04 July 2019 | Ken Casellas
The sky’s the limit for inexperienced four-year-old Ideal Liner, according to champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr who considers the New Zealand-bred gelding is destined for the top.
“He’s going to end up in Free-For-Alls very soon and then he’s going to have to contest Cups and feature events,” he said. “Big races at the coming summer carnival are in his sights and at the moment I’d say he’s our stable’s No. 2 prospect for the Fremantle and WA Pacing Cups behind Chicago Bull. He’s got more upside than the others.”
Ideal Liner, prepared by champion trainer Gary Hall Snr, will be seeking his seventh win in a row when he contests the 2536m Life Is On With Clipsal Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. Hall will use the junior concession of Corey Peterson to drive the gelding who will start from barrier four in the field of nine.
Peterson handled Ideal Liner for the first time when he was untroubled to race in the breeze for much of the 2130m journey before winning in fine style from the pacemaker The War Nurse, rating 1.56.6, with final quarters of 28.8sec. and 27.2sec. That was his sixth win in a row and improved his record to 12 starts for nine wins and two seconds.
He showed wonderful early promise when, at his third start in a race, he surged home to finish a head second to the brilliant Ana Malak in the Group 1 $100,000 Four-Year-Old Classic at Gloucester Park last November when he beat home pacers of the quality of Mighty Conqueror, Golden State, Jack Mac, Bechers Brook and King of Swing.
Ideal Liner is expected to get to an early lead on Friday night and should prove far too strong for his eight rivals. Polemarker Mister Rollins should gain the perfect trail behind Ideal Liner and should prove hard to beat for second place for trainer Giles Inwood and reinsman Chris Voak, with Hy Leexciting and Mighty Flying Thomas fighting out for the minor placing.
While Hall Jnr will be an onlooker for this race, he should give punters a flying start by driving One Off Delight to victory in the opening event, the Retravision Pace over 2130m.
One Off Delight won at five of his 19 starts as a three-year-old last season, but has managed just one win and no minor placings from 11 starts this season. He gave a sample of his ability as a frontrunner two starts ago when he led from barrier two and won from Anime and Frostyflyer over 2130m.
He was unlucky last Friday night when seventh behind Shockwave over 2536m when he covered extra ground and met with interference. “Corey Peterson drove him in that race and he told me that he went terrific,” Hall said.
“One Off Delight is pretty good out and is a terrific frontrunner. He doesn’t try one inch from back in the field, so we’ll be aggressive early and if he holds the lead, he’s probably a $1.10 chance. When in front he’s capable of beating good horses.”
Hall also fancies the prospects of Ideal One, who will start from the outside (barrier two) on the back line in the 1730m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace.
“He’s racing really well, and his last-start run was probably a career-best. He sat in the breeze; they ran along and he just careered away from them. It’s tougher here from the back line, but I give him a good chance.”
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