13 August 2020 | Ken Casellas
Eight-time WA premier trainer Ross Olivieri is confident that Stroke of Luck, a last-start failure, can bounce back to top form when he contests the 2130m Catalano Truck And Equipment Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He worked the place down at Byford this morning (Tuesday) and I’m certain he’ll go good,” said Olivieri. “He was driven by Chris Playle and came in with a very low heart rate. I think that my horses have been under the influence of a virus in recent times and I think they’re starting to come out the other end. And Stroke of Luck is pretty chirpy.”
Stroke of Luck will start from the No. 2 barrier on the front line and will be handled for the first time by champion reinsman Chris Lewis, who replaces Chris Voak, who is serving a brief term of suspension.
Stroke of Luck began out wide at barrier eight last Friday week when he raced in the breeze and faded to last behind Machs Gold. That followed three excellent runs at his first three starts after arriving from Victoria a win over Parisian Partygirl and seconds behind Son Of A Tiger and Chicago Bull.
The Dennis Roche-trained Ultimate Offer (Aiden de Campo) and Mister Bushido (Gary Hall Jnr) appear the main dangers to Stroke of Luck.
Ultimate Offer has won at two of his past three starts and de Campo will have the option of attempting to lead from the No. 1 barrier or to take a sit behind Stroke of Luck. Mister Bushido is racing in fine style and looks set to fight out the finish. He is the solitary runner off the back line.
Olivieri is looking forward to a busy night and predicts strong performances from his nine stable runners, nominating Madame Meilland, Queen Shenandoah, Stroke of Luck and Kiwi Bloke as his best winning prospects.
Madame Meilland, to be driven by Mitch Miller, is favourably drawn at barrier two in the Intersport Slater Gartrell Pace, with stablemate Space Junk (Chris Lewis) out wide at barrier nine.
“Madame Meilland is capable of leading and I give her a good chance,” said Olivieri. “Space Junk will need to find a helmet and follow it home.”
Queen Shenandoah, an all-the-way winner from Anime and Our Rhythm N Blues over 2130m last Friday night, is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier in the $30,000 WASBA Four And Five-Year-Old Pace for mares, a race in which Starlight Destiny will have plenty of admirers from the No. 1 barrier.
Starlight Destiny, to be driven by Deni Roberts for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, led from barrier one and won narrowly from My Prayer last Friday night.
“I don’t think Starlight Destiny will hold Queen Shenandoah out,” said a confident Olivieri, who has a handy second-string runner in Just Makemine Diamonds, to be driven by Mitch Miller from barrier five.
Just Makemine Diamonds performed solidly at her first appearance for almost eight months when she started out wide at barrier seven, raced three wide early and then in the breeze before finishing an encouraging fourth behind Starlight Destiny last Friday night.
Kiwi Bloke, a standing-start specialist, will start from the inside of the front line in the 2503m Specialised Equipment Funding Solutions Handicap and is expected to make a bold bid for an all-the-way victory after he led and won a similar event last Friday week.
Olivieri said that his runners The Last Parisian and Diamond Life had each-way claims in the opening event, the 2130m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace.
The Last Parisian will start from barrier three and has impressed when setting the pace and winning over 2130m and 2536m at his past two appearances at Gloucester Park. “You can’t fault his form,” said Olivieri. “But he is unlikely to lead. He gets out okay but is not going to cross too many.
“Diamond Life (barrier eight) performed well when a close second to Has No Fear at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. He was beaten by a horse who was racing well and had the perfect drop on him and just got him on the line.”
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