Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ace trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is planning to get Ideal Muscle away smartly from the stand in a bid for an all-the-way win in the $50,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Easter Cup over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The small four-year-old gelding will begin from barrier three on the front line at his first appearance in a standing-start event after his four starts this season have produced excellent efforts for two seconds and two third placings.
Ideal Muscle qualified to contest standing-start races when he began smoothly from behind the tapes in a trial at Pinjarra five weeks ago.
“He stepped really good in the trial,” said De Campo. “And hopefully he can get to the front on Friday night. And if he gets to the front, he will take some catching.
“He got too far back (after starting from the outside barrier in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night) and he had to come through them out wide in the last lap.”
It was an impressive performance from Ideal Muscle, who was eighth at the bell and seventh with 400m to travel to finish third behind the pacemaker Madam Publisher and Thelittle Master. This followed his excellent effort a week earlier when he raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, when he was blocked for a run until the final stages before getting clear late and surging home to finish second to Hugotastic.
Thelittle Master, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is sure to be one of Ideal Muscle’s most serious rivals. He was seventh at the bell in last week’s event and he finished powerfully, out four wide, to finish second, a length ahead of Ideal Muscle, who had moved to second 100m from the post.
Like Ideal Muscle, Thelittle Master is a four-year-old who is making his first appearance in a stand. The only other four-year-old — and only mare —in Friday night’s race is trainer Jemma Hayman’s Chilli Punter, who handled the stand perfectly last Friday week when a strong-finishing second to star mare Penny Black in the 2503m Race For Roses.
Adding considerable interest in Friday night’s group 3 race will be the return to action of nine-year-old Major Express, who has won at each of his past nine starts and will be driven by Chris Lewis for owner-trainer Barry Howlett.
Major Express will be racing first-up after an absence of 531 days and will begin from the 10m line. His latest start was when he made his Gloucester Park debut on November 3, 2023, and finished strongly from sixth at the bell to beat October Reign, rating 1.56.7 over 2130m.
This will be his first start in a stand. He qualified when he began safely in a Pinjarra trial and then sat behind the pacemaker Welease Woddewick before finishing strongly with final quarters of 27.6sec. and 28.7sec. in the two-horse trial.
Another interesting runner is frontmarker Our Vinnie, who will be making his first appearance at Gloucester Park. This will be the five-year-old’s third start for trainer-reinsman Chris Voak.
Our Vinnie has won at six of his 54 starts, and his 13 appearances in WA have produced just three placings. But he gave a sample of his class when he finished second to brilliant millionaire pacer Don’t Stop Dreaming in the group 3 Hondo Grattan Stakes at Menangle in February 2024.
“He trialled well at Bunbury last Saturday (when he won from the pacemaker Linebacker with final quarters of 29sec. and 28.7sec.) and on Friday night I will be trying to find the pegs, whether it is leading or sitting,” said Voak.
“He is up in class, but I think the distance will suit him and he is capable of running a cheeky race. He ran in good features as a three-year-old in Victoria.”
The Ray Williams-trained Star Casino will start from the 20m line and has sound prospects. Earlier this year Star Casino contested stands from back marks for second placings to Spyglass and Ideal Tomado.
The Lindsay Harper trained and driven Spyglass is the sole backmarker off 40m on Friday night. He gave a bold frontrunning display when an easy winner over Mikis Beach in a mobile event last Friday week.
His only appearance in a stand was seven starts ago, in February this year when he began from the 60m mark and raced in the one-out and one-back position before winning by a head from co-backmarker Star Casino.
Smart six-year-old Soho Santorini will start from 20m for trainer Kim Prentice and reinsman Mitch Miller. He has contested seven stands for one second, three thirds and three fourths.