by Ken Casellas
Four-year-old Scoobys Delight has been unplaced at his past six starts, but in-form reinsman Aiden de Campo is bullish about the horse’s prospects of ending a losing sequence of 11 when he starts from barrier two on the front line in the 1730m Horse Shares Available With Trotsynd Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“If he can find the front I’d be very confident of winning, especially overt the mile,” said de Campo. “He’s been racing really well without luck.”
Scoobys Delight, trained at Blythewood by Gary Elson , was a sound last-start fifth behind The Publisher over 2130m last Friday week when he started from the outside of the back line, raced wide early and then in the breeze.
Scoobys Delight will need to be close to his top to beat Ima Rocknroll Legend, a promising four-year-old in the stables of Gary Hall sen. who has won at five of his past ten starts. Ima Rocknroll Legend will be driven by Gary Hall jun., who said that the gelding was most disappointing when a fading last behind Rock Diamonds in the Higgins Memorial last Friday night.
“He definitely drops in class, but his run last week was terrible,” Hall said. “This was almost his worst run, but his previous run when third to Johnny Disco and Ideal Tyson at Pinjarra was nearly the best run he’s put in.”
De Campo has several other handy drives on Friday night — Muffins, Its My Lucknow, Ideal Tyson, Oneonthewood and Under The Tower.
He rates Ideal Tyson, a stablemate of Scoobys Delight, as his best prospect. Ideal Tyson will start out wide at barrier nine in the first qualifying heat of the 2130m Schrader Pace. The four-year-old set the pace and finished third behind Rock Diamonds and Sprinter in the Higgins Memorial last Friday night.
“It’s a tough draw and I might have to go back and make a run at them late,” he said. “He and Livura look the class runners. Last week I just had to grab him up round the corner to keep the horse on my back in a pocket. That probably didn’t suit him; once in front he likes to keep trucking.”
Its My Lucknow, trained at Cardup by Sarah Suvaljko, has sound claims in the Own A Piece of the Action With Trotsynd Mares Pace. She had a tough run in the breeze before wilting to finish a close-up seventh behind Once Bitten over 2130m on Tuesday night. At her previous start she covered a lot of extra ground before winning over 1730m at a 1.57.7 rate.
“She’s going pretty good and the 2500m will suit her down to the ground; she loves the longer distance,” de Campo said. “Under The Tower has a chance in the final race in which she has drawn well at No. 2. She went really good two starts ago when Chris (Lewis) drove her and she finished a close second to Soho Changeling.”
Muffins will be having her first start in a race when she begins from the No. 1 barrier in the Owners Only Pace for two-year-old fillies. Trained by Michael Brennan, Muffins finished second in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Sunday morning.
Hot favourite in this event will be the Shane Young-trained Rosies Ideal, who has impressed in winning at three of her seven starts. Justin Prentice will drive her for the first time and she should carry too many guns for her seven rivals.
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