Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Five-year-old Lavra Joe, the only West Australian-bred pacer in the $30,000 Garrard’s Your One Stop Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday evening, is in peak form for owner-trainer Ray Jones and has excellent prospects of warming up for the $1 million Nullarbor Slot Race the following Friday with a victory in this 2536m event.
His clash with the Belinda McCarthy-trained star Spirit Of St Louis should provide plenty of fireworks, with champion 67-year-old reinsman Chris Lewis pitting his skill with the 21-year-old rising superstar Jack Callaghan, who will be making his first appearance at Gloucester Park.
Lavra Joe, the winner at 29 of his 58 starts, is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2, with Spirit Of St Louis, a winner at 24 of his 55 starts, at No. 3.
Both pacers possess excellent gate speed, with Lewis aiming to give Lavra Joe the best possible chance of victory by winning the start and dictating terms in front.
Lewis, always thoughtful and conservative, said: “We’ll push forward and hope to lead, and Lavra Joe doesn’t mind the 2536m. I think we saw that when he led and won the 2569m Bunbury Cup two starts ago.
“Lavra Joe’s second to Magnificent Storm over 2130m last Friday night was a top run. It was a top effort to come from where he did and get home the way he did. It was the top run you want to see leading up to the big race. He has drawn well on Friday night and I think he can win. This should be a perfect lead-up to the Nullarbor.”
Lavra Joe started out wide at barrier seven in last Friday night’s Free-For-All when he was restrained back to last in the field of eight. He was still last at the 350m before Lewis took him six wide on the home turn and the gelding ran home with a powerful burst to finish second, a length from the winner, after covering the final 400m in 27.2sec.
Six days earlier Lavra Joe began out wide at barrier seven before dashing to an early lead, setting the pace and winning the Bunbury Cup by a length from Magnificent Storm.
Callaghan has formed a wonderful association with Spirit Of St Louis, the favourite for the Nullarbor, having being in the sulky for five group feature events with him.
Spirit Of St Louis has won eight races in New Zealand, seven in New South Wales, five in Queensland and four in Victoria. Three starts ago he set the pace and won a group 2 $100,000 Free-For-All at Menangle, rating 1.52.4 over the 1609m. He then led for the first 80m of the Miracle Mile before trailing the pacemaker Catch A Wave and finishing second to that pacer.
Three weeks after that run Spirit Of St Louis sat behind the pacemaker in a 1609m event at Menangle and was blocked for a run until the final 100m when he fought on gamely to finish third behind Fire Fox and Sahara Sirocco.
Minstrel, a talented six-year-old prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will start from barrier four in Friday’s race, and will be on trial for a start in the Nullarbor. He will be handled by his usual driver Deni Roberts and is capable of a bold showing.
He raced three wide in the first lap and then in the breeze when a fighting third behind Diego and Sangue Reale in the 2130m Governor’s Cup three weeks ago. A week earlier Minstrel raced without cover before sprinting over the final quarters in 27.5sec. and 27.8sec. and winning at a 1.54 rate from Hampton Baner over 1730m.
Diego, prepared by Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr, is in devastating form, with his past eight starts producing six wins and two thirds. Maddison Brown will drive him from the awkward barrier of No.6. Most of his recent victories have been when he has set the pace, but this week Brown will have to rely on his sit-sprint ability.