07 March 2024 | Ken Casellas
Cyclone Charlotte poised for a breakthrough
Ultra consistent five-year-old Cyclone Charlotte is poised to break through and record a long-awaited first success in a group feature event when she starts from out wide at barrier No. 8 in the $50,000 group 3 Lombardo Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred Cyclone Charlotte, trained by Ray Williams, has contested five group events for three seconds, one third and one tenth placing. The five-year-old is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the first foal out of former brilliant Mach Three mare Cyclone Kate.
She has inherited much of her ability from Cyclone Kate, who raced 60 times for 21 wins, 18 placings and $341,723 in prizemoney. Her victories included two at group 2 level and four in group 3 events.
Cyclone Charlotte ran an impressive trial for this week’s 2536m event when she began from barrier eight and dashed forward in the early stages to work hard in the breeze outside the speedy Regal Cheval before fighting on determinedly to finish a half-length second to the pacemaker, who sprinted over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 27.7sec.
That effort followed solid performances at her first two appearances as a five-year-old — a second to Steno over 1730m and a fourth behind the same mare over 2130m.
Star reinsman Aiden
De Campo is not thrilled at Cyclone Charlotte’s wide draw but is confident she will make a bold bid for victory. “Her three runs back (after a seven-week break) have been good and she should be the one to beat,” he said.
Cyclone Charlotte has finished outside the first three placegetters only five times from 28 starts which have produced nine wins, nine seconds and five thirds.
The Michael Young-trained Nevermindthechaos and Nullarbor Navajo, to be driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Corey Peterson, are favourably drawn at barriers, two and one, respectively.
They contested the 2023 Lombardo Pace when Nevermindthechaos began from barrier five and raced in sixth position before finishing solidly to be third behind the pacemaker The Amber Hare and Misstiano. Nullarbor Navajo was a $31 chance from barrier eight, who ran on from eighth at the bell to finish fifth.
Nevermindthechaos, to be driven by Gary Hall jnr, is ideally drawn on Friday night and should take a power of beating at her third start after a seven-month absence, providing she improves on her fourth behind Regal Cheval and Cyclone Charlotte last Friday night.
Nevermindthechaos was beaten out from barrier one and then trailed the pacemaker Regal Cheval before fighting on gamely, without appearing likely to trouble the winner.
Hall, who drove the Justin Prentice-trained Platinum Sparkle to an all-the-way win from the No. 1 barrier in the 2022 Lombardo Pace, summed up the prospects of Nevermindthechaos by saying: “On her best form I’d say she would just win. But I don’t think she is in her best form. Even her win (two starts ago) was not up to her normal elite level.
“I expect Nevermindthechaos to get out better from barrier two than she did from the No. 1 barrier last week when she is inclined to want to run up the track a bit.”
Nullarbor Navajo should enjoy starting from the inside barrier. She led from the No. 1 barrier four starts ago when she won from Ima Fivestar General, rating 1.56.1 over 2130m.
Machs Legacy will start from barrier three for trainer-driver Jocelyn Young, who set the pace and won with The Amber Hare in this event last year. She has been unplaced at her three starts since she worked hard before winning from Ponzi Beach in late January.
Mighthavthetime, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will start from barrier five, and cannot be underestimated. The New Zealand-bred five-year-old notched her third win from her past seven starts when she was 11TH at the bell before charging home to beat Our Shelley Beach by two lengths at a 1.54.2 rate over 2130m.
Showpony to get the show on the road
Smart WA-bred five-year-old Showpony should get punters away to a flying start by winning the opening event, the 2130m Retravision Lowest Price Guarantee Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The David Young-trained gelding should appreciate an ideal barrier at No. 2 and a considerable drop in class after his excellent third behind Otis and Soho Santorini over 2130m last Friday night.
He began out wide at barrier eight and settled down in seventh position before Kyle Symington sent him forward with a three-wide burst after a lap to race outside the pacemaker Otis, who rated 1.55.7 after dashing over the final three 400m sections in 28.6sec., 28.4sec. and 28.7sec.
“I will drive him confidently,” said Symington. “It is a big drop in grade, and he races really well up on speed. We will try to lead, and if we can’t we will be outside the leader. I think he is a great winning chance.”
Sugar Street and Louie Lebeau loom as Showpony’s main dangers. Sugar Street, a winner at ten of his 452 starts, will be driven by Aldo Cortopassi for trainer Barry Howlett. He is the solitary runner on the back line and should enjoy an ideal passage.
Louuie Lebeau, trained and driven by Callan Suvaljko, will start from the No. five barrier and is sure to make his presence felt, following his outstanding effort in finishing third behind Henwood Bay and All Aussie Mach over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening.
Louie Lebeau began fast from the No. 7 barrier but was unable to get to the breeze, forcing Suvaljko to restrain the gelding back to last in the field of nine. Louie Lebeau then was sent forward, with a three-wide burst at the bell, and he sustained the effort in fine style.
Will Lavra Joe repeat the dose?
