by Wayne Currall
Friday night’s $25,000 Pure Steel Final (2130m) at Gloucester Park brings together a quality field of up-and-coming pacers. The 12-horse field is comprised of pacers who qualified in heats run over the past three weeks at headquarters and Tuesday’s random barrier draw shed no light on who would emerge as the winner. It’s one of the most open races seen at GP in a long time, with nine of the twelve runners in with a realistic chance of taking home the spoils.
The three heat winners – Americanbootscoota (Barrier 2), Livura (5) and Zach Maguire (9) – were all impressive in their respective victories but apart from Americanbootscoota, Livura and Zach Maguire will have to contend with tricky draws.
Red Hot Major lobbed the coveted pole and driver Aiden De Campo seems certain to use the horse’s speed from the machine to attempt an all-the-way victory. This Gary Elson-trained five-year-old entire has been racing in solid form and punters would be wise to disregard his last-start fourth behind Frostyflyer when he just did too much work from a wide gate. Two starts prior Red Hot Major sprinted home the last 800m in a slick 54.7 to defeat Simply Susational in a 2185m race at Pinjarra and then he came to town, sprinted hard from a middle gate to take up the running and boxed on strongly to finish a close third in a heat of the Pure Steel (2130m) behind Livura and Overboard Again.
Leading trainer Gary Hall Snr has a strong hand in the final with Zach Maguire, Harry Hoo (3), Overboard Again (11) and Campora (12). Overboard Again with two wins and a close second to his credit since returning from a spell, is poised to get a charmed run on the back of Americanbootscoota. The consistent Campora, two wins and four placings from his six starts since a spell, follows out stablemate Harry Hoo, himself a last-start all-the-way winner at headquarters and the impressive Zach Maguire, three wins from his three starts back since a break, completes the Hall juggernaut.
Johnny Disco, from the stables of Ross Ashby, has been in good form with two wins and a second at his past four runs and is set to get a cushy run on the back of likely leader Red Hot Major.
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis will be keen to keep the breeze on his wife Debra’s horse Americanbootscoota – a tough four-year-old gelding who appears to do his best work when parked.
Ravenswood-based trainer Nathan Turvey has qualified two horses for the final – the consistent Livura, who he will drive, and former Kiwi pacer Dana Duke (4), to be reined by Ryan Warwick.
It’s certainly a quality line-up with many of these horses destined to become fast-class pacers in the future. Finding the winner will be no easy task, but punters can be assured that if they do find the winner then the odds will be tasty.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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