08 September 2022 | Ken Casellas
Goodfellaz primed for the challenge
Goodfellaz, the least experienced runner in the $100,000 TABtouch Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night, is ready for the daunting challenge against several talented rivals, including four group 1 winners and the brilliant Swingband, who has won three group 2 races and one group 3 feature event.
That’s the opinion of champion reinsman Chris Lewis, who plans to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier in the group 1 classic over 2130m.
“I think he is in with a good shot,” declared Lewis. “He has run some pretty good times and drawn the one is an advantage. He has shown that he is a good leader, and he does like it in front, and there’s no reason why he won’t be staying there.”
Goodfellaz, bred and trained by Lewis’s wife Debra, is the only runner in Friday night’s classic who did not race as a two-year-old. His nine starts this season have produced five wins, two seconds and a third placing.
He gave a dashing performance against older, but only modest performers when he began speedily from barrier two, set a fast pace and sprinted the final 400m in 27.5sec. to win by eight lengths from Strauny, rating a slick 1.55.8 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
A week earlier Goodfellaz started from the outside of the back line and raced in the breeze for much of the way before winning narrowly from the pacemaker The Amber Hare after dashing over the final 400m in 27.5sec.
Swingband, trained by Ryan Bell and to be driven by Michael Grantham, will start from the No. 5 barrier and looks certain to fight out the finish and prove hard to beat.
His winning sequence of eleven was broken last Friday night when he took the lead after 400m and set a fast pace before sprinting over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 28.1sec. and being beaten by a half-head in the final stride by Machs Bettor, rating 1.56.7 over 2130m.
“Swingband needed the run, big-time,” said Bell. “He will bounce back better than ever.”
That was Swingband’s first run for a fortnight — when he started from the outside barrier (No. 9), settled in 11TH place, burst to the front after a lap and went on to win from The Miki Taker, rating 1.57 over 2130m.
The Miki Taker, winner of the group 1 Pearl Classic for two-year-olds in June 2021, is one of three classy youngsters prepared by Capel trainer Aiden de Campo.
De Campo will drive The Miki Taker from barrier four, and he has engaged Stuart McDonald to handle Floewriter from barrier two, and Emily Suvaljko to drive Rock On Top from barrier six. Floewriter, a speedy beginner, won the group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-olds last year, and Rock On Top gave a sample of his ability as a two-year-old when he won the group 1 Westbred Classic and the group 2 APG Gold Bullion final.
“I am quite happy with how the three of them worked this morning (Tuesday),” said de Campo. “The barrier draw has made it an interesting race.”
The Justin Prentice-trained Tricky Miki is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven, but star reinsman Gary Hall jnr gives the gelding a good winning chance, saying: “He is as good as any of them, I reckon, but it is a bad draw. However, he is very quick, and if he can get some sort of run, close to them, he will be hard to beat.”
Tricky Miki, winner of the group 1 Golden Slipper in July last year, warmed up for this week’s classic in fine style when he raced wide in the middle stages and worked hard in the breeze before finishing a close second to Tenzing Bromac over 2100m at Bunbury three Wednesdays ago.
Bell, who is pinning his faith on Swingband, has a good second-string runner in Whataretheodds, who will be driven by Kyle Symington from the outside of the back line. Whataretheodds resumed racing after a five-month absence when he raced three back on the pegs and finished a good fourth behind Machs Bettor, Swingband and Maungatahi last Friday night.
Trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has two runners in Friday night’s event — Maungatahi and Paul Edward. He will drive Maungatahi from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, and Ryan Warwick will be in the sulky behind Paul Edward, who start out wide at barrier eight at his first appearance for eleven weeks.
Banjup trainer Colin Brown also has two runners. He will drive Arma Xfactor (barrier three), and his daughter Maddison will drive Loucid Dreams, who will start from the inside of the back line.
Wonderful To Fly set for ten in a row
Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Shane Young admits that super filly Wonderful To Fly has a tricky draw to contend with, but he is still confident that she will emerge triumphant in the $100,000 TABtouch Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Wonderful To Fly will start from the inside of the back line in the 12-horse field, leaving Young with the task of getting her off the pegs and into the clear to enable her to display her brilliance which has enabled her to win at 20 of her 30 starts, including victories at her past nine appearances.
“I have no set plan, but obviously I’d like to get off the rail (as soon as possible), and do that within the rules,” he said. “We’ll just have to let things play out. The draw makes it a bit tricky. However, she can draw there and still be a good chance of winning.
“If she wasn’t as good as she is, she would be staying three back on the fence and hoping for luck. She is the best filly, but the draw equals us out a bit.”
Wonderful To Fly also started from the inside of the back line in the group 2 Diamond Classic four starts ago (on May 20) when Young eased her back just before the mobile sent the field on its way. Wonderful To Fly settled in last position and she quickly moved into the one-wide line before dashing to the front after 700m.
She then set a solid pace and sprinted over the final quarters in 28.4sec. and 27.9sec. to win from Sovrana and Little Darling.
Little Darling, trained by Barry Howlett and driven by Chris Lewis, followed that third placing with convincing victories at Narrogin and Gloucester Park before being sent for a spell. She will be having her first start for 14 weeks when she begins from the No. 5 barrier on Friday night.
Little Darling, Sovrana (barrier six), Free Wheeling (two) and Taking The Miki (eight) are smart fillies who are capable of figuring in the finish.
