Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Richly talented driver Maddison Brown stole the show with a treble on a bleak, wet and wintry evening at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, and she has good prospects of maintaining her excellent form by driving Beat City to victory in the Beau Rivage For Xmas In July Pace on Friday night.
Beat City, trained by Michael Young, will start from barrier four in the 2536m event. The six-year-old is a good stayer, having raced over 2536m nine times for one win, four seconds, two thirds and two sixth placings. He has also won twice over 2503m and over 2662m at Narrogin.
Brown has driven the gelding six times for a win, a second, two thirds, one fourth and one ninth.
She was in superb form on Tuesday night when she had five drives and was successful with her first three, scoring with $40.40 outsider Luke Attack, High Price ($5.10) and Malakie ($65.30). A theoretical $10 all-up wager on those three winners would have returned $134,544.
Beat City, a winner at 18 of his 78 starts, extended his losing sequence to nine last Friday night when he started from the outside barrier in a field of eight, was restrained to the rear, raced three back on the pegs and was still last 220m from home before surging home to finish an eye-catching fourth behind Faster Than Dad.
The Code Breaker, who led and finished third in that race, is among Beat City’s main rivals, who include his stablemate The Mustang, Eldaytona and the evergreen veteran Galactic Star, who should enjoy a perfect run from the No. 1 barrier.
Brown is also looking forward to driving American Arma from barrier six in the group 3 Kerry Clarke Pace for mares over 2130m. This will be her first drive behind the American Ideal five-year-old whose ten wins have all been at Gloucester Park when driven by her father Colin, who trains the mare.
Colin Brown will also be represented by six-year-old Fifty Five Reborn, a mare he has driven at 14 of her 15 wins. Maddison Brown has driven Fifty Five Reborn at her eight starts for five placings. Deni Roberts will drive her for the first time on Friday night. She will be making her first appearance for six months and faces a stern test in an event in which the brilliant Wonderful To Fly will be a very short-priced odds-on favourite from the prized No. 1 barrier.
Four-year-old Wonderful To Fly, trained and driven by Shane Young, is in tremendous form and she should set the pace and prove too speedy for her eleven rivals. She set the pace and romped to victory, rating 1.54.3 over 2130m last Friday night. She beat another four-year-old in Steno, who trailed her after leading in the early stages.
Steno, to be driven by Jocelyn Young for trainer Cameron Ross, will be tested from out wide at barrier eight. The Michael Young-trained Eighteen Carat began from barrier eight and raced in the breeze for much of the way before wilting to finish eighth behind Wonderful To Fly last week. She will be much better suited this week from the inside of the back line.