Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is looking forward to Miki Jet making a bold bid for a first-up victory when the brilliant New Zealand-bred five-year-old resumes racing after a 19-week absence in the $50,000 The Running Camel Binshaw Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Hall trains Miki Jet, who has been most impressive with his eight starts in Western Australia producing six wins, one second and one third placing. He will start on the inside of the back line in the 2130m event.
“I think he has got better, and he looks like he has come back stronger,” said Hall, who is sure to assess his options from the awkward draw.
“I’ve got to get out (at some stage), and if I do, they’ll know I’m there.”
Hall has driven the winner of the Binshaw championship in three of the past nine years, scoring with Classic American in 2015, Alta Intrigue in 2021 and Youre So Fine last year.
Classic American, the $1.10 favourite, led all the way from barrier one when he beat Erskine Range; seven-year-old Alta Intrigue was a $7 chance from barrier three when he raced one-out and one-back and got up in the final stride to beat the pacemaker and odds-on favourite Al Guerrero by a nose; and four-year-old Youre So Fine, the $1.80 favourite from the No. 2 barrier, led and beat Alcopony by a half-neck.
Four-year-old All Is Well looms large as Miki Jet’s most serious rival. He has drawn perfectly at barrier No. 1 and will be driven by champion reinsman Chris Lewis for trainer Katja Warwick.
All Is Well has not raced for eight weeks, but he showed he was close to his peak in a fast-run 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he raced in fifth and last position in the Indian file workout. He ran home strongly and was not fully extended in finishing second to the pacemaker My Watch List, who rated a smart 1.56.9, with final quarters of 29sec., 28sec. and 28.1sec.
All Is Well has won at 14 of his 42 starts. He last appeared on July 5 when he began from the outside of the back line in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park. He was out of position at the start and raced in 12TH position before he finished strongly to be second to Whataretheodds.
His previous four starts were excellent finishing a close third behind Never Ending and Hotly Pursued in the group 3 Preux Chevalier Pace; leading and winning from Mister Montblanc; trailing the pacemaker Never Ending and finishing second to that star pacer; starting out wide at barrier eight and running home solidly from last at the bell to finish third behind Lusaka and Machs Bettor.
Miki Jet won six in a row before his last-start half-length second to the brilliant Mister Smartee on April 19 after enjoying an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position.
Lewis will be hoping to make every post a winner for All Is Well from the No. 1 barrier, like he did from the same barrier when he led throughout in the Bishaw championship with the Ross Olivieri-trained four-year-old Red Salute, who beat Western Cullen by a length in February 2013.
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has two runners in Friday night’s race, and he has chosen to drive Rockmyster from barrier five in preference to Paul Edward from the No. 2 barrier. Trent Wheeler has been engaged for Paul Edward.
Chivalry will start from barrier three for trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper, who was pleased with the four-year-old’s excellent all-the-way win over Soho Dow Jones last Friday week.
The Kim Prentice trained Soho Dow Jones will begin from barrier four for reinsman Mitch Miller.
“Soho Dow Jones has been racing in Free-For-Alls, so it will be hammer down at the start and then see what happens,” said Prentice. “He’s got to be up there (near the lead).”
Five-year-old Infinite Sign, to be driven by Aiden de Campo for Pinjarra trainer David Young, has been unlucky at his past two outings when blocked for clear run in the final stages and finishing third to Aardiebytheseaside and fifth behind Chivalry. Before those two runs he was a smart all-the-way winner over 2130m, beating Let It Linga and Paul Edward.
“It is an awkward draw, but Infinite Sign’s recent runs have been super,” said de Campo.