Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding mare Penny Black faces one of the toughest assignments in her illustrious career when she begins off the back mark of 70 metres in the $35,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Race For Roses over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred six-year-old trained by Michael Young, has won at 18 of her 44 starts, earning $440,312, and she will be attempting to win this event for the second time, after beginning from the back mark of 30m last year.
That remains as her only appearance in a stand when she broke into a gallop soon after the start and lost two lengths before Gary Hall Jnr sent her forward from the rear with 650m to travel. She burst to the front 400m later and won comfortably by 4m from Chilli Punter.
Emily Suvaljko, who has driven Penny Black 17 times for six wins, is not fazed at the prospect of the mare overcoming the distant back mark and is confident of success, saying: “Hopefully, I can step her away and go on for a back-to-back win.
“Seventy metres is probably a fair handicap, and she will have a fair bit of time to work into the race. She didn’t like the wet track last Friday night (when she raced in the breeze and wilted to finish third behind the pacemaker Delightful Peg). I probably went a bit too slow.”
Last-start winner Vinita Rose will have plenty of admirers. The tough New Zealand-bred six-year-old is trained and driven by Aldo Cortopassi, and is in top form.
Vinita Rose began out wide at barrier seven in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night when she forged forward early to get to the front after 450m and go on and win by a length from Sugar Shake. That followed placings behind Como El Viento and Delightful Peg at her two previous outings.
Vinita Rose will start from the 40m mark and Cortopassi is certain to drive aggressively in an attempt to make life tough for Penny Black.