by KKen Casellas
West Australian-bred three-year-old Michael Joseph ended a sequence of ten unplaced runs with a smart victory in modest company at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening and trainer Clive Dalton is confident the gelding will maintain his form and prove hard to beat in the Sky Racing.com.au WA Derby Consolation over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I think that he can hold up from barrier one, lead and win,” said Dalton, who will return to his training establishment in the Victorian town of Shepparton within the next month after spending the past four years preparing a team of pacers and trotters at Herron, south of Pinjarra.
Michael Joseph, driven by Kim Prentice, trailed the pacemaker Anvil Rollover before switching three wide 250m from home and sprinting strongly to hit the front 90m from the post. He sprinted over the final quarters in 27.7sec. and 28.1sec. in notching his second win from 14 starts.
Dalton, who races Michael Joseph on lease, said that Prentice was most impressed with the gelding’s performance on Tuesday. “Kim said that he couldn’t believe how easily he won,” Dalton said. “He said the horse was just jogging down the back.”
To win on Friday night Michael Joseph is sure to have to hold off strong challenges from New Zealand-bred geldings Righteous Brother (barrier three), Punters Dream (No. 2), Messi (No. 8) and Im The Best (No. 7) and stiff opposition from WA-bred pacers Courage To Live and Davinci Diamond.
Ryan Warwick, who will drive Righteous Brother for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, said that the gelding, who led and won at his WA debut at Northam on Thursday of last week, should be prominent.
“He gave me a really good feel at Northam and he’s very strong,” Warwick said. Righteous Brother also won three races in New Zealand earlier in the season.
Punters Dream, a speedy beginner and a winner at Pinjarra in February and March, is ideally drawn at barrier two for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett and ace reinsman Chris Lewis. He improved from eighth at the bell to finish sixth behind El Barcelona last Friday night.
Dalton said that he and his wife Annie had thoroughly enjoyed their four years in WA. “It has been wonderful here where we’ve had a lot of wonderful winners and memorable nights,” he said. “We plan to come back for a weekend here and there and for the Interdominion championship series later this year.
“I’m hoping to have John of Arc fit to race at the Inters. He is spelling now, recovering from another suspensory ligament injury. And I’m looking at bringing Cardigan Boko back to Perth for the major trotting races in the summer.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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