Latest News

Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators

Part-owner and trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper has decided on a change for smart five-year-old Bettorstartdreaming, who will make his first appearance in a stand in Western Australia when he begins off the 20m mark in the Meat Me At The Post Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Bettorstartdreaming has shown flashes of excellent form in his 27 starts in mobile events in WA that have produced four wins and eight placings. If he begins smoothly, he should fight out the finish with Glenledi Chief and Just Wing It.

Harper said he was hopeful that Betterorstartdreaming would be on his best behaviour at the start, explaining that the Bettors Delight gelding was an experienced standing-start performer in New Zealand.

Bettorstartdreaming raced 18 times in New Zealand for five wins and four placings. He contested seven stands for a solitary win, over 2200m at Alexandra Park in September 2019, and his only other top-three placing was a second over 2700m.

Glenledi Chief (10m) is racing keenly in stands for trainers Greg and Skye Bond and reinsman Ryan Warwick, with a close last-start second to Just Wing It last Friday week following narrow victories over 2116m and 2631m at Pinjarra at his two previous starts.

Glenledi Chief will start off 10 metres and Warwick will be anxious to keep his pacer well ahead of Bettorstartdreaming and his co-backmarker Just Wing It, who is an excellent standing-start performer with two wins and a close third in stands at his past three outings.

Just Wing It, driven by Chris Lewis, began safely from the 10m mark but was slow to muster pace when he settled down in sixth position, several lengths astern of the pacemaker Gee Smith. But he gained the one-out, one-back trail behind Glenledi Chief in the middle stages and impressed with his powerful finishing burst which took him to a decisive victory over Glenledi Chief and Gee Smith.

Trainer Ross Olivieri is impressed with Just Wing It’s strength, but he is hopeful that the six-year-old learns to muster greater early speed. “He has been effectively starting off 30 metres in recent starts,” he said. “So, hopefully, he will get away smartly this week.”

The Matt Scott-trained Gee Smith worked hard without cover before scoring an easy win in a 2636m stand at Narrogin last Saturday night, and he is capable of a bold showing off the front mark in Friday night’s race.

Olivieri is also looking for Thats Perfect to return to his best form when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Gold Medal Xmas Ham Classic Pace. The six-year-old has finished in last position at each of his latest three starts. However, he should appreciate a considerable drop in class and prove hard to beat.

“He is versatile, and he can lead or sit,” said Olivieri, who has engaged Chris Lewis to drive the Art Major gelding. Chris Voak, who has driven Thats Perfect at his past eleven starts and at 12 of his 13 WA starts, has opted to handle the Barry Howlett-trained Fanci A Dance, who will begin from the No. 4 barrier. Voak has driven the eight-year-old at his past 13 starts for two wins and seven placings.