Promising four-year-old Run Oneover is improving in leaps and bounds and has bright prospects of qualifying for a start in the $200,000 Golden Nugget Championship on December 13 by winning the Slater Gartrell Sports Nugget Prelude over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Run Oneover managed just three wins from 16 starts in New Zealand, but has impressed with his six wins and two thirds from nine starts for trainer Gary Hall sen. in Western Australia.
Gary Hall jun. will be in the sulky behind Run Oneover when he starts from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night. The gelding possesses good gate speed and is a smart frontrunner. However, polemarker Our Black Diamonds (Kim Prentice) is also a good frontrunner and Run Oneover could face the prospect of racing without cover. However, Run Oneover has plenty of strength and is capable of working in the breeze and still winning.
Run Oneover caused a major upset at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when he enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back for most of the way before finishing strongly to defeat his outstanding stablemate Beaudiene Boaz in a $25,000 feature event, rating 1.55.7 over the 2185m journey. The quarters of the final mile were 29.8sec., 28.5sec., 26.8sec. and 27.5sec.
Run Oneover faces serious challenges from the Mike Reed-trained pair of Kiwi Legend (Mark Reed) and Rycroft (Chris Lewis) and the Michael Brennan-trained gelding Rub of the Green (Chris Voak).
Kiwi Legend has won at six of his 11 starts, Rycroft at eight of his 12 starts and Rub of the Green at six of his 12 starts.
Kiwi Legend chalked up a hat-trick of wins in September and October before disappointing at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when he set the pace before wilting to sixth behind Run Oneover. That was his first outing for three weeks and he is capable of considerable improvement.
Rycroft also was found wanting in that race, in which he was always at the rear after being restrained from the No. 6 barrier.
Rub of the Green is an interesting runner at his Gloucester Park debut. A winner at one of his five New Zealand starts, he has raced seven times in Western Australia for five wins (two each at Northam and Bunbury and one at Pinjarra) and two seconds.
He has won easily at his first two starts as a four-year-old. “He’s going to get a nice run on Friday night and we should get some idea of where he’s going,” said trainer Michael Brennan.
“He’s going really well and we haven’t tested him yet. He’s been doing all those races on the bit with the ear plugs in. Obviously he’s taking on Run Oneover, Kiwi Legend and those sort of horses. They’re high quality horses, but I’d like to think he can run a place.”
Rub of the Green is a half-brother to Your Good Fortune, who earned $182,479 from 14 wins and 11 placings from 43 starts. Your Good Fortune finished 11th behind Im Victorious in the Golden Nugget Championship in December 2012 and then won at his next four starts, including the group 3 Four and Five-Year-Old Championship in which he beat Famous Alchemist and Dredlock Rockstar.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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