02 July 2020 | Ken Casellas
Astute Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams is enjoying a remarkable run of success and he is hoping that Cyclone Banner, his only runner at Gloucester Park on Friday night, will continue his purple patch by winning the final event, the Worldwide Printing Pace over 1730m.
Over the past six weeks Williams has had 19 starters for 14 wins — six with Magnificent Storm, four with To Fast To Serious, three with Cyclone Banner and one with Shadow Roll.
The New Zealand-bred Cyclone Banner, to be driven by Aldo Cortopassi from barrier four, faces an acid test against the talented New Zealand-bred four-year-old Infatuation, who set the pace when an easy last-start winner over Boom Time for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and star reinsman Ryan Warwick. That was Infatuation’s ninth win from 16 starts. Cyclone Banner, a winner of two races in New Zealand, has had 19 starts in WA for nine wins and five placings.
“Cyclone Banner is a very lightly-framed horse, but he’s a nice horse with good sit-sprint ability,” said Williams. “With a bit of luck, he’s as good as the other horses in Friday’s race.
Williams started Magnificent Storm and To Fast To Serious at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, with each pacer, driven by Cortopassi, recording effortless victories.
Three-year-old Magnificent Storm has not been extended in winning by considerable margins at each of his six starts in Western Australia, after being unplaced at his only appearance in New Zealand.
“Magnificent Storm will now go out for a spell for about six weeks,” said Williams. “Then we’ll bring him back into work and give him a month’s racing to get him ready for the major feature events for four-year-olds early in the New Year.”
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