28 April 2022 | Ken Casellas
Olivieri and Lewis set to strike
Eight-time WA premier trainer Ross Olivieri and champion reinsman Chris Lewis have been a formidable combination in the Race For Roses feature event at Gloucester Park, having joined forces for the wins of Arctic Fire in 2011, Selkie (2014) and Sheer Rocknroll (2017).
And now they are planning to add to that tally by winning the $30,000 Allwood Stud Farm Laurie Kennedy Race For Roses on Friday night with the youngest runner in the group 3 event, the WA-bred four-year-old Our Shooting Star, who will start from the inside barrier on the front line in the 2503m standing-start race.
Our Shooting Star, a winner at five of her past nine starts, was bred and is raced by Bob Fowler’s Allwood Stud Farm. Sheer Rocknroll was bred and owned by Fowler, who also bred and owned the Justin Prentice-trained Beaudiene Beach Babe, winner of the 2019 Race For Roses.
Olivieri has given Our Shooting Star a meticulous preparation for the mare’s first appearance at Gloucester Park for just over 13 months. During that time Our Shooting Star has served an apprenticeship in stands on country tracks, with her latest five starts all being in stands for a win at Bunbury, two wins at Northam and a third and fourth placing at Pinjarra.
She is not foolproof, but certainly has gained a great benefit from her standing-start experiences. At her most recent outing, starting from barrier one on the front line in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra three Mondays ago, she galloped for a couple of strides at the start and lost three lengths. She dashed forward and took the lead after 450m before wilting in the home straight to finish third behind Mufasa.
One of Our Shooting Star’s main dangers is Vivere Damore, the lone backmarker off 30 metres. The Peter Tilbrook-trained seven-year-old has contested eight standing-start events for four placings. However, she warrants plenty of respect because her recent form in considerably stronger fields has been most encouraging.
She also has performed impressively in strong company, including the group 1 Mares Classic in November 2020 when she set the pace and finished fourth behind Balcatherine. She has a losing sequence of 24, stretching back to December 2020 when she led and won the group 2 Christmas Gift, beating the brilliant Patronus Star.
Vivere Damore will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, who has won the Races For Roses with Nowuseeme (2009), Beaudiene Beach babe (2019) and Semiramide (2020).
Vivere Damore warmed up for this week’s race in splendid style last Friday night when she worked hard in the breeze and fought on grandly to finish fourth, just 2m from the winner Power And Grace over 2130m.
Hall is confident that Vivere Damore will be prominent, saying: “If she is clean away and gets up there (in a forward position) she should figure in the finish. She has been racing well without a lot of luck. She has had two seconds and two fourths from her past six starts, and, with luck, she could have won any of those races.”
Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, who was successful in last year’s Race For Roses with $7 chance Star Of Diamonds, is looking for a strong effort from My Prayer, who will be handled by in-form young reinsman Kyle Symington.
My Prayer, who finished third behind Bettor Get It On and Savvy Bromac in the Empress Stakes three starts ago, will share the 20m mark with the talented seven-year-old Purest Silk, who will be driven by her trainer Dylan Egerton-Green. Purest Silk notched her twelfth victory when she rated 1.55 in winning the Group 3 Golden Girls Mile over 1684m at Pinjarra two starts ago.
Purest Silk finished strongly to beat Miss Mucho, who will start off the 10m line and will be driven by Deni Roberts for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond.
As a four-year-old in February 2020, Miss Mucho won a 2600m stand at Addington. She has been placed once from three runs in stands in WA, and with a safe beginning on Friday night she is sure to prove hard to beat.
Another mare who must be considered is the Nathan Turvey-trained Captured Delight, who will start off 10m with Emily Suvaljko in the sulky. Captured Delight is a proven standing-start performer with four wins and six seconds in stands.
Eldaytona ready for the challenge
Speedy four-year-old Eldaytona’s 24 starts have been over 1730m, 2130m and 2185m, and he will be tested over the longer trip of 2536m when he contests the opening event, the Allwood Stud Devoted To Breeding Excellence Pace, at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I don’t think that the extra distance will worry him,” said reinsman Lindsay Harper. “Ideally, I would like to lead, so we will be going forward at the start.”
Eldaytona, trained by Sue Wiscombe, has been in sparkling form and is a brilliant frontrunner. He will start from the No. 5 barrier and there is a strong possibility that The Code Breaker, from barrier four, will be driven out hard by Chris Voak in a bid to take up the running.
Eldaytona has been most impressive in his eight starts this season, with five wins, two close seconds and a tenth placing.
“His record is very good, and you can’t fault his runs,” said Harper. “The only time in his current preparation that he hasn’t won or run second was two starts ago when he locked wheels on the home turn. If it hadn’t been for that he would have won or run second.”
The Code Breaker, trained by Ross Olivieri, will be having his fourth start after an absence of seven months. At his most recent appearance, last Friday week, The Code Breaker was beaten out at the start by outsider Hes Royal Blue before he swept to the front after 500m, set a brisk pace and revealed excellent fighting qualities when beaten by a head by Ima Rockabilly Rebel.
