Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Former Victorian pacer Always Fast has failed to flatter at his first three starts in Western Australia, finishing eighth in a field of nine and then last twice in fields of 12. His average losing margin in those three defeats has been ten lengths.
With those incriminating statistics it is indeed difficult to suggest the six-year-old as a possible winner when he contests the 2130m Condolences To The Horn Family Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But the stallion drops appreciably in class and is favourably drawn at barrier two. And what makes him a realistic winning prospect for Mundijong trainer Michael Young and reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is his splendid performance in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on July 28, a week before his first appearance in the State when he was a $61 outsider and raced one-out and one-back before fading to eighth behind Jumpingjackmac and Chicago Bull.
Always Fast, driven by Hall, began speedily from the No. 5 barrier in the eight-horse trial at Pinjarra when he dashed to the front after 450m and then set a brisk pace and won from smart stablemate Plutonium with the plugs in. He rated 1.56.2 after sprinting over the final 400m sections in 27.8sec. and 28.3sec.
“He was awesome in the trial,” said Hall. “And I thought he would come out and go really well at his first start here, but he ran eighth. There were excuses at his next start when he went forward and was pulling and hitting wheels.”
Always Fast was a $51 chance at his third WA start when he began from the No. 9 barrier and was restrained and raced at the rear before finishing last behind Lord Rosco last Friday night.
Hall, who will be driving Always Fast in a race for the first time this week, said that on his Melbourne form the horse would be an odds-on favourite against the modest company he will meet on Friday night when his toughest rivals are likely to be Alta Cinderella, Al Guerrero and Rock Me Over.
Alta Cinderella, trained by Gary Hall Snr and to be driven by Stuart McDonald, is a talented but highly enigmatic five-year-old mare who has won at ten of her 25 starts. She resumed after a spell last Friday night when she overraced and finished a distant last behind American Arma.
Al Guerrero and Rock Me Over are seasoned performers whose recent form has been quite sound.
Hall, fresh from six winners last Friday night, will be in action in all eleven events on Friday night. All his runners will have reasonable each-way prospects, with Hall suggesting his best chances were likely to be Mr Fantastic, Always Fast, Beefour Bacardi and Lucienne.