Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Emerging top-flight pacer Heres Herbie will be a star attraction at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he begins from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line in the Swan Draught Pace over 2130m.
“I don’t think that that barrier 12 will bother him in what should be another nice race for him,” said his driver Deni Roberts. “I’m very excited to have him racing. He is fairly lowly assessed, and he is my best drive on the night.”
The seven-year-old New Zealand-bred Heres Herbie, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, gave a sample of his exceptional ability when he made an outstanding Australian debut last Friday week.
He began from barrier five and worked in the breeze outside Opal Hunter before taking the lead 300m from home and then surging away to win by 10m from the fast-finishing Sweet Pins, rating 1.54.3 after a final 800m of 56.8sec.
The $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on December 11 is the long-range target for Heres Herbie.
Other good drives for Roberts include the Bond-trained In Rare Air (race one), Mad Monday (race five) and Kinky (race six). In Rare Air is awkwardly drawn at barrier six in the Free Entry Pace, with Roberts saying: “It’s not a great draw and I probably will have to drive him for luck.”
In Rare Air was the $1.70 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in the group 3 Caduceus Club Classic last Friday night when he set the pace and was placed under considerable pressure for much of the event by the eventual winner Wake Up Geoff. In Rare Air finished third, less than a length behind Wake Up Geoff.
“Barrier four is a good draw for Kinky (in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace) and, hopefully, she can get up there (in the firing line),” said Roberts.