Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Trainer Debra Lewis and the owners of Hampton Banner are hoping that the New Zealand-bred six-year-old retains his unbeaten record in races at Gloucester Park in which he has started from the No. 1 barrier when he begins from that prized draw in the $30,000 Media Guild Cup on Friday night.
Hampton Banner’s two appearances from barrier one from his 37 West Australian starts have resulted in all-the-way victories over 2130m, the distance of Friday night’s event.
Jocelyn Young will be anxious to set the pace in the small field of six runners, in which the Greg and Skye Bond-trained pair of Patronus Star and Glenledi Chief loom as major dangers to Hampton Banner.
Patronus Star will be driven by Deni Roberts from barrier four, while Gary Hall Jnr has been engaged to handle Glenledi Chief (barrier five) for the first time. Hall replaces Ryan Warwick, who has driven Glenledi Chief for 12 of his 14 victories in Western Australia.
Warwick, the Bond stable’s No. 1 driver for several seasons, is due to end his wonderful and highly successful association for the stable on Friday. He is keen to significantly reduce his involvement in harness racing, mainly to enjoy spending more time with his family.
Hampton Banner has been unplaced at his past five starts in which his prospects have been seriously affected by unfavourable barrier draws. He began out wide at barrier No. 8 in the WA Pacing Cup last Friday night when he was a $91 outsider who raced three wide for the first 400m and then at the rear before finishing eleventh.
Patronus Star was an unlucky sixth in the Pacing Cup and is sure to prove very hard to beat this week. He started from barrier two on the back line and raced three back on the pegs in fifth position before being hampered for room in the final stages.
Roberts was able to ease Patronus Star off the pegs 250m from home, but the gelding failed to get into the clear.
“I was really happy with his Cup run,” said Roberts. “He overraced, probably due to the slow speed, and he didn’t get clear running. He would have let down pretty good if he had got a clear run. I will drive him in his usual fashion (sit-sprinter) on Friday night.”
Glenledi Chief is in in splendid form and cannot be underestimated. He enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position in the 2130m Parliamentarins Cup last Friday night when he finished strongly to win by a nose from Typhoon Banner, rating 1.55.5. He surged home from last at the bell to finish second to Sangue Reale the previous week.