Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Brilliant four-year-old Swingband looks set to improve on his 50 per cent winning record by overcoming a wide barrier at No. 7 and proving too speedy for his eleven rivals in the 1730m Vale Russell Stranger Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His clash with outstanding six-year-old Prince Of Pleasure should be one of the highlights of the ten-event program. Swingband has two important advantages over Prince Of Pleasure — he has drawn inside of Prince Of Pleasure (barrier eight) and has the benefit of a strong first-up performance when third behind Arma Einstein and El Chema in the group 3 Four and Five-Year-Old Championship last Friday week, while Prince Of Pleasure will be racing first-up after a four-month absence.
Swingband began from barrier seven last Friday week when he dashed forward and worked hard in the breeze. He possesses excellent natural speed and he rated 1.54.3 at his most recent appearance over 1730m when he won easily in the group 2 APG Gold Bullion final for three-year-old colts and geldings in April 2022. He rated 1.54.2 at his debut as a two-year-old and winning over 1684m at Pinjarra in July 2021.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred Prince Of Pleasure won at his first seven starts in Western Australia and his admirers will point to the fact that he faces a massive drop in class this week — after competing against several top-flight pacers, including Magnificent Storm, Jumpingjackmac, Lavra Joe, Patronus Star, Hampton Banner, Mighty Conqueror and Vampiro, in his most recent campaign.
Prince Of Pleasure, a winner at eight of his 22 starts, is prepared by champion trainer Gary Hall Snr and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, who said that the Bettors Delight gelding was working in fine style but was likely to be in need of the run.
The Halls are also looking forward to the return to racing of Finvarra and Armed Reactor.
Finvarra, trained by Hall Snr, will start from the outside in a field of seven in the 2130m Smooth FM Pace in which he will be driven by Hall Jnr and will clash with smart in-form pacers Jett Star, Ima Fivestar General and Galactic Star.
“Finvarra is working well, but this appears a tricky race for him, first-up from the outside draw and against horses with race fitness,” said Hall Jnr. Finvarra, a winner at 11 of his 23 starts, will be having his first start for five months.
Hall Jnr trains the enigmatic eight-year-old Armed Reactor, who will be having his first start for four months when he begins from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Nathan, Nat and Shaun For Breakfast Pace.
“If Armed Reactor had drawn one I would have declared him,” said Hall. “He is flying at home, and he will come out of the gate, but he probably will have to race in the breeze (outside the polemarker Cheer The Major).
Cheer The Major, to be driven by Kyle Harper for trainer Gary Elson, was a $61 outsider last Friday night when he began from barrier nine when he dashed forward out three wide and then worked hard in the breeze outside Whos The Dad before wilting to finish eighth behind Hillview Bondi in a fast-run 1730m event.
A week earlier Cheer The Major excelled as a pacemaker when he won from Illawong Mustang and The Miki Taker over 2130m.
Toughest for Cheer The Major and Armed Reactor to beat is sure to be the Debra Lewis-trained four-year-old Goodfellaz, who is in top form with wins over Hillview Bondi and Jett Star followed by seconds to Alcopony and Wonderful To Fly at his past four starts.
Hall Jnr, who has several good each-way prospects, is anxious to maintain his brilliant form on Friday night after starting the week with four winners at Pinjarra and three at Gloucester Park on Tuesday.
Punters who follow Hall have cashed in handsomely this week. His Pinjarra winners were Sporting Grace ($1.04), Blaze Coops ($9.90), Cams Boulder ($11.70) and Yankee Lincoln ($15.20), and his Gloucester Park winners were Never Ending ($1.04), Feeling Aces ($2.70) and Shoot Through ($12.20).
His best prospects could be Armed Reactor and the Michael Young-trained Watts Up Sunshine in the third event, the 2130m Nova 93.7 Pace, in which the experienced five-year-old is favourably drawn at barrier two.
“Watts Up Sunshine’s latest run (fourth behind Talks Up A Storm last Friday night after racing without cover) was very good,” said Hall. “He gets out good and if he gets past the one (Rascal) he will be a winning chance. He’s probably a good chance wherever he races — in any position.”