood Brandy has drawn out wide at her past five starts since she set the pace from barrier one and won from Alfa Queen over 2130m on August 21.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
