by Ken Casellas
Outstanding young reinsman Michael Grantham has given punters an important lead by opting to drive Foxy Dame in preference to Sea Cider in the Retravision Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Grantham has yet to drive Foxy Dame in a race and he has jumped at the opportunity to handle the mare this week. His engagement by trainer Mike Reed enabled Foxy Dame, an M2-class performer, to contest the race which is restricted to M1-class mares, with Grantham claiming a concession as a junior driver.
Grantham has handled the Sarah Suvaljko-trained Sea Cider at four of her past five starts for a most impressive victory over Madame Croupier and Mon Lillies over 2130m at Gloucester Park two starts ago, seconds to Sheer Rocknroll and Mon Lillies and a last-start fourth behind El Hombre last Friday night.
Sea Cider will be driven this week by Aiden de Campo and she looks set to fight out the finish after starting from the No. 4 barrier on the front line. Foxy Dame has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier eight.
She galloped at the standing start and simply trailed her rivals and finished a distant last behind Sheer Rocknroll last Friday night. But her form in mobiles in several previous starts was excellent. Two starts ago, last Friday week, Foxy Dame started from the outside of the back line and was ninth with a lap to travel before finishing powerfully with a three-wide burst from the 700m mark to be a half-length second to Sheer Rocknroll, with a final 800m in 56.8sec.
Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey will also make use of a junior concession by engaging Jocelyn Young to handle M2-class mare Chevrons Champion, who will have many admirers at her third outing after a spell. She is handily drawn at No. 3 on the front line.
Chevrons Champion sustained a solid three-wide burst from sixth at the bell to finish fourth behind Sheer Rocknroll last Friday night. She ran home solidly from seventh on the pegs at the bell to finish a first-up third to Sheer Rocknroll the previous week.
In an even field of mares, the Justin Prentice-trained Maia Maguire has claims from barrier six after her stout-hearted effort in the 2503m Race For Roses last Friday night when she set the pace and fought on grandly to finish third behind Sheer Rocknroll and Dodolicious.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