Another smart beginner is trainer Mike Cornwall’s eight-year-old Iam The Real Thing, who led from barrier four and won over 2536m on Tuesday of last week. He will start from the No. 3 barrier and will be driven by Jocelyn Young.
Eldaytona possesses such sparkling natural speed that there appears a strong possibility that he will be able to burst to an early lead and then set a brisk pace in his bid to succeed at his first attempt over 2536m.
Harper agreed that Eldaytona would be meeting stiff opposition, but he expected another spirited performance from his horse. He pinpointed Nevermindthechaos, from barrier two on the back line, as one of the hardest to beat. The four-year-old mare, trained by Michael Young and to be handled by Gary Hall jnr, was most impressive in winning four races in a row before her last-start fifth behind Booraa last Friday week when she faded after racing in the breeze.
Harper is also looking for a return to form of his enigmatic New Zealand-bred six-year-old Bettorstartdreaming, who will begin from barrier No. 4 in the Follow The Stars Pace over 2536m.
Bettorstartdreaming has been unplaced at his past five starts, but Harper believes that he is a strong winning chance this week if he is able to cross to the front at the start.
“He is just a leader, and if he doesn’t lead, he has got to be on the rails,” said Harper. “Last week in the one-out line, he didn’t try a yard (when he was a rank outsider at $126 and finished a well-beaten eleventh behind Typhoon Banner). A week before that he was beaten by less than two lengths in a Free-For-All (when the winner Double Up rated 1.55.6). He raced behind the leader, and I don’t think he tried that night.”
The only pacer likely to prevent Bettorstartdreaming from leading is the polemarker Regal Cheval, who has a losing sequence of 23 but has good gate speed and is a smart frontrunner.
Regal Cheval, trained and driven by Colin Brown, showed a welcome glimpse of form last Friday night when he had a tough run in the breeze and fought on gamely when third behind Unconditional and Run For Mercy.
Hall opts for Euphoria
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive Euphoria in preference to the New Zealand-bred five-year-old’s talented stablemate Alta Cinderella in the 2130m Allwood Stud Continues To Show The Way Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Euphoria, trained by Gary Hall snr, has had two starts since resuming after a spell, and he caught the eye last Friday night when he raced in the breeze and fought on doggedly to finish fourth behind Typhoon Banner.
He has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, with Alta Cinderella drawn at No. 3 and to be driven by Maddison Brown. Hall drove Alta Cinderella to an emphatic all-the-way victory over 2536m last Friday week before the mare raced without cover and faded badly to finish a distant last behind Born To Boogie over 2130m last Friday night.
“It was a super run by Euphoria last week, and I think he can lead and take beating this week,” said Hall. “Dont Bother Me None will be hard to beat, though he probably will have to sit outside the leader.”
Don’t Bother Me Non, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, will start from the outside in a field of eight. He will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, who replaces the Bond stable’s No. 1 driver Ryan Warwick, who is enjoying a holiday in Carnarvon.
Don’t Bother Me None notched his 13TH victory from 23 starts when he started from the 10m mark and raced in the breeze for much of the journey before finishing determinedly to beat the pacemaker Gee Smith by a head.
The Bond stable holds a strong hand in this week’s race, with two of Dont Bother Me None’s rivals being stablemates Ima Rockabilly Rebel (Deni Roberts) and Booraa (Michael Grantham).
Ima Rockabilly Rebel is in peak form, having won at three of his past four starts at Gloucester Park, while Boora will be attempting to notch her fourth consecutive victory after wins at Narrogin and two at Gloucester Park.
Adding further interest to the race will be trainer-reinsman Colin Brown’s smart and consistent four-year-old Arma Einstein, who maintained his excellent form with a strong-finishing close second to Lord Rosco over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday. Arma Einstein is favourably drawn at barrier two.
High Price tested from wide draw
Talented three-year-old High Price faces a stern test when he starts from the outside barrier in the field of nine in the 2130m Rock N Roll World Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He warmed up for this assignment with a testing run in a 2130m event on Tuesday night when he started from barrier seven in a seven-horse field and challenged Jaxon Morgan for the lead before forging to the front after a fast lead time of 35.5sec.
High Price, driven by Gary Hall jnr, then was able to reduce the tempo with opening quarters of the final mile in 30.8sec. and 29.6sec. The breeze horse, the four-year-old Ifeel Sikdarl, took a narrow lead 300m from home before he and High Price raced locked together for the rest of the race, with Ifeel Sikdarl gaining the verdict by a half-head, rating 1.57.1.
At his previous outing, a week earlier, High Price, from the outside barrier in a field of seven, was smartest to begin and got a length in front of the polemarker Bushwacked but was unable to cross to the front on the pegs. Hall then angled him across to take the trail behind Bushwacked before he started a three-wide move 250m from home and hit the front 60m from the post before winning easily from outsider Rollingdowntheriver.
Hall said that High Price faced a strong test from smart youngsters Infinite Sign, Dardy Boy and Hoppys Way.
Infinite Sign, to be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will begin from barrier six. He finished strongly when second to Beyond Bling at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon after winning at his three previous appearances, all at Pinjarra.
Infinite Sign led from barrier one when he beat High Price (who started from the back line and finished solidly from three back on the pegs) over 2185m at Pinjarra three starts ago.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
