18 January 2024 | Ken Casellas
Solesseo Matuca in the spotlight
Victorian-bred pacer Solesseo Matuca, a group 1 winner three starts ago, will be a major attraction when he makes his West Australian debut at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
All eyes will be on the five-year-old when he begins from the awkward barrier at No. 6 in the WA Hall Of Fame Submissions Due Pace, the second heat of the Nights Of Thunder.
He possesses sparkling gate speed and there appears to be a strong chance that owner Frank Ranaldi, trainer Nathan Turvey and reinsman Gary Hall jnr will decide to use this vital asset at his first start for eleven weeks.
Two heats will be decided on Friday night, with the nine fastest runners qualifying for the $50,000 Nights Of Thunder final on Friday week.
Solesseo Matuca has arrived in WA with splendid credentials. His past nine starts in Victoria have produced four wins, two seconds and three thirds.
At his most recent appearance, over 2240m at Melton on October 28, he began speedily from barrier six and burst straight to the front. He then raced fiercely and sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.7sec. and 27.8sec. before holding on determinedly to win narrowly from Charlies Angel in a six-horse blanket finish. He rated 1.56.2.
Two starts before that, in the $150,000 Vicbred final for four-year-old horses and geldings, he began from barrier No. 2 and led for the first 200m before trailing the pacemaker and favourite Eye Think and using the sprint lane to hit the front 70m from the post and hold on to win by 2m from the fast-finishing Rubins Plight, rating 1.55.2 over 2240m.
Solesseo Matuca, trained by Damien Burns, was a highly-promising juvenile pacer who had 20 starts as a two-year-old for six wins and nine placings. He finished second to Heza Son Of Agun in a group 1 classic at Melton as a two-year-old and was second to the same pacer in a group 1 event as a three-year-old at Melton.
Strangely, he did not win at any of his seven starts as a three-year-old, and he had a losing sequence of 19 over 19 months between December 2021 and August 2023. But in March 2022 he gave a sample of his ability when he finished fourth behind the brilliant Leap To Fame in the New South Wales Derby at Menangle.
As a four-year-old he has raced 18 times for four wins and five placings, taking his career record to ten wins, ten seconds and eight thirds from 45 starts for earnings of $234,280.
Hall had little hesitation in choosing to drive Solesseo Matuca on Friday night in preference to the Michael Young-trained Lamandier, who he has driven 20 times for five wins and eight placings. Lamandier is a smart beginner and splendid frontrunner who should be prominent from the No. 1 barrier. He will be handled by Maddison Brown.
There is a lot of exposed form in the race in which Crowd Control (barrier No. 3) will be attempting to extend his winning sequence to four. He has led and has won in good style at Gloucester Park and Bunbury at his past two outings.
Goodfellaz (barrier two), All Is Well (four), Chal Patch (seven) and Rubins Plight (eight) cannot be underestimated in what should be a highly competitive event.
Patched gets his chance
Former Victorian square gaiter Patched has been a star since entering the Pinjarra stables of David Young 21 months ago, and he has an ideal opportunity to add to his impressive record by winning the group 3 1730m Pick Your Race Name Trotters Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A winner at four of his 30 Victorian starts, the seven-year-old Patch has blossomed under Young’s care and his 30 WA starts have produced 14 wins, eight seconds and three thirds.
He is favourably drawn at barrier No. 1, and Aiden de Campo will be keen to set the pace. At his only appearance over 1730m Patched was the $1.50 favourite from barrier five and ran home strongly from eighth (and last) at the bell to finish third behind the pacemaker Luvaflair in the Trotters Sprint last March.
Patched is racing in excellent form and he warmed up for this week’s assignment with a short half-head victory over Aldebaran Sundown over 2692m at Pinjarra last Monday week. He raced three wide early and then in the one-out, one-back position before getting to the front 600m from home.
Luvaflair, trained and driven by Nigel Johns, has finished third at three of her past four starts, and she will have many admirers, keen to support her after her win in this event last year. The six-year-old chestnut rarely runs a poor race and boasts an excellent record of 97 starts for 18 wins and 32 placings for stakes of $167,850.
Tricky Ric, trained by Gary Hall snr and to be driven by Gary Hall jnr, won the Trotters Sprint in March 2022 when he led from barrier three and beat My Mdina by three lengths at a 1.58.4 rate.
Tricky Ric, who gave a sample of his ability when he won nine races in a row between March and December 2022, has not raced since October 14 when he began from 50m and was denied a fair start when the hand-held strand failed to release. He broke soon after the start and was retired, with the stewards declaring him a non-runner.
His two starts before that, in September, resulted in second placings behind Our Maestoso at Pinjarra and Scootin Around at Gloucester Park. He impressed in a 2150m trial at Pinjarra last Sunday week when he was not extended in finishing strongly to be third behind Travelban.
Busselton trainer Barry Howlett holds a strong hand in the race with last-start winners Our Maestoso (barrier four) and Love You Lucy (seven).
