21 December 2017 | Ken Casellas
Six-year-old New Zealand-bred stallion Idealindiamonds is the least experienced runner in the Mount Eden-No Dill Christmas Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but has a vastly superior winning percentage to all his 11 rivals in the 2503m stand.
Idealindiamonds has a winning record of 52 per cent after scoring at 12 of his 23 starts. He also boasts an outstanding record in standing-start events — with seven victories.
Prepared at Forrestdale by leading trainer Skye Bond, Idealindiamonds will be driven by Ryan Warwick, who was in the sulky when the horse worked hard in the breeze for much of the way before winning a 2130m mobile event at Gloucester Park last Saturday week. He led when an easy mobile winner over stablemate Messi two starts before that.
His only appearance in a stand in Western Australia was four starts ago when he began from 10m and dashed forward in the first circuit to take up the running on the way to an easy victory over Pacific Playboy and A Bit Ruthless over 2503m in mid-September.
He is a half-brother to Opulent, who earned $269,515 from 18 wins and 24 placings. As s two-year-old Opulent won the $114,000 Group 1 Caduceus Club Classic for fillies at Alexandra Park. She did most of her racing as Am Opulent for part-owners and trainers Greg and Skye Bond and won 15 times in WA, with Warwick in the sulky for eight of those victories.
Idealindiamonds will start from the 10m mark on Friday night and Warwick will be anxious for a clean getaway before going forward in a bid for the lead or for a commanding position on the outside of the pacemaker.
Tommy Be Good, who will share the back mark of 30m with veteran Mysta Magical Mach, and Major Catastrophe (10m) are strong stayers capable of fully testing Idealindiamonds.
Tommy Be Good was unlucky when he started off 30m in a 2530m stand last Friday night. He raced at the rear and was badly hampered for room in the final lap before getting clear in the final 50m when he finished full of running to be sixth behind the pacemaker Always Arjay.
Two starts earlier, the Katja Warwick-trained Tommy Be Good gave a sample of his ability when he finished powerfully to win a 2631m stand at Pinjarra, beating open-class pacers The Bucket List and Ohoka Punter.
Nine-year-old Major Catastrophe was produced in fine fettle by owner-trainer David Young when, at his first start for almost 12 months, he worked hard without cover before winning a 2242m mobile at Narrogin on Tuesday of last week.
Always Arjay, trained by Matt Scott and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, notched his 16th win from 50 starts when he set the pace and beat Char Do Neigh and Assassinator in a 2503m stand last Friday night. He will start from 20m on Friday night, but cannot be disregarded as a winning chance.
Blythewood trainer Michael Brennan and star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, who were successful with 30m backmarker This Time Dylan in last year’s Mount Eden-No Dillon Christmas Handicap, will be pinning their hopes on eight-year-old frontmarker Jus Livinthedream, who started from 40m and finished solidly to win a 2503m stand at Bunbury two starts ago.
The Ross Olivieri-trained Ruling Gold also has claims after charging home from ninth at the bell to win easily from Ima Rocknroll Legend and Glenferrie Rustler in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night.
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