Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Outstanding young reinsman Kyle Symington has taken a well-deserved holiday and will not be seen in action for almost a month.
He left for Broome early this week and will travel extensively in the Northern Territory with family and friends.
The 21-year-old Symington has driven 167 winners in a brief career, and he has landed 52 winners this season to sit in fourth position behind Gary Hall Jnr, Deni Roberts and Shannon Suvaljko on the WA drivers’ premiership table.
Stepping into the breach this week and replacing Symington in the sulky behind smart Ryan Bell-trained pacers Swingband and Hillview Bondi is brilliant Capel reinsman Aiden De Campo. Both have excellent winning prospects.
Symington has driven Swingband six times for two wins and two thirds, and he has handled Hillview Bondi in 17 races for six wins, four seconds and one third placing. De Campo drove Swingband four times as a two-year-old for three wins, and he has driven Hillview Bondi eight times for a win at Northam and three placings. The most recent time he drove Hillview Bondi was when the gelding finished sixth behind Jumpingjackmac at Gloucester Park on October 1, 2021.
Bell also trains smart pacer The Code Breaker, who will start from the inside of the back line in the Bridge Bar Pace. The Code Breaker, who has been placed at his past five starts, will be driven by Mitch Miiller, with De Campo choosing to handle the Ray Williams-trained Stamford.
Bell has high hopes of a Hillview Bondi win, saying: “His past two runs — sixth behind James Butt and fifth behind Swingband — have been better than his win three starts ago.
“He finally gets a good draw (barrier two), and it will be handlebars down at the start (in a bid to wrest the lead from the polemarker and brilliant last-start winner Whos The Dad).”
Whos The Dad, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Kevin Charles, was most impressive in a 1730m event last Friday night when he began from the outside of the back line and raced in tenth position before starting a three-wide burst 750m from home and bursting to the front 250m later and careering away to win by six lengths from the pacemaker Cheer the Major, rating 1.53 after final quarters of 27.3sec. and 27.8sec.
Whos The Dad has won at three of his past four starts, with the only defeat coming three starts ago when he led from barrier seven, dashed over the final 800m in 57.1sec. and was overhauled in the final stride to lose by a nose to Hillview Bondi, who trailed him throughout. Both pacers rated 1.53.4 over the 1730m, the distance of this Friday night’s event.
Four-year-old Swingband will start from barrier five in the Beau Rivage Open Through July Pace over 2130m. His three runs since resuming after a spell have produced thirds behind Arma Einstein and Prince Of Pleasure before he dashed to an early lead, set the pace and won from Blitzembye at a 1.55.9 rate over 2130m last Friday night.
“Swingband is stepping up a grade, but he is up to this grade, for sure,” said Bell. “He did only what he had to do last week, and he is backing up because he has come through his runs as good as a horse can come through.”
Swingband (barrier five) will be facing an acid test, particularly against the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Jett Star, who will start from the No. 7 barrier. Jett Star has been driven with great confidence by Deni Roberts in winning at his past four starts and is sure to take a power of beating.
The Code Breaker ruined his chances last Friday night when he set the pace and overraced badly before finishing third behind Prince Of Pleasure and Alcopony.
“I will put the Hidez hood back on him this week and he will be suited by following a helmet,” said Bell. “Despite racing fiercely last week, his run was super. Kyle (Symington) said he had a stranglehold on him from the 1200m to the 400m, and he has done a good job to hang on for third.”