Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Promising young pacer Boy Blue, a winner at six of his 14 starts, will resume racing after a 12-week break when he has an awkward draw at barrier seven in the 2130m Maureen McKercher Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is bubbling and full of confidence about the New Zealand-bred’s winning prospects, saying: “I’m sure he is capable of winning from anywhere on Friday night.
“He is strong, fit, and super-fast, and I expect him to win unless they go1.54 flat and he has to sit parked. He has been working better than he has ever before, and his first-up record is good.
“This is a good first-up assignment, and obviously he is heading for the four-year-old features. As a three-year-old he led and held out Sweet Pins in fast time (last October when he won at a 1.55.4 rate and Sweet Pins faded to fifth), and since then Sweet Pins has gone up to Free-For-Alls.
“His work at home has been sensational and he is a lot stronger than he was during his previous preparation.”
Boy Blue will be having his first start since he was the $1.65 favourite from the outside of the back line when he covered a lot of extra ground and faded to finish last behind Luvbite over 2536m on June 5.
“Post race I found out that Boy Blue was suffering from a bad virus, and he went straight out for a spell. He is only lightly raced, and he was much more mentally and physically immature during his previous preparations,” said Voak.
“Now with the racing and a lot of hard work under his belt we have improved his constitution to a level that he is going to take that next step.”
An interesting runner in the opening event on Friday night is former South Australian three-year-old Signature Look, who will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight for trainer Michael Young.
Signature Look, who will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, did not race as a two-year-old, but has shown promise this year with his seven starts producing six wins and a third placing.
Signature Look warmed up for his WA debut with a smart win in a 2185m Pinjarra trial on Wednesday of last week when he beat Sweet Coco by two lengths, rating 1.55.9 after final quarters of 28.7sec., 29sec. and 27.4sec.
Young also will be represented in Friday night’s race by Patriarch and War Crime.
Patriarch looks well suited from barrier two after winning a 2185m trial on Wednesday of last week when he rated 1.56.7 after final 400m sections of 2.3sec. and 27.3sec. He will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
War Cry, who raced 13 times in New Zealand for one win (at his most recent appearance, at Cambridge on May 7) and eight placings, will be driven by Aiden De Campo.
The Young stable runners will surely be tested by the brilliant D Mac, who is trained by Gary Hall Snr and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr. The New Zealand-bred gelding, a smart all-the-way last-start winner last Friday week, has the class to overcome an awkward barrier at No. 5.