Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Outstanding young driver Emily Suvaljko will contest eight of the nine events at Gloucester Park on Friday night in her quest to chalk up her 500TH winner in a magnificent career.
She needs just one winner to reach that milestone — and she suggests that her best winning prospects will be Know When To Run (race three) and My Prayer (race seven).
If the 22-year-old Suvaljko is successful on Friday night her 500TH winner will come five years and seven days after her first drive in a race, when she finished fifth with the 70m backmarker Erskine Range in a 2530m stand at Bunbury on February 10, 2018. Her next drive was at Northam a week later, on February 17, when she was successful with Undercover Art, who finished strongly to beat the pacemaker Win And Grin.
Morgan Woodley is the youngest driver in Western Australia to land 500 winners. He won with his first drive when Ultimate Sin was successful at York on July 23, 2005. He was 21 when he landed his 500TH winner when two-year-old Shipwreck beat Arch On Fire by a head at Gloucester Park on July 24, 2010. His milestone came up five years and one day after his first winner.
The Justin Prentice-trained Know When To Run is the lone backmarker in race three, the 1730m Happy Birthday Anne Gartrell Pace, and Suvaljko gives the lightly-raced seven-year-old a good winning chance.
Know When To Run raced without cover early and then enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before taking the lead 250m from home and dashing away to win by four lengths from Rock Me Over over 2536m last Friday night.
“Barrier ten is not ideal over 1730m,” said Suvaljko. “We will probably be behind the leader (Disco Under Fire) or three back on the fence. But if we get any sort of luck he can win. He has a good turn of foot and he seems to come back very well after a freshen-up.
“Last week I had to go earlier than I wanted to. He has a real quick 200m whereas it is harder for him to sustain his sprint over 400m. But I thought he sustained his sprint very well last Friday. At the finish he had the plugs in, and I had stopped driving him over the final stages.
“Every time you ask him, he gives you something. I think he won with a little bit left in the tank.”
Toughest for Know When To Run are expected to be the ten-year-old Disco Under Fire and the eight-year-old James Butt.
Gary Hall Jnr is certain to be anxious to win the start and dictate terms in front with Disco Under Fire in the 1730m sprint event. James Butt will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko and will start from the No. 2 barrier. He is in splendid form, with an all-the-way 1730m win three starts ago followed by excellent seconds to Handsandwheels and Pradason on the past two Friday night.
Emily Suvaljko is looking forward to driving the Barry Howlett-trained My Prayer for the first time when the seven-year-old mare will start from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m $1 million Slot Race @Gloucester Park Pace.
My Prayer has a losing sequence of 20 and has been unplaced at her past ten starts. She started from barrier four and raced at the rear throughout when last in a field of 12 over 1730m last Friday night.
“I haven’t yet watched replays of her runs, but I know she always used to grow a leg out in front,” said Suvaljko. “I think I can cross to the front in this race, and if I do, I’ll be staying in front.”