04 January 2024 | Ken Casellas
Lucca gets his chance
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old Lucca has recovered from a minor laceration on his off-hind leg, and he has bright prospects of breaking through for his first success at Gloucester Park when he starts from barrier three in the $30,000 Warwick Pace on Friday night.
He will be driven by his 74-year-old trainer Bill Hayes, who has been in the sulky for all of his 19 starts in Western Australia for six wins and eight placings. Lucca’s seven starts at Gloucester Park have produced two seconds and a third placing. He has won three times at Pinjarra, twice at Bunbury and once at Narrogin.
Lucca should appreciate a drop in class after having competed in several group 1, 2 and 3 feature events in November and December. He possesses excellent gate speed and is a good frontrunner, with four of his WA wins coming after he has set the pace.
Lucca also has shown admirable strength and fighting qualities, particularly on debut as a two-year-old at Forbury Park in June 2021 when he began from the No. 5 barrier, was trapped four wide for the first 400m and then raced three wide for the next 500m before finally gaining a one-one trail and finishing with great determination to snatch victory over the 2200m journey.
All Is Well (barrier six) and Flying Rumour (inside of the back line) loom as the main dangers to Lucca, while the Aiden De Campo-trained Navy Street (barrier two) will have admirers after starting from the 30m mark and finishing strongly to win easily in a 2247m stand at Albany last Friday week.
Navy Street’s past six starts have been in stands for two wins and a third placing. However, he is also a capable mobile performer, and has led (from the No. 7 barrier) and won a 2100m mobile event at Bunbury last April. He will be driven for the first time by Kyle Symington.
Byford trainer Katja Warwick has All Is Well racing keenly, and the four-year-old impressed last Friday night when he set the pace from barrier two and won by three lengths from Taking The Miki, rating 1.56.3 over 2130m. A week earlier, he surged home from last at the bell to finish third behind Crowd Control.
The Mike Reed-trained Flying Rumour was unlucky last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Adda Spoilt Major and was badly hampered for room in the home straight. He set the pace and won easily from Loucid Dreams the previous week.
Banjup trainer Annie Belton has engaged Gary Hall jnr to drive Mister Montblanc (barrier No. 4). The five-year-old has won at eight of his 26 starts, with Hall having driven him five times for two wins, two seconds and one fourth placing.
The consistent Spring Line, trained by Shane Gaebler, will start from barrier five and is capable of a bold effort, following seconds to Franco Western (at Gloucester Park) and Nullarbor Navajo (at Pinjarra) at his past two outings.
Miller returns to action
Mitch Miller has returned to WA, refreshed after a Christmas holiday in England, and with bright prospects of guiding Soho Dow Jones to victory in the $25,000 APG Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Soho Dow Jones, trained by Kim Prentice, has drawn perfectly at barrier No. 1 and Miller will be keen to use the big gelding’s frontrunning ability in the small field of seven.
Miller, who drove 75 winners in 2023, has handled Soho Dow Jones in 25 of his 46 starts for six wins and seven placings.
Soho Dow Jones had a tough run in the breeze when a solid third behind Cheddar Is Better and Robshaw in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he began from the 20m mark.
Two starts before that, Soho Dow Jones finished third behind Tricky Miki and Wonderful To Fly in the group 1 Golden Nugget over 2536m, after trailing the pacemaking Tricky Miki all the way.
Miller has three other drives on Friday night, with pacers he will be handling for the first time in a race. He will drive the speedy mare Queeninthecorner (race three), Flying Rumour (race five) and Machlani (race six).
Queeninthecorner, trained by Kevin Charles, will start from out wide at barrier No. 8. She began speedily from barrier four and led for the first 250m in the Coulson Pace for mares last Friday night before taking the trail behind the eventual winner Sovrana. Queeninthecorner was held up for a clear run until late and finished in fifth place.
At her previous appearance, Queeninthecorner burst straight to the front from barrier six and went on to win comfortably from Fireball Friday and Patrikiar over 2130m.
This week Queeninthecorner faces a stern test, with noted frontrunner Lamandier perfectly drawn at barrier one and the expected pacemaker in a race in which his toughest rival is likely to be five-year-old mare Taking The Miki.
Taking The Miki, to be driven by Chris Voak for trainer Jemma Hayman, maintained her splendid form last Friday night when she settled down in seventh position and started a three-wide move 1050m from home before challenging the pacemaker All Is Well in the final circuit and then wilting late and finishing a fighting second to that pacer, beaten by three lengths.
Flying Rumour is racing keenly for trainer Mike Reed and Miller should have the gelding handily placed throughout after starting from the inside of the back line.
