Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Firerockfireroll has been out of the winning list for eight months and has managed just one placing from seven starts this season. And he has fared badly in the random draw and will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the Direct Trade Supply Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
However, the six-year-old’s trainer Michael Young is confident that the gelding will return to the winning list this week.
“It is not a very strong race, and Firerockfireroll has got good gate speed,” said Young. “He is capable of crossing to the front, leading and winning. He is not going at his best, but this is a big drop in class. If he had drawn better, he would be an absolute certainty.”
Young will have ten runners on Friday night, and he said that Firerockfireroll, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, was his brightest winning prospect.
Firerockfireroll raced wide early and then enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position when a well-beaten fourth behind Watts Up Sunshine over 1730m last Friday night.
One of Firerockfireroll’s main dangers should be WA-bred seven-year-old Cordero, who will start out wide at barrier eight. Cordero, trained by Trevor Wright and to be driven by Deni Roberts, has a losing sequence of 13 and should appreciate a massive drop in class.
Trent Wheeler, who drove Troopingofthecolor to an easy victory at Kellerberrin last Sunday, has given punters a valuable lead by opting to drive the Peter Anderson-trained five-year-old from the favourable No. 2 barrier, ahead of stablemate Simply Shaz, who drops in class and will start from barrier five. Dylan Egerton-Green will drive Simply Shaz.