Star pacer Lavra Joe reappeared after a two-month absence when he finished a well-beaten tenth behind Minstrel in the 2692m Pinjarra Cup on Monday. But he has the ability to bounce back and overcome the disadvantage of barrier seven by winning the $31,000 Allwood Stud Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
In the Pinjarra Cup Lavra Joe was restrained at the start from the No. 5 barrier and he then began to pull very hard at the rear. He was last 400m from home and finished at the rear.
The Ray Jones-trained Lavra Joe started from barrier seven in a 21300m Free-For-All at Gloucester Park two starts before Monday’s run when Kyle Harper set him alight, and he burst to the front after 50 metres and went on to set the pace and win easily from Arma Einstein, rating 1.55.6 with final quarters of 27.8sec. and 27.1sec.
Harper has often said that his tactics at the start of any race depend simply on a gut feeling or what is transpiring around him.
So, the big question on Friday night is will Harper employ his tactics he used with success three starts ago. There is plenty of gate speed on the inside of Lavra Joe, with Ima Fivestar General, Hampton Banner, Watts Up Sunshine, Swingband and Talks Up a Storm all possessing excellent gate speed.
Swingband, to be driven by Kyle Symington for trainer Ryan Bell, has begun from wide barriers at his two outings after a spell. He was restrained in both events in which he raced at the rear and finished seventh behind Tricky Miki at Gloucester Park three Fridays ago and ninth in Monday’s Pinjarra Cup.
“Swingband’s times at Pinjarra were outstanding, but he couldn’t get into the race,” said reinsman Kyle Symington. “It’s a nice field on Friday night but the race doesn’t include a couple of topliners. Swingband should be in the finish.”
Ima Fivestar General, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and should prove hard to beat. He is in excellent form, with his past five starts producing two wins, two seconds and a fifth placing behind Minstrel.
Sound Wave is De Campo’s best
Aiden De Campo is in dazzling form, both as a trainer and driver, and he declares Sound Wave, the polemarker in the 2130m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace, as his best winning chance at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Six-year-old Sound Wave has a losing sequence of 17, and he caught the eye at Bunbury last Saturday night when racing first-up for four months and having his first start for the De Campo stable.
Driven by Liam Elliott, he raced without cover for the first 500m and then enjoyed a sit in the one-out, one-back position before being shuffled back to the one-out, two-back position. He was hampered for room in the home straight when a sound fourth behind Gregarmy.
“Sound Wave was a little bit underdone at Bunbury, and now I’m hoping he leads and wins on Friday night,” said De Campo.
Sound Wave has been out of the winning list for 21 months — since the previous time he began from the No. 1 barrier — and led and defeated Moonlite Drive and Master Publisher at Gloucester Park on June 3, 2022.
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Ira Poole, trained by Gary Hall snr, is expected to be a warm favourite from the No. 6 barrier. He let his supporters down at Gloucester Park last Friday week when, as the $1.34 favourite, he made a spirited but unsuccessful bid for the early lead and then raced in the breeze before fading to finish 11TH behind Mighthavtime.
That followed convincing victories at his two previous starts. “I was disappointed with his last-start performance,” said reinsman Gary Hall jnr. “It wasn’t a good drive. I thought that the leader would be happy to hand up. But he didn’t.
“Ira Poole has got gate speed, but probably not enough to get across them (to lead), so I’ll probably sit him up and hope that he will be able to get over them at the finish.”
A new drive for Hall will be behind experienced seven-year-old Skippys Delight, a frontmarker in the 2503m Private Functions at Gloucester Park Handicap.
Skippys Delight and co-frontmarker Burleigh Shard are prepared by Byford trainer-reinsman Callan Suvaljko, who gave Hall the choice between the two pacers.
Suvaljko will handle Burleigh Shard, who returned to form on Tuesday night when he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to beat the fast-finishing Gee Smith and the pacemaker Alta Rhett, who dead-heated for second.
Main rivals to the Suvaljko pair are expected to be Cheddar Is Better and Lucca.
Shannon Suvaljko will drive the Shane Quadrio-trained Cheddar Is Better, who finished second to Lucca in a stand three starts ago, two starts after winning a stand at Pinjarra.
“Cheddar Is Better should give a lot of cheek in front,” said Suvaljko. “He ran the fastest final 400m (27.6sec.) when sixth and last behind Ardens Horizon last Friday night. He hit the line charging.”
Hall is hoping that former Victorian pacer Solesseo Matuca will break through for his first win in WA at his sixth appearance in the State when the five-year-old begins from the No. 1 barrier in the Perth Now Pace over 2130m.
Solesseo Matuca has managed two third placings from his five WA starts, and Hall said: “This week we will get an idea where he is at. I think he will lead, pretty easily, and I think he is good enough to win.”
His chief rival looks to be Aiden De Campo’s smart five-year-old The Miki Taker, who raced in the breeze before winning at a 1.53.9 rate over 1730m last Friday night. The Miki Taker will start from the inside of the back line, with De Campo saying: “Hopefully he can do enough to hold the leader’s back, and if he does, he will be a good each-way chance.”
Hall will drive Rolling Fire for trainer Justin Prentice in the 2130m Trotsynd Pace in which the talented four-year-old is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2, with the likely pacemaker Franco Ecuador drawn the inside barrier. What ensues should be an enthralling battle.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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