Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding trainer Justin Prentice has the talented two-year-old Ideal Whisper fit, firing and ready to run a great race in the $150,00 Golden Slipper next Friday night.
The $1.50 favourite, driven by Deni Roberts, impressed when he raced without cover for the first lap before taking the lead and finishing solidly to win the Barbagallo Italian Fireworks Slipper prelude over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ideal Whisper rated 1.56.4 after final quarters of 28.5sec. and 29sec. in beating Sweet Robbie ($8.50) by just under a length, with Jetpack ($21) running on from fifth at the bell to finish a neck back in third place.
New Zealand-bred colt Off Shore ($3.30) raced wide early and then in the breeze before wilting to finish seventh.
Ideal Whisper is by American Ideal and is the second foal out of Art Major mare Soho Whisper, who raced 37 times for eight wins, nine placings and $51,811. He has already earned $110,593 from four wins and four placings from eight starts and is closely related to retired millionaire pacer Smiling Shard.
Smiling Shard was a brilliant two-year-old who won two Group 1 features in May 2009, the Sires Stakes at Addington and the Emerald at Ashburton, and went on to shine in open-class company before retiring with a record of 50 starts for 17 wins, 22 placings and $1,089,831 in prizemoney.
Ideal Whisper’s clash with Hez The Boss and Ignite The Furnace is sure to produce some memorable pacing action in the Golden Slipper.