29 November 2018 | Ken Casellas
Star reinsman Mark Reed rubbed his hands together in delight when he saw that outstanding mare Maczaffair had drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier in the $30,000 Howard Porter Memorial over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night and agreed wholeheartedly that the five-year-old looked a virtual certainty.
“We’ll be coming out on roller skates and it should be a case of see you later,” Reed enthused. “Leading is her greatest attribute and she should win. However, she’s versatile and can do it at both ends. She came from a fair way back to beat Eden Franco two starts ago.”
This will be Maczaffair’s final warm-up before she clashes with the brilliant Eden Franco in the $125,000 Westral Mares Classic on Friday week.
The Colin Brown-trained Eden Franco rated 1.56.2 when she dashed to an early lead, set a solid pace and won by just over four lengths from Alfa Queen in the Norms Daughter Classic last Friday night. Maczaffair, who started from the inside of the back line and raced in fifth place three back on the pegs, charged home along the inside and was badly hampered for room when fourth.
“Maczaffair never got a crack at them at all,” Reed said. “Eden Franco won well, but I got caught up in a bit of traffic. She was bolting.
“There’s not much between Eden Franco and Maczaffair; it just gets down to barrier draws. Maczaffair has proven herself in Free-For-All class.”
Reed, fresh from a double at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening with Mighty Major ($39.80) and American Dynasty ($1.30), also is confident that The Art Form will be hard to beat in the Yes Loans Insurance Pace over 2130m.
The Art Form, a lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old, resumed after an eight-week absence at Northam on Saturday night when he set the pace and romped to an easy victory over Makinchanges. It was his sixth win in a row and the tenth in a 23-start career.
“He curbed a hock and that was the first time he’d had the hopples on since his previous start (when he led and won from Benhope Rulz at Pinjarra on October 1),” Reed said. “So, he was very underdone and he’s probably still a bit underdone but he will benefit a lot from the run. He’s a class horse and Fizzing appears as the only serious threat.”
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