01 October 2021 | Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old Miss Mucho made an auspicious Australian debut at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park last Friday night, and she has bright prospects of keeping up the good work by winning the Choices Flooring Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Her first-up victory completed a winning hat-trick after easy victories over 2600m and 2200m in New Zealand in June. She is one of three pacers trained by Greg and Skye Bond who will be contesting Friday night’s event which is restricted to mares, the others being Weewah and Sagano.
Miss Mucho started from the No. 5 barrier in Bunbury when she raced three wide early before being eased back to eighth in the field of nine. Then, 450m after start Deni Roberts sent Miss Mucho forward, three wide, to move into the breeze after about a lap.
Miss Mucho finished determinedly to win by a neck from the pacemaker Stormyskyes, with the final quarters being run in 28.8sec. and 27.5sec. She will again start from barrier five on Friday night, with Ryan Warwick in the sulky. Roberts will handle Sagano from the outside barrier (No. 8), and Dylan Egerton-Green will drive Weewah from barrier four.
Miss Mucho, who has had 23 starts for six wins, is expected to be a firm favourite, with her main rival likely to be the Michael Brennan-trained Miss Lamarr, who will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from out wide at barrier seven. Miss Lamarr finished strongly from the rear when a sound third behind Miss Mucho last Friday night.
Sagano was resuming after a let-up last Friday night when she raced at the rear, was hampered for room in the final stages and finished eighth behind Miss Mucho.
Four-year-old Weewah has won 13 times from 43 starts and is capable of a bold first-up effort at her first appearance for almost five months.
Emily Suvaljko will drive in eight of the ten events on Friday night when one of her best winning prospects is likely to be the Nathan Turvey-trained five-year-old mare Mini Mine Yet, who will start from barrier five in the Etch Coatings Pace over 2536m.
Mini Mine Yet caught the eye last Friday night when she was last at the bell in a field of ten before she charged home, out six wide, to finish a close third behind Wainui Creek and Star Of Diamonds.
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