Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis has won the Members Sprint a remarkable eleven times, and he is bubbling with confidence that he will complete the dozen by guiding Machnificent to victory in the 1730m feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Machnificent is racing in superb form for Byford trainer Katja Warwick, and the usually conservative Lewis’s confidence was boosted when the WA-bred six-year-old drew the prized No. 1 barrier in the field of eight.
“He’s got the right draw, and I think he should go well and run a good race,” he said. “He loves to lead, and I think he will run a race, for sure.”
Machnificent impressed last Friday week when he began from the outside in a field of eight and raced at the rear before sprinting home fast with a sparkling final quarter of 26.67sec. to finish fifth behind Lavra Joe over 2130m.
A week earlier Machnificent began from barrier No. 2 and gave a splendid frontrunning display to win easily from El Chema, rating 1.55.6 over 2130m, with final quarters of 28.6sec. and 27.9sec.
Lewis had the choice of driving Machnificent or Goodfellaz, who is trained by his wife Debra and will start from barrier four with Jocelyn Young in the sulky. Goodfellaz ran on from fifth (and last) at the bell to finish third behind Minstrel and Rubins Plight over 2130m last Friday night.
Machnificent has a good record in sprints, having raced nine times over 1730m for four wins (including the group 2 Nights of Thunder in January 2022 when he beat Ideal Agent by a head, rating 1.52.4), three thirds and two fourths.
Eight-year-old Cordero has only an eleven per cent winning record (14 wins from 133 starts), but he is racing keenly for owner-trainer Trevor Wright and is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2, with reinsman Kyle Harper saying that he plans to take the sit behind Machnificent and rely on a spirited finishing burst.
Harper’s father Lindsay has won the Members Sprint three times — with Ulakine (1980), Shattering Class (2001) and Lively Medley (2004) — and he will be driving Eldaytona from barrier seven on Friday night. Eldaytona possesses good natural speed but looks tested from his awkward draw.
Chris Voak will drive the Dan Costello-trained 12-year-old Vultan Tin from the outside barrier. Voak drove Vultan Tin to an all-the-way victory over Bettors Fire in the Members Sprint in May 2018.
“It looks too hard for him from his wide draw,” said Voak, who also won the 2021 Members Sprint with the Ross Olivieri-trained Perfect Major, who beat Balcatherine by a nose, with Stroke Of Luck, trained by Olivieri and driven by Lewis, a nose farther back in third place.
The Members Sprint was first run in 1975 when Ken Tyler Jnr drove Young Robbie to victory. Lewis has won the race with Black Irish (1982 and 1983), Village Kid (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990), Hilarion Star (1993), Ohoka Ace (2005 and 2006), Sneakyn Down Under (2009) and Sensational Gabby (2014).