Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Luvbite, a seasoned veteran of 147 starts with a poor winning percentage of nine and a losing sequence of 31, is given a chance at his West Australian debut when he clashes with highly promising five-year-old A Little Silence in the 2130m Garrard’s Horse And Hound @ Bendigo Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“We can beat A Little Silence,” said confident driver Emily Suvaljko. “Luvbite raced in an Inters Consolation at Albion Park last July (when he was an $81 chance who raced three back on the pegs before fading to finish 11TH behind Jimartee).
“He has dropped right back in grade, and he won a trial at Byford last Saturday when Captain Ravishing looked to have had him on the corner, but Luvbite kicked back and beat him. And his work this morning (Tuesday) was good.
“Luvbite will be driven positively, and we would like to get to the front and give A Little Silence something to chase. But if we’re in the breeze, we won’t be handing up to him.”
In contrast to Luvbite’s considerable experience, A Little Silence, prepared by master trainer Gary Hall Snr and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, has raced only four times for two second placings in New Zealand and two easy victories at Gloucester Park on the past two Fridays.
Hall Jnr said that he has been impressed with A Little Silence’s efforts and said that the gelding was his best winning chance in the eight-event program.
Luvbite is prepared by Banjup trainer Michael Young and is now owned by a syndicate of nine clients of the stable. He has earned $201,876 from 13 wins and 57 placings from 147 starts. He won twice in Victoria (at Horsham and Ballarat), ten times at Brisbane’s Albert Park track and twice at Tamworth in New South Wales.
Apart from A Little Silence, Hall has excellent prospects with several other runners on Friday night, including Franco Motu, Cease To React, Rox The World, Final Collect and Sweet Pins.