Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Exciting pacer Franco Motu will reappear after a spell and should remain unbeaten in standing-start events when he begins from the 40m mark in the Trotsynd Syndicate No. 29 Handicap over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old showed he was ready for a powerful first-up effort when he scored an effortless win in a 2185m mobile trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
He was restrained from the outside barrier in the field of seven back to last before taking up the favourable one-out and one-back position. He was switched three wide with 800m to travel and took a narrow lead 250m later on his way to winning by 13 metres from the pacemaker Beaudiene Hunter, rating 1.58.2 with final 400m sections of 27.6sec. and 28.6sec.
“He should prove hard to beat on Friday night,” declared a laconic reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. Franco Motu won easily at his two appearances in New Zealand, and he has won at five of his nine WA starts, scoring easily at his two runs in 2503m stands, from the 30m mark at Gloucester Park last July and from the 40m mark at Bunbury in September.
Franco Motu’s trainer Gary Hall Snr has an excellent second-string runner in Friday night event in the youngest runner, four-year-old Chase Me, who will begin from 40m with Stuart McDonald in the sulky.
Chase Me, who has won at seven of his 15 starts, will be making his first appearance since he was a fading tenth behind Runkle Crunch in the WA Derby on October 31 last year.
He impressed in winning a standing-start trial over 2116m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he set the pace and beat Soho Shakedown by a length after sprinting over the final 400m sections in 27.6sec. and 27sec.
Five-year-old Thelittle Master, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is the sole backmarker off 50 metres, and his driver Deni Roberts said the gelding was capable of winning.
Thelittle Master began poorly from 30m in a stand last Friday night and was a distant last in the field of eleven before running home powerfully to finish fourth behind Petes Honour.
“He didn’t step very well but he went very well after losing 50 metres,” said Roberts. “I’ll be trying to get him away a bit better this week.”
Banjup trainer Michael Young gives Eclipse Line a strong winning chance. Eclipse Line will be driven by Emily Suvaljko, who will be keen to make the most of the gelding’s more favourable 20m mark.
“He should be able to find the front, and that’s where he does his best work,” said Young. “So, he will give them something to chase.”