Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ultra consistent five-year-old Cyclone Charlotte is poised to break through and record a long-awaited first success in a group feature event when she starts from out wide at barrier No. 8 in the $50,000 group 3 Lombardo Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred Cyclone Charlotte, trained by Ray Williams, has contested five group events for three seconds, one third and one tenth placing. The five-year-old is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the first foal out of former brilliant Mach Three mare Cyclone Kate.
She has inherited much of her ability from Cyclone Kate, who raced 60 times for 21 wins, 18 placings and $341,723 in prizemoney. Her victories included two at group 2 level and four in group 3 events.
Cyclone Charlotte ran an impressive trial for this week’s 2536m event when she began from barrier eight and dashed forward in the early stages to work hard in the breeze outside the speedy Regal Cheval before fighting on determinedly to finish a half-length second to the pacemaker, who sprinted over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 27.7sec.
That effort followed solid performances at her first two appearances as a five-year-old — a second to Steno over 1730m and a fourth behind the same mare over 2130m.
Star reinsman Aiden De Campo is not thrilled at Cyclone Charlotte’s wide draw but is confident she will make a bold bid for victory. “Her three runs back (after a seven-week break) have been good and she should be the one to beat,” he said.
Cyclone Charlotte has finished outside the first three placegetters only five times from 28 starts which have produced nine wins, nine seconds and five thirds.
The Michael Young-trained Nevermindthechaos and Nullarbor Navajo, to be driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Corey Peterson, are favourably drawn at barriers, two and one, respectively.
They contested the 2023 Lombardo Pace when Nevermindthechaos began from barrier five and raced in sixth position before finishing solidly to be third behind the pacemaker The Amber Hare and Misstiano. Nullarbor Navajo was a $31 chance from barrier eight, who ran on from eighth at the bell to finish fifth.
Nevermindthechaos, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, is ideally drawn on Friday night and should take a power of beating at her third start after a seven-month absence, providing she improves on her fourth behind Regal Cheval and Cyclone Charlotte last Friday night.
Nevermindthechaos was beaten out from barrier one and then trailed the pacemaker Regal Cheval before fighting on gamely, without appearing likely to trouble the winner.
Hall, who drove the Justin Prentice-trained Platinum Sparkle to an all-the-way win from the No. 1 barrier in the 2022 Lombardo Pace, summed up the prospects of Nevermindthechaos by saying: “On her best form I’d say she would just win. But I don’t think she is in her best form. Even her win (two starts ago) was not up to her normal elite level.
“I expect Nevermindthechaos to get out better from barrier two than she did from the No. 1 barrier last week when she is inclined to want to run up the track a bit.”
Nullarbor Navajo should enjoy starting from the inside barrier. She led from the No. 1 barrier four starts ago when she won from Ima Fivestar General, rating 1.56.1 over 2130m.
Machs Legacy will start from barrier three for trainer-driver Jocelyn Young, who set the pace and won with The Amber Hare in this event last year. She has been unplaced at her three starts since she worked hard before winning from Ponzi Beach in late January.
Mighthavthetime, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will start from barrier five, and cannot be underestimated. The New Zealand-bred five-year-old notched her third win from her past seven starts when she was 11TH at the bell before charging home to beat Our Shelley Beach by two lengths at a 1.54.2 rate over 2130m.