Promising mare Foxy Dame has recovered from a virus and in-form reinsman Shannon Suvaljko plans to end Sheer Rocknroll’s winning streak by proving superior when they clash in the 2536m Westral Quality Designed To Last Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Foxy Dame, trained at Henley Brook by Mike Reed, has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier and Suvaljko is planning for an all-the-way victory.
“Foxy Dame will definitely hold out Sheer Rocknroll and she is ready to run a really good race in front,” Suvaljko said.
The Ross Olivieri-trained Sheer Rocknroll, to be driven by Stuart McDonald, is handily drawn at barrier three. She is in outstanding form, winning at her past four starts and has won at seven of her past eight starts. She is a smart frontrunner, but can also unwind a spirited finishing burst.
Foxy Dame warmed up for this week’s assignment in fine style last Friday night when she trailed the pacemaker Dodolicious before finishing fast to be an excellent second to that outstanding pacer.
“They only sprinted over the final 200m,” Suvaljko said. “And Foxy Dame took ground off Dodolicious and hit the line well.
“At her previous run, when she was recovering from a virus, Foxy Dame started from the back line and raced three back on the pegs and was badly blocked for a clear passage in the home straight. I didn’t pull the ear plugs and she got out with only 100m to go.”
Foxy Dame will have to be at her best to defeat Sheer Rocknroll, a winner at 15 of her 35 starts who is in devastating form. Sheer Rocknroll has rated 1.56.4, 1.561, 1.56 and 1.56.7 in winning over 2130m at her past four starts.
Suvaljko is also planning for an all-the-way win with the Reed-trained five-year-old Rycroft in the 2130m Westral Plantation Timber Shutters Pace in which he will start from the No. 2 barrier.
“Obviously, Twoandahalf Tigers will be the one to beat,” Suvaljko said. “So we will have to keep him on our outside. Rycroft is a rolling type and I reckon he should win.”
Gary Hall jun., who will drive Twoandahalf Tigers, predicted a strong effort from his horse who will be having his first start for 18 weeks.
“Twoandahalf Tigers is definitely a more genuine and better horse than Rycroft, but whether he can beat him first-up is questionable,” he said.
Hall has given punters a lead by choosing to drive Bush Chook in preference to veteran Justlikelindt in the Westral Security Film And Window Tint Pace. He opted for Bush Chook after the David Young-trained gelding drew favourably at barrier two. Justlikelindt, trained by Lang Inwood, will start from barrier five and will be driven by Kim Prentice.
Ten-year-old Justlikelindt has a losing sequence of 63, but his past two runs (with Hall in the sulky) have been encouraging. Two starts ago Justlikelindt raced three wide before working in the breeze and wilting to sixth behind Our Regal Ideal and last Friday night he raced three wide without cover for much of the way and fought on grandly from seventh at the bell to be third behind Qtown Rip Roaring and Fay Darling.
Hall drove Bush Chook when he trailed the pacemaker Sprinter and finished a sound fourth to that smart pacer at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
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