Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop will be approaching the Bobby Breadcarter Summer Series 0W/15K final over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night with a good degree of confidence after Gully Gum had drawn the prized No. 1 barrier.
Few pacers have won successive events at Gloucester Park, but Gully Gum has bright prospects of achieving that feat when he contests race one on Friday night after winning the final event last Friday evening.
However, it is unlikely to be a walk in the park for Gully Gum with Mellsop fully aware that Blaze On, drawn the No. 2 barrier on the back line, has wonderful potential. And the veteran horseman is in an ideal position to assess the ability of Blaze On, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old who was prepared by Mellsop for his first 16 starts in Western Australia for six wins and two placings.
Mardella trainer Michael Young has had Blaze On in his stables for the gelding’s past eleven starts, for two wins and four placings. And Blaze On has struck top form with a vengeance in the past few weeks, starting from barrier seven, racing three wide before getting to the breeze 1300m from home and then fighting on grandly to finish a half-length second to Storyteller at a 1.56.1 rate over 2130m three Fridays ago.
And then Blaze On, driven by Gary Hall Jnr, went to a new level at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he began from barrier five, raced three wide early and then in the breeze before dashing past the pacemaker Major Overs 400m from home and going on to win by three lengths from that pacer with a final quarter of 27.8sec.
Gully Gum will be driven by Deni Roberts, who is sure to be anxious to win the start and then set the pace. Last Friday night Gully Gum, from the No. 1 barrier, led for the first 250m before Showpony burst to the front and then put the brakes on with a slow opening 400m section of 32.6sec.
The next quarters went by in 30.6sec. and 29sec. before Gully Gum asserted his superiority by sprinting over the final 400m in 27.5sec. to beat Showpony by a length at a 1.58.1 rate.