Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
The oddly named Ifeel Sikdarl put the writing on the wall for a breakthough first metropolitan-class win with an excellent performance last Friday night.
The Sportswriter four-year-old trained at Jandabup by Graham Cummins is perfectly drawn at the No. 1 barrier in the opening event at Gloucester Park on Friday night, the 2130m Nova 93.7 Pace.
Ifeel Sikdarl is a smart frontrunner, and Maddison Brown will be keen to win the start and set the pace in a strong bid for victory.
His effort in finishing a 2m second to rising star Prince Of Pleasure over 1730m last week was outstanding. He led for the first lap and then sat behind Prince Of Pleasure before fighting on strongly after a final 800m in 56.3sec.
His major rival looms large as lightly-raced seven-year-old Armed Reactor, who warmed up for this race with a most impressive and effortless win in a 2150m trial at Byford last Sunday morning when he took the lead after 80m, bowled along in front and dashed over the final 400m in 28.8sec. to beat Rockaball easily at a 1.57.8 rate, with final quarters of 29sec. and 28.8sec.
Armed Reactor will start from the outside of the front line, but he looks certain to fight out the finish.
Brown will also have the luxury of starting from the No. 1 barrier with Fifty Five Reborn in the $26,000 Perth’s No. 1 Station Nova 93.7 Pace.
Fifty Five Reborn, trained by Brown’s father Colin, is a quality mare who has earned $241,517 from 15 wins and eight seconds from 60 starts. She is a brilliant frontrunner, who set the pace when a head second to Eighteen Carat in then group 1 Norms Daughter Classic two starts ago.
Eighteen Carat, trained by Michael Young and to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, will start from barrier five and she will need to be at her top to topple Fifty Five Reborn.
Eighteen Carat maintained her superb form last Friday night when she started from the outside of the front line, raced three wide for the first 550m and then in the breeze before finishing a half-length second to the pacemaker Miss Limelight in the 2536m group 1 Mares Classic. Fifty Five Reborn began speedily from barrier seven and enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing seventh.
Miss Limelight was a brilliant winner last week, but she faces a tougher test this week when she will start out wide at barrier eight.