07 March 2019 | Ken Casellas
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr has given punters a massive lead by rejecting the drives behind consistent, in-form pacers Mistersandman, Dominate The Dojo and Mister Bushido and opting to handle Courage To Live in the $18,000 ww.gloucesterpark.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Courage To Live, trained by Justin Prentice, will start from the inside of the back line in the 2536m event and at his second outing after an absence of seven and a half months, he should notch his tenth victory from only 29 starts.
Courage To Live, a five-year-old bred by Prentice, was most impressive at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he started from the back line and settled down in ninth position before Hall urged him forward, three wide, to move into third place at the bell. He burst to the front 570m from home and romped away from his 11 rivals to win by six and a half lengths from Lightning Jolt, dashing over the final 800m in 55.6sec.
Hall has driven the Kevin Keys-trained Dominate The Dojo at his past three starts for a second, third and fourth placings. The six-year-old, who is ideally drawn at the No. 1 barrier on the front line, will be handled by leading driver Ryan Warwick.
Hall has driven Mistersandman for trainer Katja Warwick at two of his past three outings for an easy two-length win over Shadow Maker at Northam and a nose second top Smoldering Ashes at Gloucester Park. Mistersandman (barrier five) will be driven this week by Aiden de Campo.
Mister Bushido, trained by Gary Hall Snr, will be handled by Stuart McDonald, who guided the New Zealand-bred gelding to victory over Absolution and Halle Rage over 2130m last Friday night. Mister Bushido faces a sterner test this week from out wide at barrier eight.
Prentice was full of praise for Courage To Live, saying: “He surprised me with the ease of his win last week and this looks a suitable race for him.”
Hall has several excellent drives on Friday night and is confident of success in race one, the Cowdens The Insurance Brokers Pace, with the polemaker Bronze Seeker, an evergreen ten-year-old for Byford trainer Peter Anderson. This will be the Mach Three gelding’s 226th start.
Punters will be well advised to disregard Bronze Seeker’s last placing behind Robert The Bruce in a field of ten last Friday night.
Bronze Seeker was travelling strongly in eighth position in the one-wide line at the bell before he made contact with Kerrin Joseph about 550m from home and broke into a gallop. He impressed a week earlier when he has tenth at the bell before charging home, out six wide, to finish third behind Clarenden Hustler and Walkinshaw.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
