16 April 2020 | Ken Casellas
Veteran reinsman Lindsay Harper is happy with the proven formula for success: Draw barrier No. 1, dictate the terms in front and go on and win.
That’s exactly what he did when Middlepage started from the No. 1 barrier, led and won by four lengths from Shirmaya over 2130m in the final event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
Now he plans for a similar outcome when he drives Saleahs Comand from barrier one in race one, the TABtouch Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday morning.
Saleahs Comand, an experienced seven-year-old gelding trained by Sue Wiscombe, possesses sparkling gate speed and is a good frontrunner. He has started from the No. 1 barrier seven times at Gloucester Park for three wins, two seconds and one fourth placing.
He was a $51 outsider on Thursday of last week when he started from the inside of the back line in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park. He raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, and fought on well when fourth behind Mighty Santana, who sprinted over the final 400m in 27.9sec.
Friday’s race will see the return to action of the smart New Zealand-bred four-year-old Eloquent Mach, who will be having his first start for four months.
Eloquent Mach, trained by Gary Hall Snr and driven by Stuart McDonald, is the quality performer of the field of 12 but faces a test from the wide draw at No. 8. He last appeared when he covered a lot of extra ground and finished eighth behind Shockwave in the Golden Nugget Championship on December 13.
That followed a fast-finishing fourth behind Sangue Reale in the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic. That was the best of his five unplaced efforts in top company as a four-year-old. He was outstanding as a three-year-old when his 16 starts produced ten wins, four seconds, one third and one eighth placing.
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