Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Brilliant five-year-old Nevermindthechaos faces an acid test when she starts from the outside barrier in the field of eight in the $22,000 Media Guild Most Winners in a Night Ken Casellas Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It’s a good race for an eight-horse field and a good test for her,” said star reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, who has driven Nevermidthechaos eleven times for six wins, three seconds, a third and a fifth placing.
Trainer Michael Young has set Nevermindthechaos for the $50,000 Laurie Kennedy Pace over 1730m on Friday week, and he agrees that the mare will need to be at her best to overcome the outside barrier and win on Friday night.
“She is used to wide draws but she is a really good horse,” he said. “My first thought is that we won’t be over-driving her. I might let her settle in the small field and let her hit the line. Things change between now (Tuesday) and Friday, and I still think she can win.
“I anticipate Paroquet leading, and with Cherishthemoment likely to be in the breeze, Nevermindthechaos will be the sniper for a change.”
The Michael Munro-trained Paroquet is sure to prove hard to beat, following her splendid all-the-way victory over Vulcan Star and Eton Rock at a 1.57.8 rate over 2130m last Friday night.
The opposition played into Paroquet’s hands last week when Chris Lewis was able to guide the mare through the lead time in a very slow 38.8sec. lead time and a slow opening quarter of 31.2sec.
Paroquet is unlikely to enjoy this luxury this week with the promising Cherishthememories expected to work forward early from barrier five and then put plenty of pressure on the pacemaker.
The Murray Lindau-trained Beyond The Sea (barrier six) has finished powerfully to win at her past three starts, and she also looms as a danger.
Young and Hall are confident that they will start the nine-event program on a high note by winning the opening event, the 2130m Lugarno Gumby Punters Club Pace with promising three-year-old Lucapelo, who has won twice from 12 starts. He was untroubled to set the pace from barrier four and win easily over 2100m at Bunbury on Tuesday of last week.
“I think Lucapelo will lead and win,” said Young. “He went 1.57.3 in front and with the earplugs untouched. The next fastest time at the meeting was 1.59. He went better than I expected, and I reckon he is unbeatable this week if he leads.
“Emily Suvaljko drove him at Bunbury, and she said that he got out of the gate really good and felt like he could’ve gone quicker.”
Lucapelo certainly will need to be close to his top to beat the Mike Williams-trained Bronzed, who has begun brilliantly to dash to an early lead, set the pace and win at each of his past three starts. He will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight on Friday night.
Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed has his smart filly Cabsav racing keenly, with impressive wins at Gloucester Park at her past two outings. She will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko from out wide at barrier seven.