Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Five-year-old Beyond Bling was a runaway last-to-first winner at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, and his owner-trainer Lang Inwood is confident that the gelding can repeat the dose when he contests the 2130m Westside Auto Service Vehicle Detailing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He usually goes better with a quick back-up,” said Inwood. “He is pretty much spot on and should go close to winning on Friday. He can go forward from barrier six and can probably sit in the breeze and go to sleep there. He has a good kick and is also quite dour.”
Joey Suvaljko, who drove Beyond Bling with great confidence on Tuesday night, will again be in the sulky.
Beyond Bling also began from barrier six in Tuesday night’s 2536m event. He was restrained at the start and settled down in last position in the field of eleven before moving forward to be ninth at the bell, following the three-wide run of Cavalry Call.
Beyond Bling, a $10.30 chance, sustained his run and got to the front on the home turn before dashing away to win by six lengths from My Little Big Man, running the final 400m sections in 29.9sec. and 29.6sec.
That win was the first leg of a training double for the 44-year-old Inwood, who was also successful with $7 chance Lets Rock Tonight later in the program. That was Inwood’s 31st win for the season and took him into seventh place on the WA trainers’ premiership table.
Looming large as Beyond Bling’s main danger is Elwaddell, a smart four-year-old trained and driven by Lindsay Harper. Elwaddell made an impressive return to racing after a six-month absence when he finished a close fourth behind Dark Eyes over 1730m last Friday night.
Elwaddell began from barrier six and settled down in ninth position before he surged forward with a strong three-wide burst. He was unable to get past The Wand Waver in the breeze and remained out three wide for the rest of the race.
Four of Elwaddell’s five wins from 34 starts have been at Gloucester Park and he looks destined for a successful campaign.
Inwood, who will also run nine-year-old Cracka Tinny from barrier nine in Friday night’s event in which he will be a rank outsider. However, Inwood is looking for a strong showing from Eye Better from barrier five in the $27,000 Westside Auto Wholesale Pace.
Eye Better, who will be driven by Stuart McDonald, is in good form, with wins in the Kellerberrin Cup and at Northam last month before finishing from twelfth and last at the bell to be a good sixth behind Soho Seraphine over 2130m last Friday night.
The Nathan Turvey-trained Three Rumours is in grand form and should take a power of beating despite starting from the outside (barrier three) on the back line. Three Rumours will be driven for the first time by Emily Suvaljko.
Three Rumours gave an outstanding performance when a half-head second to Acharne Girl in the $50,000 Kerry Clake Pace last Friday week. After settling down in seventh position she dashed forward and applied considerable pressure on the pacemaker Soho Seraphine before taking a clear lead 250m from home. She raced without cover when a four-length winner from Brulee over 2130m a fortnight earlier.
“I can’t see why she can’t produce the same effort as she did at her latest start,” said Turvey. “She is in the same order.”
Beyond The Sea, Little Darling, Sovrana, Lady Prima Donna and Wall Street Girl will all have admirers, with Deni Roberts saying: “This is not the strongest Free-For-All race for mares, and this is a good draw for Lady Prima Donna, whose work has been good at home.”
Turvey trains and drives Benji, who should be hard to beat in the Westside Auto Service Paint And Panel Pace in which the five-year-old will start from barrier five.
“It’s a tricky draw, but he hit the line very good last week, coming off a soft trip. He won’t have such a soft trip this week but fitness-wise he should be improved.”
Benji began from out wide at barrier eight in last week’s event in which he was restrained to the rear and was in tenth place with 250m to travel before finishing fast with an inside run and being hampered for room in the final stages to finish a close second to Youre So Fine.
One of Benji’s main rivals is likely to be the Karen Thompson-trained Navy Street, who will start from the No. 3 barrier and will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
“We had a crack for the lead and were unsuccessful last week (before finishing tenth behind Youre So Fine),” said Suvaljko. “There don’t appear to be many fast beginners in this week’s race, and hopefully we can have a crack for the lead and get to the fence and then decide whether to lead or take a sit.”