Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Floewriter is in devastating form for Capel trainer Aiden de Campo, who has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to drive The Miki Taker in preference to Floewriter in the $18,000 Retravision Online Pace for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
De Campo has driven Floewriter to brilliant wins in fast times at three of his past four starts at Gloucester Park. He has engaged Dylan Egerton-Green to handle Floewriter, who will start at the No. 5 barrier in the field of ten.
Floewriter began speedily from barrier eight when he set the pace and sprinted over the final 800m in 56.6sec. to win from the Justin Prentice-trained Tricky Miki at a 1.56.9 rate over 2130m last Friday week.
A week earlier he started from barrier eight and was seventh with 550m to travel before sprinting fast to win convincingly from Maungatahi at a 1.55.4 rate over 1730m.
The Miki Taker, who will start from the No. 3 barrier, reappeared after a six-month absence in a 2265m event at Albany last Saturday week. He raced without cover early and then set the pace on the way to an easy three-length victory over Fleur Du Marquis. That was his fourth win from eight starts.
“He has improved a lot since the Albany run,” said de Campo. “I took him there pretty much for a trial, and he has really sharpened up since that run. He will run a good race on Friday night. He is a group 1 winner. He sat in the breeze and went 1.57.7 over 2130m (when he won the $100,000 Pearl Classic last June).
The clash between The Miki Taker, Floewriter, Tricky Miki and the promising Swingband should provide plenty of fireworks, with The Miki Taker having the initial advantage, having drawn the prized No. 1 barrier.
“Tricky Miki has got pretty good gate speed and I’ll be aiming to lead,” said Gary Hall jnr. “He and Mighty Ronaldo look to be my best drives on the night.”
Hall chose to drive the Prentice-trained Mighty Ronaldo in preference to Sir Galahad, Will I Rocknroll, Nota Bene Denario and Alta Intrigue, four pacers trained by Gary Hall snr.
Mighty Ronaldo resumed after a nine-month absence last Friday week when he was involved in a nasty scrimmage on the home turn in a heat of the Nights Of Thunder. Mighty Ronaldo was severely checked and he finished seventh, 111 metres behind the winner Double Up.
“Forget that seventh,” said Hall jnr. “It should have been a win. He was going to win easily. Mighty Ronaldo has the potential to be one of the best horses racing here, provided he keeps progressing like he is.
“If I wasn’t driving Mighty Ronaldo, I would be driving Sir Galahad. He is a really good frontrunner and I think he will be the hardest to beat.”
Sir Galahad, an eight-year-old who has won at eleven of his 22 starts, will start from the No. 1 barrier and will be handled by Callan Suvaljko at his first appearance for eight months.
Chris Lewis will drive Will I Rocknroll, Michael Grantham has been engaged for Nota Bene Denario, and Deni Roberts will be in the sulky behind impressive last-start winner Alta Intrigue.
Apart from Mighty Ronaldo and Tricky Miki, Hall will drive Rocknroll Lincoln and Bettor Get It On for Prentice.
Rocknroll Lincoln will start from barrier two in the 2536m Joe and Margaret Petricevich Memorial Fremantle Cup Consolation over 2536m. The eight-year-old is favourably drawn at barrier two and should fight out the finish at his fourth appearance after a two-year absence.
“He has got better with every run this preparation,” said Hall. “I expect Al Guerrero will lead from barrier one, from Hampton Banner, and we will probably drop in behind Al Guerrero, and then work things out from there.”
The Ross Olivieri-trained Papinik (barrier four) will be popular with punters, and he is capable of a bold effort. “I am disappointed Papinik missed out on a start in the Fremantle Cup, but I can understand it,” said Olivieri.
Papinik rated 1.55 when he set the pace and won easily from Golden State and Al Guerrero over 2130m last Friday week to record his twelfth win from 18 starts. “He won in arguably the best conditioned field that has ever been,” said Olivieri. “That field was good enough to be a Free-For-All field from March to October.
“If he doesn’t win or go very close, then we would have been ay off thinking he should have been in the Fremantle Cup field. If he does win or go close, then maybe he is deserving of a chance in the WA Pacing Cup a fortnight later. So, I’m looking forward to the race because it will be a good test.”