10 December 2020 | Ken Casellas
Exciting three-year-old Magnificent Storm has not been extended in winning at each of his first eights starts in Western Australia, and he will be strongly fancied to continue his wonderful sequence when he contests the $18,000 Three Hours Free Weekend Parking In The City of Perth Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred American Ideal gelding will again be driven by Aldo Cortopassi for astute Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams, who is setting the pacer for the rich four-year-old classics in the New Year.
Magnificent Storm has been most impressive in scoring easy victories at Northam and Pinjarra late last month after resuming from a five-month break from racing.
From the No. 5 barrier he raced three wide early and then outside the pacemaker The Notorious One before forging to the front 380m from home and dashing away to beat that pacer by just under three lengths at a 1.53.2 rate over 1684m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. The quarters whizzed by in 27.5sec., 29.4sec., 28.5sec. and 27.7sec.
Friday night’s 2130m event will provide a good guide to his prospects in the rich Golden Nugget next year. He will meet several talented three-year-olds, and Cortopassi is not expecting a stroll in the park against quality performers including Power And Grace, Typhoon Banner, Warriors Legacy and Jaspervellabeach.
Power And Grace, to be driven by Michael Grantham for Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed, has had 20 starts for eight wins and seven placings and he will have admirers. He has good gate speed but is unlikely to have an easy time in a bid for the early lead, with the speedy Lindsay Harper-trained Hengheng drawn favourably at barrier one. Harper is sure to be keen to take advantage of the barrier and the gelding’s sparkling gate speed.
Power And Grace led from barrier three and fought on determinedly to win from Henrik Larsson at a 1.58.9 rate over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Saturday night. Typhoon Banner, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, won for the fifth time from nine starts when he led from the No. 1 barrier and beat Warriors Legacy at a 1.56.2 rate over 2130m last Friday week. He is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven but is capable of fighting out the finish.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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