Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Four-year-old Chivalry is the youngest and least experienced runner in the $23,000 HTA Reaching For The Top Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper is looking for a strong effort from the New Zealand-bred gelding.
Harper was disappointed with Chivalry’s wilting ninth placing behind Carana in the BOTRA Cup two starts ago before he improved with a fighting third behind Crowd Control in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night.
“I think I flattened him in a Byford trial I gave him to qualify for the standing-start BOTRA Cup in which he was very ordinary,” said Harper.
“I freshened him up for his run last week when he faced the breeze and ran third, running his final sectionals in 29.2sec., 27.6sec. and 28.1sec. I was happy with that, and I expect him to acquit himself well this week. He loves to lead.”
Chivalry led and won from Cut And Run over 2185m at Pinjarra four starts ago. There is plenty of gate speed among Chivalry’s rivals on Friday night, with Infinite Sign (barrier two) having set the pace and winning at two of his past four starts; Soho Dow Jones (barrier four) having led when fourth behind Never Ending two starts ago; and Navy Street (five), Sugar Street (three) and Whose The Dad (seven) all blessed with excellent early speed.
Soho Dow Jones, to be driven by Mitch Miller for trainer Kim Prentice, drops considerably in class after having raced in Free-For-All company at his past seven starts. He was a $23 chance from barrier three when he was eighth and last at the bell before finishing solidly to be fourth behind Tenzing Bromac over 2130m last Friday night.
Deni Roberts, who celebrated her 500TH drive this year by guiding Doctor Steve to an overdue victory in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, will be in action in eight events on Friday night, with her brightest prospect being Carana in the Marathon Handicap.
She also is looking forward to strong showings from Carana’s stablemates Sista Sammy and Vegas Strip (trained by Greg and Skye Bond).
Sista Sammy will start out wide at barrier eight in the Happy 98TH Birthday Hubert Tucker Pace in which the lightly-raced six-year-old mare has the ability to overcome this distinct disadvantage.
Sista Sammy raced four back on the pegs in a field of six before finishing solidly to be second to her outstanding stablemate Aardiebytheseaside last Friday week. That followed her excellent second to Rascal over 2130m four days earlier when she ran home powerfully from eighth at the bell.
“Her two runs back (after a spell) have been really good,” said Roberts. “She probably does her best work up on speed, so those runs show how good they have been when coming from behind. She will appreciate not racing against Aardiebytheseaside this week and will cop the bad draw.”
Sista Sammy’s toughest rivals are likely to be last-start winners Medieval Man and Lamandier, with seven-year-old Medieval Man favourably drawn at barrier No. 2.
Medieval Man, to be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Kiara Davies, has struck a purple patch. He had a good sit in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to gain a last-stride victory over Name In Lights over 2536m on Monday July 29. And then, over 2130m on Tuesday of last week he was eighth at the bell and raced three wide for the final lap to snatch victory from the pacemaker Little Bitof Fun.
Three-year-old Vegas Strip will line up at barrier four against older and more experienced rivals in the 1730m Vale Laurie Robinson Pace. His twelve starts have produced eight wins and two seconds, and he has excellent winning prospects, with his main danger being the polemarker and last-start winner Crowd Control.
Vegas Strip, a noted frontrunner, had won six in a row before he began out wide at barrier seven and raced without cover before wilting to finish fourth behind Sorridere in the Higgins Memorial last Friday week.
“I wasn’t disappointed with the run,” said Roberts. “This was the first time in his career that Vegas Strip had raced in the breeze, and it takes a bit for horses to get used to that. I think he is a more of a high-speed horse, and we might consider sitting him up this week.”