Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Leading trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo has changed his attitude against four-year-old Como El Viento and now has a high opinion of the New Zealand-bred gelding.
“I didn’t like him early because he had a real paddling action in front, like he was going up and down in the one spot,” explained De Campo.
“That was when he was a two-year-old, but he began to get better before I lost him as a three-year-old when he had a few little problems. But now he has come good and hasn’t run a bad race in this preparation (with his past ten starts producing five wins, four seconds and one third).”
Como El Viento, a runaway winner at his past two starts —beating Reelem Inn by five lengths over 2130m at Gloucester Park and then making most of the running before winning the 2666m Williams Cup by almost nine lengths from Trunkey Carrawa — looks outstanding in the 1730m Westside Auto 24/7 Online Inquiry Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line but has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
“He is versatile and has a lot of high speed,” said De Campo. “I don’t like to push him off the gate. I like him to settle and then work forward at some stage.”
Already, De Campo believes Como El Viento will develop into a candidate for the $200,000 Golden Nugget over 2536m on November 6, as well as the other rich events for four-year-olds.