Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis admires Mirragon’s sparkling gate speed, and he gives the smart five-year-old a strong winning chance when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Italian Fireworks Night Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He begins quickly and is a good frontrunner,” he said. “It’s a nice field but I think he’s up to the class and should run a good race.”
Mirragon, whose 67 starts have produced 15 wins and 19 placings, has resumed after a spell in good style, with an all-the-way victory over Doc Holliday, two thirds and two fourths from five starts.
His clash against promising four-year-old Stamford should provide plenty of fireworks. Stamford, trained by Ray Williams, has won at eleven of his 22 starts and his two runs since resuming after an eleven-week break have been encouraging, a very close third behind Rockaball and Boom Time after setting the pace and a half-head second to Arma Einstein.
At his latest appearance, when beaten by Arma Einstein last Friday week, Stamford began out wide at barrier eight, settled at the rear and surged forward with a three-wide burst after 700m to work hard in the breeze outside Doc Holliday before taking a clear lead 450m from home.
“His two runs since resuming have been really good,” said reinsman Aiden De Campo. “I probably overdrove him at his most recent start which probably cost him winning. I will play it by ear, realising that Mirragon has good gate speed, and I’ll see what happens outside of us. I’m sure Stamford will improve with every race.”
Lewis is also looking forward to driving the Barry Howlett-trained Little Darling in the NYE Bookings Now Open Pace in which she will clash with several leading contenders for the WA Oaks the following week, including the outstanding filly Wonderful To Fly.
Little Darling, a winner at five of her 14 starts, has been placed behind Wonderful To Fly twice from her past five starts. She will start from the No. 4 barrier on Friday night, with the Shane Young trained Wonderful To Fly on the outside of the front line of eight runners.
“Little Darling has drawn in the middle of the road, but we’re definitely in with a chance,” said Lewis. “Wonderful To Fly has drawn wide but is the one to beat. This race will be a nice lead-up into the Oaks.”
Wonderful To Fly raced in the breeze outside In The Spotlight before fading to finish last behind Sovrana in the Daintys Daughter Classic last Friday week, a shock defeat which ended the filly’s winning sequence of ten.
Wonderful To Fly pulled up with soreness in the off-fore hoof, a problem which has been cured following a shoeing change.
Sovrana, who trailed the pacemaker before finishing fast to win the Daintys Daughter Classic, faces a stern test from the outside of the back line on Friday night. However, trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is not particularly worried about the back-line barrier, saying: “It’s not a bad draw for her. She is in good form and should run a good race leading into the Oaks.”