Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ace Hopeland trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive promising filly Its Maa Time over up-and-coming stablemate The Khukri in the $21,000 Vale Diane Richards Pace for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Its Maa Time, making her first appearance for eight weeks, is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m event, with The Khukri at barrier three, with Dylan Egerton-Green in the sulky.
“This is a good draw for Its Maa Time, and hopefully, she’s got the gate speed to lead,” said De Campo. “I think she has enough ability to definitely put her best foot forward, and if she leads, she should be hard to beat.”
Its Maa Time warmed up for this week’s assignment with a smart trial win at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago when she raced three back on the pegs, moved off the inside 750m from home and then raced in the breeze before getting up in the final stride to win by a short half-head from the pacemaker Damage Done, rating 2.1 over 2185m after final 400m sections of 27.8sec. and 28.3sec. She was not extended.
Its Maa Time has won at her past three starts, two at Gloucester Park and one at Pinjarra, in November and December.
“Her trial was good,” said De Campo. “She needed it; it was two and a half weeks ago, and she has stripped a lot fitter since the trial and seems to be on the right track. She was a lot more relaxed in the trial.”
The Khukri, a Pinjarra winner in late December, then finished second at three of his next four starts. “His latest run (a nose second to Hold The Ammo) was good, but he is still figuring what racing is all about,” said De Campo. “He doesn’t have a heap of gate speed and will need some luck. But he will run a decent race.”
Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell had five acceptors for Friday night’s event, which was reduced to four with the scratching of American Major. This left Bell with Wicked Hustler (Chris Voak), Wicked Lover (Maddison Brown), Charivari (Kyle Symington) and Control The Room (Deni Roberts).
Symington had the choice of the Bell runners, and he gave punters a lead by choosing to handle Charivari, who is awkwardly drawn at barrier No. 6. “Charivari won by a big margin and broke the track record at Narrogin at his latest start and he looks Ryan’s main chance,” said Symington. “Tactics from barrier six probably will depend on what the others do.”
Symington drove Charivari when the gelding scored by 25m, setting a Narrogin track record for all ages, rating 1.55.2 over 1823m on December 17. He began from the back line and after a couple of front-line runners galloped, he dashed to the front soon after the start.
Bell’s other runners should all perform strongly. Wicked Hustler, ideally drawn at barrier one, has been placed at his first two outings after resuming from a spell; Wicked Lover has won at four of his 16 starts, including wins at Gloucester Park and Northam at two of his latest three runs; and Control The Room has won at Bunbury and been placed five times from eight starts.
Hold The Ammo, trained by Katja Warwick and to be driven by Stuart McDonald, possesses a sparkling turn of foot and has won at five of his eleven starts, including a spectacular last-start performance at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he was last in the field of five 650m from home before he charged forward with a sizzling burst to dash straight to the front, running the third 400m section of the final mile in 27.4sec. He wilted late and held on to win by a half-head from The Khukri.
Jaxs Ideal and Reinette are talented fillies, with the Michael Young-trained Jaxs Ideal (barrier seven) an impressive winner at her past three appearances, and the Frank Nafranec-trained Reinette (barrier eight) a winner at six of her twelve starts, including a dashing first-up all-the-way victory over The Khukri at Bunbury last month.