02 September 2020 | Ken Casellas
Bunbury trainer John Graham, frustrated by the three narrow defeats suffered by promising filly Miss Eerie in city-class event in the past month, is full of hope that stablemate Stop The Watch will break through a well-deserved win in the 2536m Treasury Wine Estate Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Stop The Watch, a WA-bred four-year-old, will start from the No. 1 barrier with Chris Lewis in the sulky, and Graham expects the Advance Attack gelding will make a bold bid to lead all the way.
“He hasn’t had much luck in the draws lately,” Graham said. “He’s got gate speed and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t lead. I probably would have preferred this race to be over 2130m.
“He’s had a couple of starts over 2500m and has won, but against weak opposition. Last Friday night he made up good late ground off a soft trip when sixth, one and a half lengths behind the winner Quick Stride.
“At his previous start, over 2569m at Bunbury, he was dragged back by a slower one and did well to finish fourth behind Pocket The Cash when the race was run in quick time.” Two starts before that Stop The Watch was an easy winner over 2569m at Bunbury.
“I expect Mister Bushido, from barrier two, to be hard to beat,” said Graham. Mister Bushido, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr for trainer Gary Hall Snr, is in excellent form with his past 16 starts producing four wins, three seconds, one third, six fourths and two fifths. He settled down in last position and sustained a spirited three-wide burst to finish an extremely close third behind Carter Micheal and Baylan Jett over 2130m last Friday night.
Stop The Watch is bred to be a good winner. His dam Moment In Time won the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Moonee Valley in July 2004 and she retired with 19 wins, 11 placings and $188,378 in stakes from 58 starts. She won 13 times in Victoria before having 27 starts in WA for six wins and six placings.
Graham, who concentrates on racing his pacers on South-West tracks, is hoping that Stop The Watch will give him his first metropolitan-class winner at Gloucester Park since The War Nurse was successful by a half-head in the Group 3 Four and Five-Year-Old Westbred Pace for mares on June 7, 2019.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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