Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Veteran pacer Galactic Star is racing with youthful enthusiasm and the ten-year-old has bright prospects of celebrating his 132ND start with a victory in the $30,000 Rotary Club Of Fremantle Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Greg and Skye Bond-trained gelding will be driven by Deni Roberts, who will be keen to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier in a bid to set the pace in what could well develop into a carbon copy of the 2019 Rotary Club Of Fremantle Pace when the Bonds were successful with 11-year-old Our Jimmy Johnstone, who led from the No. 1 barrier and won the 2536m event from stablemate Ocean Ridge.
That was Our Jimmy Johnstone’s 139TH race start, and it was the final win of his career which ended 18 starts later in March 2021, boasting a marvellous record of 157 starts for 32 wins and 55 placings for earnings of $802,399.
Galactic Star has amassed $752,866 from 33 wins and 38 placings from 131 starts. A winner seven times over the 2536m journey, he impressed last Friday night when he began from barrier five in a field of seven in a 2536m race. He was restrained at the start and was last 90m from the post before surging home out wide to finish third behind Steel The Show and The Mustang.
A fortnight earlier Galactic Star raced in third place in a field of four and finished solidly to be a close third behind Himself and Finvarra. And a week before that he led from barrier one and won over 2536m from The Code Breaker and The Mustang.
Finvarra (barrier three), The Mustang (barrier two) and Prince Of Pleasure (barrier four) are sure to prove formidable opponents this week in what could develop into a keenly fought tactical affair. All three are racing in sound form.
Finvarra’s past five starts have produced three seconds and two wins. He led from barrier one and dashed over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 27.3sec. when he held on to win by a half-head from stablemate Prince Of Pleasure over 2130m last Friday week. Prince Of Pleasure led and won over 2130m and 1730m at his two previous outings.
The Mustang possesses excellent gate speed, and he is maintaining his solid form. He began speedily from the No. 6 barrier last Friday night but was unable to wrest the early lead from Steel The Show. However, he then enjoyed an ideal passage behind Steel The Show and finished gamely into second place.
Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr is hoping for a quinella result with Finvarra (Gary Hall Jnr) and Prince Of Pleasure (Stuart McDonald) — to make amends for his pacer Jumpingjackmac’s second at $1.90 behind the Bond stable’s Double Up ($4.10) in last year’s Rotary Club Of Fremantle Pace.