12 August 2021 | Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Byford trainer-reinsman Donald Harper has Our Star Billing at her peak, and he confidently predicts that she will set the pace and emerge triumphant in the 2130m Allwood Stud Farm Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Our Star Billing, one of five runners in the field of nine who has been bred and is owned by Bob Fowler, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and Harper plans to make every post a winner by dictating terms in front.
“Our Star Billing has worked really well this week and I’m pretty confident she will be able to lead all the way,” he said. “She is the highest assessed horse in the race, and she’s got the draw. And we don’t have to contend with Black Jack Baby (who is spelling) this week.
“Black Jack Baby has generally been too good, but Our Star Billing beat her when we led from barrier one four starts ago.
“Our Star Billing will continue racing in these types of events for two-year-olds. She is a double Westbred, and as such she will earn about $22,000 if she wins.”
Our Star Billing, one of six runners in the field of nine who are by the Art Major stallion Follow The Stars (the Australian and New Zealand two-year-old of the year in 2014), has been a consistent performer as a two and three-year-old, with her 24 starts producing three wins, four seconds and two thirds for $39,708 in prizemoney.
Harper also has a good second-string runner in Friday night’s event in Star For Me, the lone runner on the back line. She will be driven by Kyle Harper and should enjoy a perfect trip behind Our Star Billing.
“It is a perfect draw for Star For Me,” said Donald Harper. “Our Star Billing is better than her, but she has been a good earner. Star For Me was very unlucky at Narrogin last Saturday night (when fourth behind Fleur Du Marquis). We got hemmed in and couldn’t get clear.”
Byford trainer Peter Anderson will be represented by two of Fowler’s fillies, Cluster Star and Our Glowing Star, with Cluster Star from the No. 4 barrier and to be driven for the first time by Chris Voak, the better prospect. Cluster Star, who has had 17 starts for three wins, five seconds and two thirds, ran on from sixth at the bell to finish a half-head second to Fleur Du Marquis last Saturday night.
Petrafied (barrier five) and Diamond Daze (barrier six) are promising fillies by American stallion Pet Rock and are last-start winners at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon, with Petrafied setting the pace and beating Rodger James, and Diamond Daze also making most of the running and scoring by a length from Three Rumours.
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