Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Star Sydney reinsman Jack Callaghan is bubbling with confidence about the prospects of Machs Legacy in the $20,250 Trotsynd Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He praised the five-year-old mare’s performance at her first run for 35 days when she set a fast pace from barrier three and finished second to Miss Boudica over 2130m last Friday night. The quarters were run in 29.4sec., 28.4sec., 28.5sec. and 29.1sec., with the winner rating 1.55.
Machs Legacy will start from an awkward draw at barrier six, and her clash with last year’s WA Oaks winner Taking The Miki (barrier seven) should be one of many highlights on a wonderful night of pacing.
Taking The Miki, trained by Jemma Hayman, has impressed at her first three starts after a spell, with wins at Bunbury and Gloucester Park followed by an unlucky third in the Group 3 Easter Cup last Friday night when she galloped at the standing start, settled down in last place before dashing forward after 550m and then gaining a favourable passage, one-out and one-back.
Taking The Miki is a quality mare, and she can’t be discounted,” said reinsman Chris Voak.
Gary Hall Jnr has given punters a good lead in Friday night’s event by choosing to drive Let It Linga ahead of stablemate Im Themightylucy. Hall drove both mares to last-start wins, with Let It Linga leading and beating Too Bee Watching at a 1.59.6 rate over 2130m, and Im Themightylucy trailing the pacemaker before finishing strongly to win from Mister Ardee at a 1.59.3 rate over 2130m.
“I chose Let It Linga because she will lead (from barrier two) and she goes pretty good in front,” said Hall. Im Themightylucy (barrier three) will be driven by Maddison Brown.
Hall selected The Mustang (barrier three) as his drive ahead of the Michael Young-trained stablemate Kimble (inside of the back line) in the 2130m TABtouch Pace. “The Mustang drops well down in grade, and he should lead and prove hard to beat,” said Hall.
Hall also has sound each-way prospects with Twobob Cracker (race two), Alta Rhett (race four), Posseidon (race seven), Tricky Miki (race eight) and Baltic Ace (race ten).
“Baltic Ace (trained by Tracy Reay) gets his chance to lead from barrier one and should fight out the finish,” said Hall. Reay also trains Posseidon, who will start from the No. 1 barrier in the 2536m TABtouch Trot.
The nine-year-old Posseidon has won easily at his past two starts, in stands at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park, and he is sure to meet with plenty of opposition from in-former trotters Line The Starzzz, Luvaflair, Chumani and Deep Secret.