Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis has handled Little Darling in all of her seven wins, and he is suggesting that the WA-bred five-year-old mare is close to ending a 21-month drought.
Little Darling, bred and trained by Barry Howlett and owned by members of his family, has shown flashes of good form at her seven runs since resuming racing after 18 months off the scene.
Little Darling has drawn favourably at barrier three in the $27,000 Bookings@Allwoodstud.com.au Westbred Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and Lewis is looking forward for a strong performance at the mare’s first outing for a month.
“This is a good draw for her,” said Lewis. “She has been going very good and has been running honest races, and she has also been unlucky.”
Little Darling has been placed twice behind smart mare Penny Black from her past four starts, and there is a strong possibility that Lewis will make a strong bid to take the early lead and then set the pace on Friday night.
Her chief rivals are expected to be Wonderful To Fly and Rattlin Lilly.
Wonderful To Fly, trained and driven by Shane Young, has won at 30 of her 55 starts and should resume after a six-month absence close to her best following a splendid win in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
She was out of position at the start of the mobile trial and settled down about 40 metres from the pacemaker Mriya Dream before she sustained a strong burst which took her to the front 300m from home before she was not extended in winning by just under a length from My Silver Spoon, rating 1.58.5.
Wonderful To Fly will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line on Friday night but has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
Rattlin Lilly, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is in brilliant form with four Gloucester Park wins from her past five starts. She is the sole runner on the back line and Deni Roberts will have many options. There is a strong possibility that she will use Rattlin Lilly’s remarkable stamina to the best advantage by going forward to race in the breeze in the middle stages.
Lewis also will have a strong following when he drives Lombo Mitchinson for trainer Michael Blakemore in the opening event, the Breed To Ultimate Sniper Pace.
Lombo Mitchinson, who will start from barrier six, is racing keenly and was an unlucky fourth behind Sugar Street last Friday night when he was forced to work hard in the breeze.
Last-start winners Skylord, Crowd Control and Goodfellaz will clash in the $27,000 Allwood Stud Supporting WA Breeders Pace over 2130m.
Skylord, trained and driven by Jocelyn Young, gave a spectacular first-up performance last Friday night when he flew home from last to snatch a last-stride victory from Louie Dior.
“He is thriving, and I worked him over 3000 metres on the Pinjarra track today (Tuesday),” said Young. “It’s a small but very handy field. I have no set plan as I like to play things by ear.”
Mitch Miller, who has driven Crowd Control assertively to win at two of his past three starts, said that from barrier two he had plenty of options. “I’ll play things by ear, he said.
Aiden De Campo, who will drive the polemarker Infinite Sign for trainer David Young, intends to test his rivals by setting the pace, saying: “You would think he will be leading. He does his best work out in front, so we will run the gate as hard as we can and try to lead, and hopefully hang on.”
Trent Wheeler, who was nominated as the driver of four runners in the opening event, has chosen to handle the polemarker Longreach Bay ahead of Follow Rocknroll, Maddy Maddy and Ya Bettor Followme.
“It’s hard to give up barrier one,” said Wheeler who drove Follow Rocknroll to a brilliant last-to-first victory at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. “Follow Rocknroll is flying, but he has to start from out wide at barrier nine which is a good leveller.”