Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Brilliant three-year-old filly Wishing Belle has been a dominant performer with nine wins and two seconds from eleven starts. But she faces a stern test at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she begins from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the Book Into Steelo’s Pace over the sprint trip of 1730m.
Wishing Belle possesses sparkling gate speed and is a smart frontrunner, but with several speedy beginners on her inside she is expected to find it difficult to take up the running and set a solid pace.
“It will be hard for her to win over 1730m and from the wide barrier,” said her trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. “There is almost too much speed on her inside to get forward, and this is probably harder for her than it was last week (when she began from the No. 4 barrier and set the pace before sprinting home with quarters of 28sec. and 27.6sec. and winning by a length from the breeze horse Proposition Joe, rating 1.55.6 over 2130m).
“However, she is a quality filly and has all the attributes of a sit-sprinter. I have never driven her that way, and hopefully she can get into the race at some stage.”
De Campo also trains the inexperienced Typhoon Treasure (two wins from four starts) who is favourably drawn at the No. 1 barrier, and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr.
“Typhoon Treasure will be attempting to lead,” said De Campo. “She won last week when leading, and she ran good time (rating 1.56.5 over 2130m). She is a progressive type and each time she has led, she has won.”
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond have three runners in the race, with Deni Roberts giving punters a good lead by choosing to drive Cinch from the No. 3 barrier in preference to Crunchnsip (barrier four) and Slay Queen (barrier two on the back line).
Tom Nally will handle Crunchnsip, and Kyle Symington will drive Slay Queen.
“Cinch is racing really well and has a handy draw,” said Roberts. “She is up against some of the better fillies, but she has been coming from last and has been running home in good time.”
Of the other fillies in the race, trainer Colin Brown’s Im Category Five (barrier eight) will be resuming after a spell after her ten starts as a two-year-old produced five wins and five placings.
The Cameron Ross-trained Miss Leopatra (barrier six) will have admirers after impressive Gloucester Park wins at her past two appearances, including her last-start all-the-way success over Wishing Belle four weeks ago.
Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green said that his filly Sovereign Jewel, a winner at two of her seven starts, was capable of a bold effort. “It’s a good field and we will need a bit of luck,” he said. “If they go silly, she will be right in it.”