Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Big, inexperienced and with the potential to develop into a star, that’s Mikis Pride, who will make a considerable sacrifice in ring craft and racing dexterity when he lines up against several highly credentialled three-year-olds in the $21,000 The Spring Time Camel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
However, trainer Mike Reed and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko are confident that the raw gelding will play a leading role when he clashes with rising star Blaze Away, fresh from placings behind Water Lou and Bet The House, Alta Tribute, unbeaten at his two starts, and multiple winners Prince Of Pain (five wins), Im Lightning Banner and Cork Can Run (each with four wins).
Mikis Pride had his second start after a debut failure 13 months earlier when he scored an impressive victory at Gloucester Park on Tuesday afternoon this week. It was not without considerable drama.
Mikis Pride was smartest to begin from the No.1 barrier before breaking after about 15 metres and surrendering the lead to A Duke To Be. Suvaljko then steadied Mikis Pride who regained the lead 400m later.
After a smart lead time of 36.2sec. Mikis Pride covered the opening 400m sections in 30.2sec. and 30.7sec. before sprinting the final 800m in 58.2sec. and winning by four lengths from Money Time Madness, rating 1.57.3 over 2130m.
Suvaljko then revealed the reason behind Mikis Pride’s misdemeanour, saying: “At the start the nearside Murphy blind slipped and was over his eye, and he panicked.
“The Murphy blind sat over his eye for the rest of the race. So, once he got into a rhythm, I kept him running because I didn’t want to upset him. He is pretty smart, and I give him a good chance on Friday night.”
Mikis Pride will begin from the No. 1 barrier, and Reed said: “He is a big, strong horse who will hold his own. He was too big and gangly as a two-year-old, and he couldn’t pace and kept on galloping when he made his debut in a heat of the Pearl in August last year when he finished at the rear. Since then, he’s had a nice, long spell.”
Suvaljko said that at his latest track run Mikis Pride had finished just behind top-flight fillies Water Lou and Lion Queen. “He has been beating Covernote and Dark Eyes easily enough in trackwork, and over the past two to three weeks he has been the best worker with faster times than Water Lou and Lion Queen.”
Gary Hall Jnr has driven Blaze Away for trainer Michael Young at his past three starts but he has chosen to drive Alta Tribute (trained by Gary Hall Snr). Blaze Away is favourably drawn at barrier two and is sure to take plenty of beating, while Alta Tribute will begin from barrier four.
Ata Tribute has shown excellent gate speed to lead from barriers one and four at two recent starts at Gloucester Park when he went on to record easy victories. “This is a big jump in class for him,” said Hall. “But he seems quite tough and the 2536m won’t worry him.”
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green is represented by Im Lightning Banner (barrier No. 8 in the field of eight) and Cork Can Run (barrier five). He has chosen to drive Im Lightning Banner, who faded from the breeze to finish seventh behind Storyteller over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday of last week. That followed convincing wins at his three previous starts, one at Northam and two at Pinjarra.
Aiden De Campo will drive Cork Can Run, whose 18 starts have produced four wins and six placings.
“This is an even field and Cork Can Run can do his best work late,” said Egerton-Green. “Im Lightning Banner is racing very well, and there were excuses for his last-start unplaced effort when he was caught in the breeze in a fast-run 2185m race (with final quarters of 28.5sec., 28.1sec. and 28.4sec.).”
Price Of Pain, trained by Greg and Skye Bond and to be driven by Deni Roberts, is a smart and experienced campaigner who has had 20 starts for five wins and ten placings.