27 January 2021 | Ken Casellas
Breeder-owner-trainer Debra Lewis has her talented filly Rumour Has It firmly on target for the Group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic and the Group 1 WA Oaks.
Driven confidently by her husband Chris, Rumour Has It maintained her splendid form when she set a solid pace and won easily from Good Day Sunshine and Sheza Bromac at a 1.56.5 rate over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday afternoon.
An excellent frontrunner, she will start from the No. 4 barrier in the Etch Coatings Industrial Spray Painting Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and is sure to prove hard to beat.
Rumour Has It, who won the Western Crown, a listed classic, from Black Jack Baby ten months ago, has gone from strength to strength and now boasts a fine record of ten starts for five wins, four seconds and one fourth placing. Her seven starts at Gloucester Park have produced four wins and three seconds.
Her rivals, including Black Jack Baby (a winner at eight of her 13 starts), will be on trial for the $50,000 Daintys Daughter Classic the following Friday night. The $150,000 WA Oaks will be run on April 9.
Black Jack Baby, having her fourth start after a spell for breeder-owner-trainer Shane Quadrio, will be driven by Chris Voak from out wide at barrier seven. She should be greatly improved by her encouraging last-start fast-finishing second to Savvy Bromac over 2185m at Pinjarra last Monday week.
Adding considerable interest to Friday night’s race will be the first appearances at Gloucester Park for New Zealand-bred fillies Royal Essence and Simply Shaz.
Royal Essence, to be driven from the coveted No. 1 barrier by Gary Hall Jnr for Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey, notched her second win from nine starts when she was not extended in setting the pace and beating her fast-finishing stablemate Shakira Blue by three and a half lengths at a 2.0.1 rate over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
Royal Essence, who set the pace when an easy winner over 2100m at Bunbury three starts earlier, was able to coast through the first three quarters of the final mile on Monday in 32.6sec., 30.8sec. and 30.5sec. before sprinting over the final 400m in 27.9sec.
Simply Shaz, one of the two non-winners in Friday night’s race, made an excellent Australian debut at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon for Byford trainer Peter Anderson and driver Aldo Cortopassi when she started from the outside barrier (No. 7), raced wide in the early stages and then had a tough run in the breeze before finishing a head second to Franco Enzo, who finished strongly along the sprint lane.
The gross time of 2min. 42.1sec. for that event was 3.4sec. faster than the gross time for the race won by Royal Essence. However, Royal Essence has a decided advantage over Simply Shaz on Friday night, starting from the inside barrier, with Simply Shaz drawn at barrier No. 3.
The Michael Blakemore-trained New Zealand-bred filly Goodalehmaddie is the other non-winner in Friday night’s race. She faces a stern test from the outside barrier (No. 9), but has plenty of ability. She raced wide early and then set the pace before fighting on doggedly to be a close third behind Franco Enzo and Simply Shaz at Pinjarra on Monday.
Ron Huston’s promising filly Benesari Lane will resume (from barrier six) after a spell and should be running on at the finish.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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