by Ken Casellas
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr has Mcclinchie, a newcomer to his Serpentine stable, working in dashing style and the New Zealand-bred five-year-old is poised for a strong effort when he contests the $20,000 Princi Butchers Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ace reinsman Gary Hall jun. declared the Bettors Delight gelding a “big chance” and added that he was “each-way, all day.”
”We’ve had him for almost a month and he’s going good,” he said. Mcclinchie, owned by Skye Bond, is the only runner off the back line and will start behind good frontrunner Im Master Charlie, who is expected to be engaged in a battle for the early lead with the Skye Bond-owned and trained four-year-old Messi.
Messi, a speedy beginner to be driven by Ryan Warwick from the No. 2 barrier, has won at nine of his 20 starts. He was an all-the-way winner over 2242m at Narrogin three starts ago before being unplaced at his next two starts at Gloucester Park.
Mcclinchie should settle into a favourable position and is sure to be running home powerfully. A winner at one of his 17 starts in New Zealand, he has raced 23 times in Western Australia for nine wins, six seconds and two thirds.
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri holds a good hand in Friday night’s race, with Chris Lewis driving the handy performer Frostyflyer from barrier four and Deni Roberts in the sulky behind smart five-year-old El Hombre.
El Hombre is the class runner of the field, but has to overcome the disadvantage of the outside barrier (No. 9). Olivieri engaged Roberts to make use of her junior concession to enable El Hombre, an M3-class performer, to contest an event restricted to M0, M1 and M2-class pacers.
El Hombre drops appreciably in class after contesting the Group 3 August Cup last Friday night when he ran home solidly from eighth at the bell to finish sixth behind winning stablemate Jambiani. A week earlier El Hombre flew home from the rear to win from Change of Address and Harry Hoo at a 1.57.3 rate over 2130m.
The Hall stable has sound winning prospects with Whozideawasthis (Westral Pace) and Mach Time (Slater Gartrell Pace).
Whozideawasthis will have to overcome the disadvantage of starting from out wide at barrier nine, while Mach Time has drawn ideally at barrier No. 1.
The New Zealand-bred Whozideawasthis, a former New South Wales performer, has impressed at his first five starts in Western Australia with four seconds and an easy all-the-way win three starts ago.
“He tends to lose concentration in his races,” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr “But his runs have been good and I reckon he’ll win this week, even from the wide draw.”
Mach Time had no luck in the Schrader final last Friday night when he was trapped three wide early, met with a check and was restrained to the rear before finishing a well-beaten seventh behind Rabchenko. He led and won from Vultan Tin and El Hombre over 2130m two starts before that.
“The draw brings Mach Time into it and over 2130m he will take some beating,” Hall Jnr said. “He’s always hard to beat when he leads.”
The main dangers to Mach Time are sure to be Shandale and Ideal Tyson, who will share the back line with Say It Now. The Mike Reed-trained Shandale is sure to be improved after his first-up seventh in the August Cup last Friday night and the wonderfully consistent Ideal Tyson, trained by Gary Elson, is racing with great enthusiasm.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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