Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Steno’s sparkling gate speed should prove a decisive factor when she lines up at barrier No. 3 in the $50,000 Laurie Kennedy Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ravenswood trainer-driver Jocelyn Young has the New South Wales-bred five-year-old in top form with superb all-the-way victories at her past three starts, and she will be aiming to win the start, set the pace and win the group 3 feature event to erase the disappointment of finishing an unlucky third with The Amber Hare in this race 12 months ago.
The Amber Hare began from the back line and Young quickly had her in a commanding position, one-out and one-back. But The Amber Hare was hopelessly blocked for a clear run until the home turn when she finished with a powerful burst to cross the line a half-length from the winner Bettor Get It On.
Young has an excellent record in feature events for fillies and mares, winning the group 1 WA Oaks with Has No Fear in 2019, scoring in group 2 races with Blockjorg (2020 Diamond Classic) and Just For Love (2021 Sales Classic), and group 3 events with Just For Love (2020 Gold Bracelet), Blockjorg (2020 Daintys Daughter Classic), The Amber Hare (2023 Lombardo Free-For-All) and Steno (2023 Christmas Belles).
Steno has won at 16 of her 36 starts, and her natural pace (if she leads) is sure to make life tough for her ten rivals over the 1730 metres.
The quality of the field is excellent, with the WA-bred Wonderful To Fly poised to run a great race, despite drawing the back line. Wonderful To Fly has amassed $735,995 in prizemoney from 30 wins, nine seconds and five thirds from 52 starts.
Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Shane Young has given Wonderful To Fly a beneficial freshen-up, and the mare will be making her first appearance for six weeks — since she trailed the pacemaker Steno and finished fifth behind that mare in the 2130m Christmas Belles on December 22.
Cyclone Charlotte (barrier one) and Taking the Miki (two) will start inside of Steno, and it is problematic whether either mare will be able to muster sufficient early speed to foil Steno’s bid to cross straight to the front.
Jocelyn Young has a good second string in Friday night’s race in which Machs Legacy will start out wide from the No. 7 barrier with Kyle Symington in the sulky. Machs Legacy followed placings behind Zephyra and Mighthavtime with a strong win over Ponzi Beach over 2130m at Gloucester Park three Tuesdays ago.
Rumour Has It is in devastating form for trainer Debra Lewis and cannot be disregarded from the wide draw at barrier eight. Rumour Has It, to be driven by Chris Lewis, is extremely tough and she warmed up for this week’s assignment in grand style last Friday night when she dashed to the front from barrier five after 300m and was not extended in winning by three lengths from Three Rumours after final 400m sections of 27.9sec. and 28.2sec.
Seven-year-old Nullarbor Navajo, the oldest mare in the race, is in top form with two wins and two placings since resuming from a lengthy spell. She will be driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Corey Peterson.
Nullarbor Navajo ran home strongly from ninth at the bell to finish fifth behind Bettor Get It On in last year’s Kennedy Free-For-All, in which Steno’s half-sister Cherishthememories was an $81 outsider who finished seventh after starting from barrier seven and being restrained to the rear.