Eight-year-old Machlani, trained by Giles Inwood and a winner at eleven of his 118 starts, faces a tough assignment from the No. 8 barrier in the 1730m Cowden Insurance Pace. He has been out of the winning list for 17 months.
Barrier points to Minstrel
Another clash between pacing stars Minstrel and Lavra Joe in the $31,000 The Running Camel Pace will be the highlight of the eight-event program at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
In the small field if five, Minstrel, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, looks to have the advantage on Lavra Joe, drawing barrier No. 3, with Lavra Joe at No. 4.
The barrier draws played a significant role in the outcome of a 2130m Free-For-All last Friday week when Minstrel burst straight to the front from barrier four, with Kyle Harper opting to restrain Lavra Joe from barrier five to settle down in fourth place in the field of five.
Lavra Joe was eased off the pegs with 1000m to travel, and he moved to the breeze before fighting on to finish third behind Minstrel and Arma Einstein, when the final 400m sections were run in 26.7sec. and 28.1sec.
Minstrel rated 1.54.7 over the 2130m when he finished 13 metres in front of Lavra Joe.
Trainer Ray Jones gave Lavra Joe another run last Friday night when Lavra Joe mustered considerable early speed from out wide at barrier seven and dashed to the front after 100m on his way to an effortless victory at a 1.55.6 rate over 2130m when the final quarters whizzed by in 27.8sec. and 27.1sec.
Minstrel, who did not race last Friday night, has earned $734,007 from 20 wins and 17 placings from 55 starts, while Lavra Joe has raced 63 times for 32 wins, 13 placings and $614,15 in stakes.
The two star pacers have clashed in races eleven times, with Minstrel winning once and Lavra Joe notching three wins.
Lavra Joe has finished ahead of Minstrel seven times, with Minstrel beating his arch rival four times (from their past five clashes).
No doubt, Deni Roberts will be anxious to win the start and then dictate terms in front. Harper is sure to assess his options as the mobile barrier sends the field on its way.
Eldaytona, trained and driven by Lindsay Harper, will start from the No. 1 barrier at the six-year-old’s third appearance after a spell. Eldaytona possesses excellent gate speed and is a good frontrunner, who sat behind the pacemaker when a good third behind Magnificent Storm and El Chema over 2130m last Friday week.
Rubins Plight, trained by Michael George, will start from the No. 2 barrier. The Western Terror gelding showed marked improvement at his third WA appearance when he raced in third position in the Indian file affair last Friday night and fought on well to finish third behind Lavra Joe.
Watching Our Coin set to atone
Watching Our Coin is poised to make amends for his narrow first-up defeat by outpacing his six rivals in the 2503m New Season Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Michael Young-trained six-year-old will start from the No. 2 barrier on the front line, and Gary Hall jnr will be keen to send the gelding straight to the front.
Watching Our Coin began from the 20m mark last Friday night when resuming after a four-month absence. Carana, the warm favourite, galloped badly at the start, and Stuart McDonald sent Cooper to the front after 200m, with Watching Our Coin settling down in eighth position.
With the pace easing in front, Hall sent Watching Our Coin forward with a three-wide burst 1450m from home. Watching Our Coin moved to the breeze at the 1200m, and he fought on grimly to finish second, a half-head behind Cooper, who covered the final 400m sections in 29sec. and 28.5sec.
Cooper started from the front mark last week, and this week Watching Our Coin will meet Cooper on 20m better terms.
No doubt, Hall will go into the race with plenty of respect for the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Raven Banner. He drove Raven Banner for the first time when the gelding took the lead 600m after the start and went on to win by a length from Carana, with a final 800m in 58.6sec., three Fridays ago.
Deni Roberts will drive Raven Banner from barrier three on the front line on Friday night and is sure to be prominent. It appears that the race will not be just a battle between Watching Our Coin and Raven Banner, with Cooper, Withoutthetuh, Ardens Horizon and Fleur Du Marquis all racing in good form.
Withoutthetuh, the sole backmarker off 10m, has won at two of his past three starts, leading and beating Sovrana over 1177m at Pinjarra and setting the pace and winning from American Arma and Stormskyes over 1730m at Gloucester Park before finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Minstrel in a field of five last Friday week.
Ardens Horizon has been placed at three of his past four starts at Gloucester Park, while trainer Bianca Ashcroft’s six-year-old mare Fleur Du Marquis gave a wonderful performance to finish third behind Sovrana and Mighthavtime last Friday night after having a tough run in the breeze.
The opening event, the $23,000 Catalano Pace over 2130m, promises to be a keenly-contested affair, with the polemarker Rumour Has It (Chris Lewis) expected to lead and to be challenged strongly by Beyond The Sea, Three Rumours and Nullarbor Navajo.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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