by Wayne Currall
Punters should forget about Beaudiene Boaz’s last-start eighth and give him another chance when he lines up in Friday night’s RSM Australia Rotary Club of Fremantle Pace (2130m) at Gloucester Park.
That’s the opinion of leading trainer Gary Hall Snr. He said Beaudiene Boaz had “pulled up big” after his inglorious eighth, 22m in arrears of winner Tricky Styx in last week’s Princi Smallgoods Capretto Pace (2536m). “Boaz has done that before,” Hall said. “He’s not finished off his race when he’s been pushed wide.”
Stewards questioned Beaudiene Boaz’s performance and asked regular driver Gary Hall Jnr if he could offer an explanation for the horse’s poor display. Junior told stewards the horse was travelling well during the race and felt strong when he was trailing Heez On Fire. However, he said, once he moved into clear running and was wide on the track Beaudiene Boaz did not race genuinely, appeared to lose interest and failed to run on.
Hall Snr said the horse had worked very well this week. “Boaz has drawn much better this week and his work tells me he can bounce back,” he said. “I think if Junior can get him to the front then he’ll be very hard to beat. Even if he sat in the breeze I think he’s still the one to beat. He’s fine … there’s nothing amiss with the horse.”
Beaudiene Boaz, the winner of 50 per cent of his starts (24 from 48) and with stakes of more than $1,224,000, ran a slashing third behind Smolda and Hectorjayjay in last year’s Inter Dominion Final (2936m). He’s had three runs back from a break, with his best effort being two starts ago when he finished a courageous second behind Our Jimmy Johnstone in an unsuitable 1730m scamper.
Beaudiene Boaz is a quality customer and his favourable draw in gate three on Friday night gives him a terrific chance of returning to the winners’ list. If Junior can work his way to the top with Beaudiene Boaz then his nine rivals will have their work cut out to reel him in.
Hardest for him to beat include Our Jimmy Johnstone, who will come out of gate 8, classy mare Sheer Rocknroll from the pole, and The Bucket List (6), who ran a slashing race last week to finish a close second behind Tricky Styx at his first run in almost five months.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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