26 August 2021 | Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Exciting mare Born To Boogie will reappear after a spell and should prove hard to beat when she starts from the inside of the back line in the group 3 Simmonds Steel The Schrader Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old, to be driven by Chris Voak for Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri, will be attempting to remain unbeaten in Australia, with Voak having driven her to a fast-finishing first-up victory at Pinjarra and then to stylish all-the-way wins over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
She has been off the scene for eleven weeks, following her win at a 1.56.7 rate over Triroyale Brigade on June 11. She has not been produced at trials, but Olivieri is sure to have her in excellent condition for her expected clash with the Justin Prentice-trained Alta Louisa.
Alta Louisa did not fare well in the draw and will start from the outside of the back line in the 2130m feature event, with her driver Gary Hall jnr saying: “If she had drawn one, two or three she would have been just about a certainty. Drawn out there makes it tough.”
Alta Louisa started from barrier seven in the group 3 WASBA classic for mares last Friday week when she settled down in eighth position before Cody Wallrodt sent her forward to move to the breeze with 950m to travel. She fought on gamely to finish third behind the pacemaker Miss Limelight and Missplay.
She revealed plenty of toughness when she raced without cover and won over 2130m at her two previous starts, over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
The Michael Brennan-trained Miss Lamarr has drawn ideally at barrier No. 1 and Michael Grantham is likely to use the four-year-old’s good gate speed is a bid for an all-the-way victory. She finished solidly from sixth on the pegs at the bell to be third behind Just Makemine Diamonds last Friday night.
Kyle Harper will drive the Ian Gossage-trained Just Makemine Diamonds for the first time, and he will surely be tempted to use the mare’s excellent early speed in a bid for the lead. She started from barrier six last Friday night when she dashed to the front 450m after the start and went on to win comfortably from Blissfullabbey.
Mini Mine Yet, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko for Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey, will start out wide at barrier seven, but cannot be left out of calculations. She is a versatile mare who has won at four of her past 11 starts.
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