Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond have decided to roll the dice and are looking for untried standing start pacer Captains Creek to win the $30,000 Westside Auto Marathon Handicap over the testing 3309m journey at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred four-year-old Captains Creek is the only runner in this event who has not contested a standing start race, and has not raced beyond 2242m, with his two attempts at that trip at Narrogin producing one second and one third placing.
Captains Creek, whose recent form in mobile events has been good, is one of four frontmarkers in the Marathon. He will begin from barrier two, with smart frontrunner Dawson at No. 1.
Captains Creek will be driven by Deni Roberts, who will ponder her options, whether to attempt to burst to the front and set the pace or to take a sit behind Dawson, who has warmed up for the Marathon with splendid efforts in stands at his past three starts for astute trainer Colin Brown.
The Bonds and Roberts are hoping to complete a hat-trick of wins in the Marathon, after having been successful with Carana in 2024 and Gee Heza Sport last year. The Bond stable also won the Marathon with Himself in 2022.
Carana and Gee Heza Sport were co-backmarkers off 30m, and Himself began off the front mark. Carana had won 12 stands before winning the Marathon; Himself had won three, and Gee Heza Sport had won six.
Recent form points to the 50m backmarker Luvbite and Brickies Dream, the sole runner off 40m, being prominent.
Luvbite, trained by Michael Young, will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr who has won the Marathon five times, scoring with Im Themightyquinn (2010), Code Red (2012), Runrunjimmydunn (2019), Rebel With A Grin (2020) and Youre So Fine (2023).
Luvbite has had 15 starts in WA for seven wins, five of them in stands, including the 2560m York Cup at Northam’s Burwood Park from the 50m mark, the BOTRA Cup off 40m and another 2503m stand at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he began from 40m, raced in eighth position and sustained a powerful burst to get up in the final stride and beat his stablemate Stormy Vista by a head.
Stormy Vista, to be handled by Emily Suvaljko, has contested standing-start events at his past eight starts for three wins and three placings.
Brickies Dream started from the 30m in last year’s Marathon when he ran home strongly from sixth at the bell to finish fourth. He has raced in ten stands for two wins, one second, four thirds and three fourths.