11 April 2019 | Ken Casellas
Promising four-year-old Marquisard has been unplaced from unfavourable barriers at his past 11 starts, but he gets a great chance to break his recent run of outs by winning the Direct Trades Supply Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Part on Friday night.
Marquisard, trained at West Swan by Craig Abercromby, has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier and Chris Lewis looks set to attempt an all-the-way victory. The Mach Three gelding has started from the inside barrier only three times from his 52 starts and has led and won over 2190m at Northam on each occasion. He has also won when leading at Narrogin and twice at Pinjarra, as well as scoring three times after working hard without cover.
He had no luck at all last Friday night when he started from the back line and raced in eighth position before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell. He moved to sixth with a lap to travel, but continued to be forced to race wide before wilting to finish tenth behind outsider Bob Wheel.
Marquisard’s chief rivals appear to be the David Thompson-trained pair of Liam Neil and Jasmin Amal and Ideal One, who is trained by Gary Hall Snr. Ideal One, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, is the only runner off the back line and is capable of gaining a perfect trail behind Marquisard, the likely pacemaker.
Two starts ago, Ideal One raced three back on the pegs before finishing solidly to win from Presidentmach at a 1.56.5 rate over 2130m. Then he was restrained from the No. 9 barrier and raced in 12th position before finishing gamely to be an encouraging sixth behind stablemate Liberty Rose.
Dylan Egerton-Green has given punters a good lead by electing to drive Liam Neil in preference to Jasmin Amal. Liam Neil is a promising four-year-old who will start from barrier four, with Jasmin Amal, a six-year-old mare to be driven by Michael Grantham, starting from the No. 5 barrier.
Egerton-Green has driven Jasmin Amal at nine of her past ten starts for three wins and five placings. He has been in the sulky for nine of Liam Neil’s 11 victories.
Jasmin Amal trailed the pacemaker Our Major Mama before finishing strongly to be third behind Rosies Ideal and Miss Sangrial over 2130m last Friday night at her first appearance after an absence of just over three months.
Liam Neil gave a strong performance last week when he raced wide early, burst to the front after 450m and fought on grandly to finish a close third behind Liberty Rose and Heez Manly. At his previous start, over 2185m at Pinjarra, he trailed the pacemaker Our Perkins before finishing fast along the sprint lane to win easily from the fast-finishing Cott Beach.
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