Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Victorian businessman Mick Andreadis was at Flemington last month cheering for champion galloper Mr Brightside when he won the Makybe Diva Stakes for the second time and taking his earnings past $14 million, and on Friday night he will be taking a keen interest in race one at Gloucester Park.
Andreadis (41) is a part-owner of Mr Brightside, who has had 38 starts for 7 wins and 12 placings and is one of the fancies for the $5 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley next Saturday.
He is also a part-owner with WA trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper of four-year-old pacer OK Boomer, who should prove hard to beat from the No. 3 barrier in the $19,000 Sky Racing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
OK Boomer, a four-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding by Bettors Delight, has had two starts in WA for a first-up seventh followed by a smart victory at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he overcame the disadvantage of a wide draw at barrier seven to beat Henwood Bay by a half-length.
He raced four wide early before moving to the breeze after 450m and then gaining the one-out, one-back sit 400m later, and then starting a three-wide move 500m from home and getting to the front 120m from the post.
“I think he is a high-quality all-round horse with the ability to carry him a long way,” said Harper.
OK Boomer has raced 31 times eight wins, ten placings and $123,479. He has won twice in New Zealand, once in Victoria, four times in Queensland and once in WA.
Mr Brightside has won seven group 1 events, and last year he also finished seconds in the Cox Plate, King Charles Stakes and Champions Mile.
OK Boomer will clash with the likely favourite Gee Heza Sport, a New Zealand-bred six-year-old who will be making his first appearance in WA for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and star driver Deni Roberts.
Gee Heza Sport, a Sportswriter gelding, will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line. He has raced 46 times for seven wins, nine placings and $151,850. His past eight starts have been in stands and he has a losing sequence of 30, with a losing drought of 26 months. He has not been produced at trials in WA.
Gee Heza Sport is sure to appreciate a substantial drop in class after having contested and being unplaced in 18 group feature events in New Zealand.