13 August 2020 | Ken Casellas
Wildwest, an inexperienced four-year-old who has raced only ten times, will clash with ten-year-old Bettor Party (who has had 206 starts) and up-and-coming standing-start specialist Kiwi Bloke in the 2503m Specialised Equipment Funding Solutions Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
It appeals as a most intriguing affair, with Wildwests’s return to racing after an absence of eight and a half months a most important discussion point.
Wildwest, a big bold-striding gelding, created an enormous impression when he scored brilliant victories at his first seven starts in Western Australia before he lost form and was unplaced in rich feature events for four-year-olds last November.
All Wildwest’s nine WA starts for champion trainer Gary Hall Snr were in mobiles, and punters will be anxious to see how he handles a stand on Friday night.
His only start in New Zealand was as a three-year-old in a 2400m stand at Winton on May 11, 2019 when he was favourite at $1.80 and was slow into stride from barrier two on the front mark. He settled down in fourth position before mustering speed and dashing to the front after 250 metres.
Wildwest then relished his role as pacemaker and he careered away from his rivals over the final 300m to win by twelve lengths from Absolut Russian, with the final 400m whizzing by in 26.3sec.
Wildwest will share the back mark of 30m with Bettor Party (who will be driven by Emily Suvaljko) and Bob Wheel (Michael Grantham).
Star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr said that Wildwest’s return to racing had been delayed by a few problems. “We’ve had a few little issues with him,” he said. “He probably should have been ready to race a few weeks ago, but he had a few minor niggling problems, but nothing serious. Kiwi Bloke, off the front, looks hard to beat.”
Kiwi Bloke, to be handled by champion reinsman Chris Lewis for trainer Ross Olivieri, gave a powerful frontrunning performance to score a comfortable win in a 2503m standing-start event last Friday week. He meets stiffer opposition this week, but Olivieri is confident of success.
Kiwi Bloke contested 13 stands in New Zealand for two wins and three placings, and in WA his nine standing-start appearances have produced four wins and four placings.
The Giles Inwood-trained Bettor Party is not a particularly reliable beginner in stands, but he is certainly highly experienced in stands, with 52 starts producing nine wins and 18 placings. He gave a remarkable performance when third behind Rebel With A Grin and Forgotten Highway when he started off 40m in the 3309m Marathon Handicap last Friday night.
He galloped at the start and settled down a distant last in the field of 12, about 80m from the leader. He was still in last position 350m from home before he flew home, out five wide. If he begins safely this week and reproduces a similar performance, he should be the winner.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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