Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
“He’s run fast times over a mile, and I expect a strong performance from him in the Village Kid Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night,” said trainer and part-owner Katja Warwick when assessing Machnificent’s prospects in the $50,000 feature over 1730m.
Seven-year-old Machnificent is a sprint specialist, having contested ten 1730m events at Gloucester Park for five wins, three thirds and two fourth placings, including notable victories in the Nights Of Thunder (1.52.4) in January 2022, and the Members Sprint (1.53.2) 13 months ago.
Warwick has engaged star Collie reinsman Trent Wheeler to drive Machnificent for the first time, following Stuart McDonald’s decision to stick with the in-form High Price.
Wheeler will be the 13TH driver to have handled the WA-bred Machnificent, a speedy seven-year-old who is handily drawn at the No. 3 barrier. Machnificent is an extremely versatile pacer, who has earned $286,941 from 18 wins and 18 placings from 75 starts.
Machnificent gave a sample of his class four starts ago when he was seventh at the bell before sprinting home powerfully to get up and win by 2m from star pacer Lavra Joe, rating 1.55.5 over 2130m. Two starts ago Machnificent was a $71 outsider when he enjoyed a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position before running home with a solid burst to finish second to the frontrunning Lavra Joe over 2536m.
High Price, trained in Northam by Garry Sayers, is in career-best form, with his past six starts producing two wins, two seconds, one third and one sixth placing. He revealed excellent gate speed last Friday night when he led from barrier two and finished a desperately close third behind Hampton Banner and Dalvey Robyn over 2130m when the final quarters were run in 27.8sec. and 28.3sec.
Hampton Banner, who began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, raced wide early and then in the breeze for the rest of the first lap. Dalvey Robyn moved to the breeze after a lap, giving Hampton Banner a good sit, one-out and one-back, before he was switched three wide with 230m to travel and got up to snatch victory by a half-head from Dalvey Robyn, with High Price a head away in third place.
That was Hampton Banner’s third win for trainer Debra Lewis and driver Jocelyn Young from his past four starts. He has raced over 1730m nine times for three wins, two seconds, one third and three fifths.
“We know he has really good gate speed, and the mile suits,” said Young. “His win last Friday night was gutsy. He was wide for a long time and was able to make a second run to win. We will be going forward, and if we can get to the front, it will be a good head start because he can roll along.”
Trainer-reinsman Gary Hall Jnr has six-year-old Ventura racing in splendid form, with his nine starts in his current campaign producing four wins and three placings. The New Zealand-bred gelding was untroubled to lead from barrier three and go on to win by a length from Rockandrollartist over 2130m last Friday night. “Drawing out wide has dented his claims,” said Hall.
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has two runners, Otis (barrier two) and To Fast To Serious (barrier three on the back line) in Friday night’s sprint, and he has chosen to drive nine-year-old To Fast To Serious, and he has engaged Maddison Brown to handle Otis, after he has driven the seven-year-old in all his 58 starts for 13 wins and 25 placings.
“Both horses have been working very well, with Otis working particularly well the other day,” said Egerton-Green. “I expect both to run good races. I will drive To Fast To Serious because the mile suits him a bit better. He got home good last Friday night (when he ran on strongly from tenth and last at the bell to finish a very close fourth behind Hampton Banner).”
Lightly-raced eight-year-old Franco Ecuador, to be driven by Mitch Miller for trainer Kim Prentice, will have admirers after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier. He possesses good gate speed, and no doubt Miller will seriously contemplate bursting straight to the front and setting the pace.