09 February 2023 | Ken Casellas
Young lauds Nevermindthechaos
Michael Young, the State’s leading harness trainer after the first six weeks of the season, lavished praise on Nevermindthechaos after her effortless victory last Friday night and declared: “It was a phenomenal win, and I think she is as good, if not better, than Eighteen Carat.”
That was high praise indeed, considering that Eighteen Carat has had 13 starts for Young for eight wins and three placings, including one win at group 1 level, two in group 2 events and three in group 3 features.
Nevermindthechaos, a West Australian-bred five-year-old, faces a massive challenge at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she begins from the outside of the back line in the group 3 Laurie Kennedy Free-For-All over the sprint trip of 1730m.
Nevermindthechaos, to be driven by Gary Hall jnr, is in brilliant form, having overcome testing barriers (two from No. 5 and one from No. 8) to win easily at her past three starts, all over 2130m.
Last week Nevermindthechaos settled down in last position in a field of eight before she started a three-wide burst 950m from home and burst to the front 600m later on her way to winning by three lengths from the fast-finishing Nullarbor Navajo, rating 1.56.3, with final quarters of 28.1sec. and 28.2sec.
Nevermindthechaos raced in the breeze at her two previous starts before winning easily, with rates of 1.55.4 and 1.55.7. She gave a sample of her ability over 1730m when she raced without cover in a heat of the Gold Bullion ten months ago and beat Bettors Destroya and American Arma, at a 1.534 rate.
Collectively, in Friday night’s race it is probably the most talented line-up of mares that Nevermindthechaos has met. It will certainly test the great skill of Hall.
Among the most serious of rivals for Nevermindthechaos are Bettor Get It On, Nullarbor Navajo, Star Of Diamonds, Vivere Damore and The Amber Hare.
Shannon Suvaljko is likely to attempt to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier by setting the pace with the renowned frontrunner Vivere Damore.
The Justin Prentice-trained Bettor Get It On will have many admirers. She will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from the No. 3 barrier at her first appearance since she had a tough run in the breeze and finished a close third behind Eighteen Carat in the group 2 Christmas Belles seven weeks ago. That followed excellent victories at her two previous outings earlier in December.
Nullarbor Navajo, trained and driven by Corey Peterson, has been most impressive at her first two starts after a nine-month absence, unwinding sparkling late bursts for seconds to Beyond The Sea and Nevermindthechaos. She is awkwardly drawn at barrier five.
The Barry Howlett-trained Star Of Diamonds is also in splendid form, with her past three outings producing a win over Cherishthememories, a second to Nevermindthechaos and a third to Nevermindthechaos (after running on from last at the bell). Star Of Diamonds will be driven by Kyle Symington from out wide at barrier eight.
The Amber Hare, a winner at ten of her 23 starts, is nicely drawn at No. 2 on the back line for trainer-driver Jocelyn Young and is certainly a knockout chance.
Raven Banner set for debut win
Well-bred New Zealand pacer Raven Banner is poised to follow in the footsteps of his half-brother Crusader Banner by winning at his Australian debut when he lines up at barrier two on the front line of the Barbagallo Ferrari Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The five-year-old Raven Banner is a five-year-old by Bettors Delight, who will be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond. He arrived in Western Australia eight weeks ago and has not been produced at trials.
He certainly is sure to appreciate a drop in class, considering that at his most recent outing he started off the 20m mark in a 2200m stand at Alexandra Park on October 20 when he lined up against the 55m backmarker Copy That, a $2.4 million earner and winner of 30 races.
Raven Banner ruined his chances by galloping at the start. He raced at the rear and finished last behind Copy That in what was his fourth successive appearance in a stand after racing in mobiles at all his 27 previous starts for six wins at Alexandra Park, one over 1609m and the other five over 2200m.
Raven Banner’s most recent victory was five starts ago when he began from barrier eight and raced at the rear before unwinding a powerful burst to win easily by just over two lengths from Zarias. He then finished third in a 2700m stand at Cambridge, followed by a second and a third placing in 2200m stands at Alexandra Park before his last-start failure.
Raven Banner is out of Caitlin Banner, who produced Crusader Banner (49 starts for 14 wins, 13 in WA, 13 placings and $157,222) and Trojan Banner, a winner of three races in New Zealand, seven in Queensland and 15 in America.
Caitlin Banner is a half-sister to Titan Banner, who raced 46 times for 16 wins, 17 placings and stakes of $340,853. He finished third behind Lazarus and Tiger Tara in the group 1 New Zealand Cup at Addington on November 8, 2016, and beat home Smolda and Christen Me.
Titan Banner won the group 2 2016 Franklin Cup from Christen Me at Alexandra Park and was also successful in three group 3 events as a six-year-old. At his final start he finished second to Vincent in the group 1 Auckland Cup on December 31, 2017.
The Bond stable will be popular with punters on Friday night when, apart from Raven Banner, the stable has excellent prospects with Street Hawk (race one), Socrates (race two), Glenledi Chief and Tenzing Bromac (race four), and Master Yossi (race eight).
Street Hawk, to be driven for the first time by Roberts, should give punters a flying start by winning the opening event, the 2130m Barbagallo Pace, in which he is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 at his first appearance for 14 weeks.
Street Hawk, a winner at seven of his 14 starts, last raced when he began from the back line in the WA Derby on November 4 when he raced in seventh position, four back on the pegs, before he hit a wheel of a rival pacer and broke into a gallop about 400m from home, dropping back to finish eleventh behind Tricky Miki.
