Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
With twelve starts and four wins and three placings Noble Thorondor is the most successful and experienced runner in the $215,000 Allwood Stud Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And his winning prospects improved substantially when he drew the prized No. 1 barrier in the 2130m classic.
“Plan A will be to hold up, and I think he has the speed to lead,” said reinsman Kyle Harper. “We haven’t seen the best of him yet. He has had a couple of behavioural issues, but, touch wood, they now seem to be solved.
“He has never been beaten when leading (setting the pace at Pinjarra, Wagin and Gloucester Park).” Noble Thorondor revealed his versatility when he began from barrier five and raced in the one-out, one-back position before finishing powerfully to win a qualifying heat by a half-head from Paint the Palette on Tuesday of last week.
Noble Thorondor, trained at Brunswick by Bruce Lovett, rated 1.58.1 and was the fastest of the three heat winners, the others being Captain Stirling (1.58.7) and Last Hard Copy (1.59).
Captain Stirling, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, will start from the inside of the back line, and should enjoy a favourable trip, particularly if Noble Thorondor sets the pace. He mustered good speed from barrier five in his heat in which he took the lead after 500m and dashed over the final 400m in 28sec. on his way to winning by two lengths from Seaside Magic.
Last Hard Copy, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, impressed when he surged home from fifth at the bell to win his qualifying heat by a head from Control The Room when the final 400m was covered in 28.2sec.
“Barrier seven is not the best, but if things go our way, hopefully, he will get into the money,” said De Campo. “He is only a little horse, and I don’t work him too hard. However, every time he has gone to the races he has stepped up and had a crack.”
Paint The Palette, an inexperienced Vincent colt trained by Justin Prentice and raced by the Trotsynd No. 23 syndicate, will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr from barrier No. 3. He worked hard in the breeze when a fighting second to Noble Thorondor.
“He will be there for a long way,” said Hall. “If he had drawn to lead, I’d say he would win.”