Owner-trainer Craig Abercromby is looking forward to having his filly, Free Wheeling, contesting a group 1 feature event from a favourable barrier with Aldo Cortopassi in the sulky.
“We will be attempting to lead,” he said. “She has been working well and seems good in herself. She led from barrier three in a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning and won well.”
Driven by Abercromby’s son, Rob, Free Wheeling beat the highly-regarded New Zealand-bred filly Montana Glory by a half-length, rating 2.0.7, with final 400m sections of 29.4sec. and 28.8sec.
Joey James is ready to win
West Australian-bred five-year-old Joey James was a $101 outsider last Friday night when he impressed in running home strongly from ninth at the bell to be third behind the talented Tenzing Bromac in a fast-run 1730m sprint.
At Gloucester Park on Friday night this week he will return to standing-start racing when he begins off the front line in the 2503m Cowdens Insurance Handicap — and Birchmont trainer Brad Lynn is confident that the gelding will set the pace and emerge triumphant.
“He is a fast beginner in mobiles and stands,” said Lynn. “He flies away in stands and the plan is to jump to the front, lead and win. He is jumping out of his skin, and I couldn’t be happier with him.
“Tenzing Bromac rated 1.53.9, and Joey James came from the back of the field to finish third when he ran the fastest final 400m (27.7sec.) in the race. His run the previous week, when second to Cooper in a stand was very good.”
Joey James trailed the pacemaking Cooper before running home solidly to finish only one metre behind that pacer when the final quarters were run in 28.1sec. and 28.5sec. He has contested six standing-start events for two wins, a second, a third, a fourth and a sixth placing.
Master Yossi and Gee Smith, who will start off the 10m mark, and frontmarker Pontevivo are expected to be the toughest for Joey James to beat.
Master Yossi, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is a standing-start specialist, with his ten appearances in stands in WA resulting in six wins, a second, a fourth and two fourth placings.
Gee Smith continues to improve for Serpentine trainer Matt Scott, and he caught the eye last Friday night when he finished solidly from ninth at the bell to be third behind Always Fast and Rock Me Over in a 2130m mobile event.
Pinjarra trainer Kyle Anderson is confident that Al Guerrero will show improved form and prove hard to beat when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Taste Of WA This October Pace.
“He is cherry ripe and his work over the past week has been the best it has been in this preparation,” said Anderson. “He will go a lot better than when he led and finished third behind Plutonium two starts ago. I had been a bit soft with him.”
Kyle Harper will be anxious to use Al Guerroro’s excellent gate speed in a bid for an all-the-way victory. Much will depend on the start when Al Guerrero is likely to be challenged by recent winners and fast beginners Mirragon and Jaspervellabeach.
Emily Suvaljko will also be looking for an all-the-way win with the Shane Tognolini-trained eight-year-old mare Angel In White, who will start from the prized No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Book Now For Taste Of WA Free-For-All for mares.
Im The Black Flash set for strong debut
Highly-regarded New Zealand-bred colt Im The Black Flash will be the centre of attraction when he makes his Australian debut in the $20,250 Allwood Stud Farm Pace for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Bettors Delight colt, who is trained by Gary Hall snr and will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, will start from the No. 3 barrier in the field of nine and should prove mighty hard to beat, following excellent efforts at his first two outings — in group 2 company in April this year.
“I’m not saying he is as good, but he reminds me a little bit of The Falcon Strike,” said Hall jnr. “He is little, and he drives a bit like The Falcon Strike and stretches his head out like The Falcon Strike used to.”
Im The Black Flash has not appeared in trials in WA, but his work on the training track has been good. “He didn’t work all that good when he raced from behind, but when he led up, he blew them away,” said Hall.
Im The Black Flash, who is registered as a bay, looks more like a brown or black pacer. The Falcon Strike, who was a bay, was a champion pacer who earned $1,224,094 from 41 wins and 17 placings from 78 starts. His wins included three WA Pacing Cups and two Fremantle Cups.
Im The Black Flash made his debut in the 1609m Kindergarten Stakes at Wyndham on April 14 when he started from the outside barrier in the field of eight and was restrained to last before he was hampered for room but still managed to run home solidly into fourth place behind the odds-on favourite Don’t Stop Dreaming, with the final 400m in 27sec.
He then started from barrier seven in a field of eight in the 2200m Diamond Creek Farm Classic. He began speedily and settled in the one-out, one-back position before moving to the breeze after 550m and then taking the lead 300m later. He set a solid pace but was no match for the brilliant Don’t Stop Dreaming, finishing second to that colt which surged home along the inside to win easily after final 400m sections of 30.2sec. and 26.5sec.
Among Im The Black Flash’s rivals on Friday night is stablemate Hes Never Been Beta, who made a winning debut when he raced in the breeze before sprinting home over the final 400m in 27.3sec. to beat the pacemaker Hez All The Rage by a half-length, rating 2.1 over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
Hesa Never Been Beta, to be driven by Stuart McDonald, faces a more difficult task on Friday night when he will start out wide at barrier eight. Hez All The Rage, to be driven by Chris Lewis for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, is much more favourably drawn at the prized No. 1 barrier.
The Glenn Elliott-trained colt Soho Confidential, will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko from barrier five, and he will have admirers after his dashing victory in a 2150m seven-horse trial at Byford on Sunday morning when he dashed to the front after 400m and set a solid pace before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 28.1sec. to beat Rockokoko by 64 metres at a 1.59.9 rate.
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