Street Hawk’s previous run, in the group 2 Western Gateway, was full of merit. He raced three wide for much of the first lap and then in the breeze before finishing third behind Tricky Miki and Machs Bettor.
Roberts will drive Socrates from the inside of the back line in the 2536m Barbagallo Luxury Cars Pace, and the New Zealand-bred gelding should fight out the finish and prove very hard to beat. He trailed the pacemaker Talks Up A Storm and was badly blocked for a clear run until the final few strides when he surged home to finish a close third behind Mirragon and Hengheng.
Glenledi Chief (Gary Hall jnr) and Tenzing Bromac (Dylan Egerton-Green) are two of the main chances in the 2536m Barbagallo Land Rover Pace in which Sangue Reale (barrier one) and Handsandwheels (two) are likely to vie for the early lead.
Pinjarra trainer Chris Voak, who has Sangue Reale in top form, is serving a 12-day suspension for causing interference, and he has engaged Chris Lewis to handle the seven-year-old, who finished strongly from seventh at the bell to be fifth behind Diego in the WA Pacing Cup last Friday week.
Sangue Reale, an all-the-way winner over 1730m four starts ago, followed that success with a win over 2130m, beating Pradason and Handsandwheels after racing without cover. And then he completed a hat-trick after racing in the one-out, one-back position before surging home to beat Glenledi Chief over 2130m at a 1.53 rate.
Handsandwheels, trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, is certain to prove a formidable rival, following his all-the-way success over James Butt, rating 1.58.5 over 2536m last Friday night.
Tenzing Bromac, Glenledi Chief and last week’s all-the-way winner over 1730m, Jack Farthing, cannot be discounted in what should be a very keen contest.
Suvaljko for James Butt
Shannon Suvaljko has begun the 2023 season in fine form, and after six weeks he has chalked up 21 winners to head the WA drivers’ premiership table, leading by four from Chris Voak and Kyle Symington.
And he is now hoping to increase his lead when he drives in seven of the nine events at Gloucester Park on Friday night when one of his best winning prospects is James Butt, who is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 in the $25,000 Barbagallo Leaders In Motoring Excellence Pace.
Voak trains James Butt, but was unable to take the drive as he is serving a 12-day suspension for causing interference in a race. Voak, who has driven James Butt in all of his 26 WA starts for seven wins, is confident the New Zealand-bred eight-year-old will prove hard to beat following his all-the-way victory over 1730m, followed by his eye-catching head second to Handsandwheels over 2536m last Friday night.
James Butt raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, and was badly blocked for a clear run until he got off the pegs 400m from home and went four wide on the turn before flying home to just fail.
James Butt has good gate speed but it is problematic whether he can beat out the polemarker Pradason, a splendid frontrunner who is racing with great enthusiasm for Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo.
Pradason maintained his excellent form last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Jack Farthing and fought on gamely to finish second to that pacer over the 1730m journey in which the final 400m sections were covered in 27.9sec. and 27.1sec.
Suvaljko will also replace Voak behind the Jemma Hayman-trained Onesmartfella in the 1730m Barbagallo Lamborghini Pace in which the even-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding faces a tough assignment against Valentines Brook.
Onesmartfella, an all-the-way winner over 2130m five starts ago and a close second to Walsh two starts ago, will start from barrier five, with Valentines Brook drawing much better at barrier No. 2.
Valentines Brook, to be driven by Kyle Symington for Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young, has scored effortless wins at each of his past three starts, following a sequence of five second placings.
Valentines Brook revealed excellent gate speed when he started from barrier six and burst to the front after 70m before relishing his pacemaking role and beating Pradason by eight lengths at a 1.55.7 rate over 2130m.
August Moon runs sound trial
An easy trial win by August Moon over 2185m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week was a pointer to a strong first-up performance in the 1730m Barbagallo Watch Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Her clash with the highly-promising Fly To Fame should be a highlight of the nine-event program.
August Moon, who will be racing first-up for 21 weeks, was handled by her trainer Luke Edwards when she set the pace and romped to a nine-length win over Gliding Star in the Pinjarra trial. She began speedily from barrier four and after a slow opening quarter of 32.6sec. she ran the following 400m sections in 30sec., 29.5sec. and 28.7sec.
She will be having her first start since she came from the rear to be fourth, out three wide, at the bell in the group 1 Westbred Classic on September 16. She then broke into a gallop with 750m to travel and dropped back to finish a distant tenth behind Zephyra.
At her previous start August Moon set the pace from barrier three and won by a head from Zephyra. She was driven in those two starts by Gary Hall jnr, who will be in the sulky again in Friday night’s race in which she will start from the No. 3 barrier.
Also reappearing after a spell will be the Katja Warwick-trained Fly To Fame, who will be driven by Chris Lewis from barrier five.
This will be Fly To Fame’s first appearance for seven weeks — since she raced wide early and then in the breeze before finishing third behind Cabsav over 1730m on December 23.
Fly To Fame was most impressive in winning at her two previous outings — racing in the breeze before beating Valentinathebullet, and running on strongly from sixth at the bell to defeat Cabsav over 2130m.
The Mike Reed-trained Cabsav cannot be left out of calculations. Her 19 starts have produced four wins, seven seconds and two thirds. She will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko and will start from the outside barrier in the field of seven.
Edwards also will be hoping for a solid effort from Lucienne, who has won once from eleven starts. She will begin from the No. 2 barrier and will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
Trainer Paula Petricevich will be represented by the polemarker Candy Apple (Mitch Miller) from barrier one and Sweet Vivienne, who will start from barrier four, with Kyle Harper in the sulky.
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