by Ken Casellas
Benjor Maddy Lombo hardly set the world on fire during a modest career on the racetrack, but she has burst into prominence in recent months as the dam of WA Derby winner Handsandwheels and the highly-promising two-year-old colt Rock Me Over.
Rock Me Over, purchased for $28,000 at the Gloucester Standardbred yearling sale early last year, has drawn favourably at barrier two on the front line and looks set to fight out the finish of the $50,000 Retravision Champagne Classic over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Rock N Roll Heaven colt, trained at Byford by Katja Warwick, warmed up for this week’s assignment in excellent style with a fast-finishing second to Play The Boys in the group 1 $100,000 Sales Classic final last Friday night.
Driven by Gary Hall jun., Rock Me Over raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before starting a three-wide move at the 500m. He charged home to finish a half-head behind the pacemaking Play The Boys.
Rock Me Over was successful at his two previous starts, finishing strongly to beat his stablemate Mistersandman over 1684m at Pinjarra and then setting the pace and dashing over the final 400m in 27.7sec. to beat Kohli by more than two lengths over 1730m at Gloucester Park.
Benjor Maddy Lombo, by American sire Perfect Art, began her career in Western Australia before being relocated in Victoria where she won three times, as a three-year-old in moderate company at Mildura, Gunbower and Charlton. She was retired with those three wins from 34 starts for stakes of $21,510.
She is an elder half-sister to Miss Trickin Lombo (109 starts for 15 wins and 29 placings for earnings of $230,312) and to star performer Suave Stuey Lombo, who amassed $587,032 from 33 wins and 23 placings from 110 starts.
Rock Me Over has already earned $24,310 from his two wins and a second placing from four starts, while Handsandwheels has raced 20 times for six wins, six placings and $165,099.
Rock Me Over is sure to meet plenty of stiff opposition, particularly from the New Zealand-bred gelding Pocket More For Less and Cott Beach, one of three fillies in the race.
Pocket More for Less, trained and driven by Justin Prentice, will have many admirers from the prized No. 1 barrier on the front line. He was seventh in the one-out, one-back position at the bell before starting a three-wide move at the 700m and running home determinedly to be second to the pacemaker Warriors Code over 1609m at Bunbury last Saturday night.
Pocket More For Less gave a sample of his ability at his only other starts, for wins over 1730m at Gloucester Park in March. He overcame severe interference before finishing strongly from fourth at the bell to win from Universal Major and then worked hard in the breeze before winning from Kohli.
Cott Beach, a filly by Advance Attack, has been most impressive in her short career for trainer Gary Elson and reinsman Nathan Turvey. After a strong-finishing second to Tenniele Erin on debut at Bunbury she was successful at her next three starts, two at Pinjarra and one at Gloucester Park, when she revealed excellent gate speed and then made all the running.
She rated 1.57.6 (with final quarters of 28.8sec. and 27.7sec.) over 1730m at Gloucester Park two starts ago when she scored by nine lengths over Cheeseacracker. And then she led from barrier No. 6 and won by just unde3r four lengths from Princess Major at Pinjarra when she rated 1.55.2 over 1684m after dashing over the final two quarters in 27.9sec. and 27.8sec.
Cott Beach fared badly and will need to be at her top to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on Friday night. The Champagne Stakes was first run in 1970 and since then the fillies to have won the classic have been Jidaley (1971), Deep Décor (1974), Chrysou Mou (1976), Whitby Tolez (1991), Whitbys Merit (1993), Nowuseemenowudont (2000), Sheza Clout (2006), Arma Xpress (2012) and Tricky Styx (2014).
Elson and Turvey combined to win the Champagne Classic in 2015 when Sprinter defeated Lightning Jolt and Rich Yankee.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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