Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Up-and-coming filly August Moon is thriving under the care of her trainer Luke Edwards and looks set to extend her winning sequence to four when she begins from barrier six in the www.sefsolutions.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“And from the wide barrier it will be good to be the hunter and not be the hunted,” said Edwards. “August Moon is racing to go.
“She has proved to be a versatile filly, and hopefully there is a bit of speed on early and we don’t have to do any work. Junior (Gary Hall Jnr) can put her in the race whenever he needs to. If he thinks that launching her (at the start) is her only option to win, so be it.
“August Moon will contest a heat of the Gold Bullion on April 10, heading into the final on April 21. After that she will head for the paddock before coming back to get ready for the WA Oaks in October.”
The Stephan Reed-trained Cabsav, a winner of four races, and ideally drawn at barrier two, makes strong appeal as August Moon’s most serious rival.”
Considerable interest surrounds the appearance of Hector in the opening event, the 2130m Vale Alf Da Re Pace, in which his clash with Raven Banner should make the sparks fly.
The New Zealand-bred Hector will be having his second start in Western Australia after winning once in New Zealand, three times in Queensland and three times in Victoria.
He gave a sample of his class when he won the $30,000 group 3 Rising Stars Pace over 2240m at Melton last November when he raced wide early and then set the pace before beating Its Ebonyivory by two lengths, rating 1.56. after sprinting over the final 400m in 26.8sec. A week earlier Hector won a qualifying heat of the Rising Stars at a 1.56.2 rate.
Hector made his WA debut for trainer Kim Prentice and reinsman Mitch Miller last Friday week when he hit a wheel of Roll Up’s sulky 300m after the start and broke into a bad gallop, losing many lengths and finishing a distant last behind Roll Up.
Hector will start from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night. He possesses good gate speed, and so too does the polemarker, the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Raven Banner, who began brilliantly and led from barrier five before leading all the way and winning easily from Blue Blazer two starts ago. He came from twelfth and last at the bell when a head second to Manning at his previous outing.