Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Carana has a remarkable record in standing-start events, and his driver Deni Roberts is confident the Bettors Delight gelding can overcome the 30m handicap and win the 3309m Hoist Solutions Marathon Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He has come back (after a five-week absence) in really good order and the long trip won’t bother him at all,” she said. “It will probably suit him.”
Carana, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, made a rare appearance in a mobile event last Friday night when he raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before sprinting home fast to finish an eye-catching second, a half-length behind his brilliant stablemate Aardiebytheseaside.
He has contested 28 standing-start events in his 32-start career for 13 wins and eight placings. In WA his 20 stands have resulted in eleven wins and five placings.
Carana began off the 30m mark two starts ago when he scored an excellent victory in the 2503m BOTRA Cup. His two New Zealand stand wins were over 2600m, and he also showed his liking for a long distance when he finished second to Sam’s Town in a field of 14 over 3000m on the grass track at Methven in April 2022.
The Bonds and Roberts will be looking to go one better in the Marathon than they did last year when Steel The Show began from 30m and finished second to the $1.90 favourite and frontmarker Youre So Fine.
The Bond stable was successful in the 2022 Marathon when Ryan Warwick set the pace with frontmarker and $1.30 favourite Fizzing, who defeated Cooper by a length after that pacer trailed Fizzing and was blocked for a clear run until the late stages.
Carana will share the 30m back mark with Otis, Twobob Cracker and Good Times Ahead, with trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green saying: “As long as he has a safe getaway, Otis is good enough to win.”
Otis started off 20m when he won a 2503m stand three starts ago, and he impressed last Friday week when he started from the outside of the back line in a 1730m sprint and charged home from ninth at the bell to win from the pacemaker Acuto.
Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr has won the Marathon a record five times, with Im Themightyquinn (2010), Code Red (2012), Runrunjimmydunn (2018), Eloquent Mach (2019) and Youre So Fine (2023), and he will be looking for a strong performance from New Zealand-bred four-year-old Coney Island Lou, who will start from the 10m line with Gary Hall Jnr in the sulky.
Coney Island Lou, a last-start winner in a 2130m mobile event in which he beat Crowd Control and Whataretheodds, impressed with an easy win in a 2116m standing-start trial at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago when he began safely and trailed the pacemaker Duty Bound before finishing powerfully and was not extended in beating that pacer and Serious Moonlite after final quarters of 28.9sec. and 27.5sec.
Trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is confident that his four-year-old frontmarker Rock Artist will prove hard to beat. Rock Artist, who won a stand at Pinjarra four starts ago, set a solid pace when a splendid second to Carana in the 2503m BOTRA Cup two starts ago.
Rock Artist completed his preparation for the Marathon when he set the pace and dashed over the final 400m sections in 27sec. and 28sec. to beat La Vista by four and a half lengths in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra last Monday week.
Trainer Michael Brennan, who won the 2020 Marathon with Rebel With A Grin, will be looking for a solid effort from frontmarker Bellissimo Acquisto, who was placed twice in stands in May before finishing an encouraging second to Vegas Strip in a mobile event at Narrogin two starts ago.