Warwick Opts for Idealindiamonds

Ryan Warwick, who has taken an early lead in the drivers’ premiership for the 2017-18 season, has given punters a strong lead by choosing to drive Idealindiamonds in preference to smart stablemates Messi and Bettor Not Bitter in the $25,000 Warwick final over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Idealindiamonds, trained at Forrestdale by Skye Bond, has won at his first two appearances in Australia and has an imposing record of ten wins from 20 starts. The six-year-old will start from barrier four on the front line, with Messi at No. 1 and Bettor Not Bitter at No. 6.

Colin Brown has been engaged to handle four-year-old Messi, a speedy beginner and talented frontrunner who is likely to take plenty of catching. Michael Blakemore will drive Bettor Not Bitter, a winner at ten of his 34 starts.

Warwick, whose first 39 drives this season have produced 19 wins and ten placings, is likely to make use of the excellent early speed possessed by Idealindiamonds. Whether the stallion can outgun Messi and get to an early lead is problematic. However, Idealindiamonds is tough and is capable of working hard without cover, just as he did when a winner over Our Zak Whitby at Gloucester Park two starts ago.

Chris Lewis has decided to stick with the Ed Dewar-trained Our Zak Whitby, with the drive behind consistent mare Sea Me Smile, trained by Lewis’s wife Debra going to Clint Hall.

Our Zak Whitby is in top form and Lewis said that the four-year-old would still be a major player despite drawing the back line. Our Zak Whitby warmed up for this week’s feature event in grand style with a superb frontrunning performance last Friday night when he won by three lengths from Whozideawasthis.

Lewis agreed that Our Zak Whitby was a brilliant frontrunner, but he said that a back-line draw would not prevent the horse from winning. “Starting from No. 2 on the back line is not too bad a draw,” he said. “He can produce a very good late sprint and he’s definitely not out of it.”

Whozideawasthis, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, is racing keenly and his nine WA starts have produced one win, six seconds, a third and a fourth. The seven-year-old will start from the inside of the back line and should gain an ideal run behind Messi.

Livura finished strongly when third behind Our Zak Whitby and Whozideawasthis last week, but he faces a tougher test this week from the outside of the front line. Part-owner and trainer-reinsman Nathan Turvey said that the wide barrier would make things extremely difficult for Livura, who has raced 64 times for 17 wins and 27 placings.

The Andrew de Campo-trained Cest Lheure finished strongly to win from the pacemaker Sea Me Smile last Friday night. He fared poorly in the barrier draw and will start out wide at No. 8, with Dylan Egerton-Green in the sulky, replacing Aiden de Campo, who is in Melbourne.