16 April 2020 | Ken Casellas
She’s big, fast and strong. That’s star filly Double Expresso, who will have her final start before contesting the $150,000 WA Oaks on Friday week when she clashes with eight colts and geldings in the Westral Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday afternoon.
The Ross Olivieri-trained filly fared perfectly in the random barrier draw and will start from the prized No. 1 position in the field of nine.
Double Expresso, a winner at 11 of her 15 starts, has begun from the No. 1 barrier twice when she has been untroubled to set the pace and win easily in the Diamond Classic for two-year-olds in May 2019 and in the Group 2 Sales Classic for fillies two starts ago.
Chris Lewis is sure to be keen to set the pace in this week’s race and Double Expresso has the ability to prove the master of her male rivals, with Gardys Legacy appearing to be the major danger.
Gardys Legacy, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr for Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, is expected to take the sit behind Double Expresso, with Hall biding his time before making a determined bid to overhaul Double Expresso in the closing stages.
Gardys Legacy’s past two runs have been full of merit. He started from barrier one and sat behind the pacemaker Major Martini before fighting on gamely to be second to that pacer in the Western Gateway Pace two starts ago. Then he ran on from seventh, four back on the pegs, at the bell to finish fourth behind Patronus Star in the WA Derby two Fridays ago.
Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed is well represented in this week’s race with Pocket The Cash (barrier three) and Valentines Brook (six). Pocket The Cash, to be handled by Michael Grantham, has been placed at his past three starts and is handily drawn at barrier three. Valentines Brook won for the sixth time from 17 starts when he led and defeated Hotfoot It and Verstappen over 2185m at Pinjarra last Monday week.
The Greg and Skye Bond-trained Poisedtopounce has also won six times from 17 starts, including very easy wins over 2096m and 2536m at Gloucester Park at his past two outings. He will start from barrier five with Ryan Warwick in the sulky.
Champion pacer Chicago Bull’s first appearance for ten months will be the highlight of the ten-event program. He will start from the outside barrier in the field of six in the 2130m Perth Plasterboard Centre Pace and is forward enough in condition to prove mighty hard to beat.
Noted frontrunner Talktomeurmattjesty will start from the No. 1 barrier and Kyle Harper is sure to again make the most of the eight-year-old’s sparkling gate speed and his ability to set a very fast pace. Talktomeurmattjesty was an odds-on favourite in a 2130m event last Friday week when he led, contacted his own sulky and faded noticeably to finish a well-beaten sixth behind Argyle Red.
This was a serious let-down after he had set a scorching pace and had won by eight lengths from Chiaroscuro at a 1.52.9 rate over 2130m at his previous start, a month earlier.
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