Our Maestoso is a five-year-old who has had only twelve starts for ten wins, a third and a sixth placing. He will be driven by Chris Lewis. The New Zealand-bred gelding has been freshened up since he made most of the running and beat Tricky Ric over 2692m at Pinjarra on September 18. He led and won from Luvaflair over 2130m at Gloucester Park 13 nights earlier.
Love You Lucy, a five-year-old mare, made an excellent debut at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when she set the pace and won by four lengths from Hold That Gold over 2503m.
Jawsoflincoln has loads of pace
Former South Australian pacer Jawsoflincoln possesses dazzling gate speed, and his clash with wonderful frontrunners Stamford and Rumour Has It should provide plenty of fireworks in the Channel 7 Nights Of Thunder heat one over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Jawsoflincoln is trained at Boyanup by Justin Prentice and will be driven by Gary Hall jnr. He is somewhat of a mystery horse at his West Australian debut, not having been produced at trials in this State.
He has not raced since setting a slow early pace (after starting from barrier four) and then sprinting home over the final quarters in 28.8sec. and 27.2sec. when he won by 10m from Royal Speech, rating 1.59.4 over 2230m at Globe Derby Park on June 20 last year.
At his previous outing 17 days earlier, he was the fastest to begin from barrier five and he strolled to victory, beating 11-year-old Assassinator by seven lengths, rating 1.55.2 over 2230m, with quarters of 29.8sec., 27.9sec., 28sec. and 28.7sec.
Jawsoflincoln, who has won at 16 of his 36 starts, is not favourably drawn at barrier No. 7. Whether he has the speed to cross to the early lead is problematic, but his task could be made easier if Stamford (barrier one) and Rumour Has It (two) get involved in a fierce battle for the early ascendancy.
Stamford, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, has won at 12 of his 42 starts, with six of those victories coming after leading all the way. He started from the inside of the back line and raced three back on the pegs when a well-beaten third behind Taking The Miki and Lamandier over 2130m last Friday week.
Rumour Has It, trained by Debra Lewis and to be driven by her husband Chris, is in outstanding form and sure to prove extremely hard to beat. She is the only mare in the field after her past five starts have been in events restricted to mares and producing three wins, a second and a fourth placing.
Her half-length second to Three Rumours over 2130m last Friday night was exceptional. She began from barrier five, was sent forward after 450m and then had a tough run in the breeze outside Queeninthecorner before taking the lead with 650m to travel.
A week earlier Rumour Has It started from the No. 1 barrier when she set a slow early pace before final 400m sections of 28.5sec. and 27sec. enabled her to win by a half-head from Three Rumours.
Ideal Agent back in action
Ideal Agent, one of the stars of the powerful Greg and Skye Bond stable, will make a long overdue return to racing when he contests the $31,000 Joe and Margaret Petricevich Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred seven-year-old has not appeared since he finished strongly to win narrowly from Prince Of Pleasure and Minstrel at a 1.57.7 rate over 2536m on December 30, 2022.
He warmed up for this week’s event with a smart effort in a four-horse trial over 2116m at Pinjarra on December 28. He raced three back on the pegs before running home strongly to win, untouched, by a half-head from Idealingold.
He will start from barrier five in the six-horse field on Friday night and Deni Roberts is likely to keep him out of the early speed battle, with fast beginners Talks Up A Storm, Jaspervellabeach and Classic Choice drawn inside of him.
Ideal Agent, a winner of $241,695 from 16 wins, 15 seconds and five thirds from 57 starts, has the talent to develop into a contender in the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on April 19.
The Murray Lindau-trained Talks Up A Storm is likely to be given the task of leading from the prized No. 1 barrier by Kyle Harper. The six-year-old excels as a pacemaker, a role he enjoyed at his latest appearance when he rated 1.56.4 in beating Master Publisher and Thomson Bay over 1730m on November 24.
Jaspervellabeach returned to form with a strong frontrunning display when he defeated Watching Our Coin and Acuto over 2130m last Friday night. He meets tough opposition this week.
Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman will be looking for a strong first-up showing from former Victorian pacer Post Game when he begins from the coveted No. 1 barrier at his WA debut in the 1730m Westral Meshlock Security Doors And Screens Pace.
Post Game, to be driven by Chris Voak, last appeared when he finished strongly from the rear to be second to Kosimo (1.53) in a 1720m Free-For-All at Melton on October 28. He possesses excellent gate speed, and he warmed up for this week’s event with a trial win over 2185m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
He started from barrier two in the field of three runners and trailed the pacemaker Miss Boudica until he was eased off the pegs 650m from home and finished solidly to beat Miss Boudica by a nose, rating 1.59, with final quarters of 28.6sec. and 28.1sec.
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper will be popular with punters on Friday night when stablemates Sugar Apple (race one), Eldaytona (race two) and Middlepage (race ten) all have excellent each-way prospects.
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