Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
There is a surfeit of quality four-year-olds in Western Australia this year, and individual records and current form will play a major part in determining the fields to contest the $50,000 Four-Year-Old Championship, the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic and the $200,000 Golden Nugget in November and December.
It is with that in mind, trainer Sue Wiscombe and reinsman Lindsay Harper, who own Eldaytona in partnership with Kevin and Annette Charles, will be looking for the speedy gelding to score an impressive victory in the $22,000 Hotspurs 1882 Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Eldaytona is nearing his peak after two appearances after a spell and Harper will be keen to take full advantage of the coveted No. 1 barrier by winning the start and setting a brisk pace.
Eldaytona is a brilliant frontrunner who has had little chance to set the pace at his first two outings in his current campaign when he began from the inside of the back line and finished fourth behind Markham Eyre before he was restrained to the rear after starting out wide at barrier eight in a 2130m event last Friday night.
He was eighth at the bell before he finished strongly into fourth place behind Machnificent, Ideal Agent and Boom Time. This week Eldaytona will clash with other smart four-year-olds Jett Star, Ima Rockabilly Rebel and Talks Up A Storm. A victory over those pacers will enhance Eldaytona’s prospects of gaining a start in the rich feature events in the next two months.
Two of the State’s best four-year-olds Jumpingjackmac and Lavra Joe will clash in the $30,000 WAFL World On 91 FM Free-For-All on Friday night in an event in which it is difficult to predict the outcome.
Jumpingjackmac (barrier four) and Lavra Joe (barrier six) are splendid frontrunners, but whether either pacer will be able to get to an early lead is most problematic, with speedy frontrunners Will I Rocknroll (barrier one) and Hurricane Harley (barrier two) drawn more favourably.
Will I Rocknroll, to be driven by Maddison Brown, has begun from the No. 1 barrier three times in WA when he set the pace in those events for a fourth behind Extradite in May 2021 and wins over Bettor Be Lively and Angel In White in May and June this year.
Hurricane Harley, to be driven by Aiden De Campo for trainer Justin Prentice, has led and won at Gloucester Park from barriers five and three. He resumed after an eight-month absence when he began from barrier eight and raced back in the field before finishing seventh behind Magnificent Storm in the 1730m Mount Eden Sprint last Friday week.