Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
In-form trainer Ryan Bell is delighted with Machs Bettor’s return to top form, and he is bubbling with confidence at the five-year-old’s winning prospects when the gelding starts from the prized No. 1 barrier in the $23,000 Cowden The Insurance Brokers Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I have got him back to his best form, probably a bit better than that,” said Bell, who has engaged champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr to drive Machs Bettor for the first time, replacing Ryan Warwick, who drove the pacer for the first time when he impressed with his flying finish to snatch victory over Soho Firestone last Friday night.
“Warwick is going away on holidays for the weekend and won’t be able to drive at Friday night’s meeting. Machs Bettor should lead and prove hard to beat.”
Last Friday night Machs Bettor was restrained from barrier four and he raced in eighth position in the field of nine before Warwick switched him out wide approaching the home turn. The gelding went five wide on the bend and sprouted wings to get up in the final couple of strides, rating 1.56.8 over 2130m, with final quarters of 28.8sec. and 28.02sec.
While Machs Bettor makes strong appeal as the likely winner, he will need to be at his top to beat pacers of the calibre of Lusaka, Paul Edward, Dominus Factum, Franco Ecuador, State Of Heaven and All Is Well.
Lusaka, to be driven by Deni Roberts for star trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six, but is capable of a bold effort.
“Lusaka has been racing so well for a long time and he should figure in the finish,” said Roberts. “There is a lot of speed in the race, and he is quite versatile.” Four-year-old Lusaka, a winner at 13 of his 27 starts, ran home strongly from the one-out, one-back position to be a short half-head second to The Miki Taker over 2130m last Friday week.
Paul Edward, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, will start from the No. 5 barrier, and will have many admirers following his stylish first-up victory last Friday week when he trailed the pacemaker and stablemate Hale Saint Louie before finishing fast to win by a length after a final 400m of 27.9sec.
The Kim Prentice-trained Franco Ecuador will be driven by Mitch Miller from barrier three. The smart seven-year-old has raced 17 times for seven wins and five placings. He overraced in the breeze before fading to finish eighth behind Ira Poole over 2130m last Friday night.
“He choked down, and we have made a few changes this week, taking the Dollys off and using a different bit,” said Miller. “If he settles, I think he is as good as any runner in the race. He is not purely a frontrunner, and I can still see him winning.”In-form trainer Ryan Bell is delighted with Machs Bettor’s return to top form, and he is bubbling with confidence at the five-year-old’s winning prospects when the gelding starts from the prized No. 1 barrier in the $23,000 Cowden The Insurance Brokers Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I have got him back to his best form, probably a bit better than that,” said Bell, who has engaged champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr to drive Machs Bettor for the first time, replacing Ryan Warwick, who drove the pacer for the first time when he impressed with his flying finish to snatch victory over Soho Firestone last Friday night.
“Warwick is going away on holidays for the weekend and won’t be able to drive at Friday night’s meeting. Machs Bettor should lead and prove hard to beat.”
Last Friday night Machs Bettor was restrained from barrier four and he raced in eighth position in the field of nine before Warwick switched him out wide approaching the home turn. The gelding went five wide on the bend and sprouted wings to get up in the final couple of strides, rating 1.56.8 over 2130m, with final quarters of 28.8sec. and 28.02sec.
While Machs Bettor makes strong appeal as the likely winner, he will need to be at his top to beat pacers of the calibre of Lusaka, Paul Edward, Dominus Factum, Franco Ecuador, State Of Heaven and All Is Well.
Lusaka, to be driven by Deni Roberts for star trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six, but is capable of a bold effort.
“Lusaka has been racing so well for a long time and he should figure in the finish,” said Roberts. “There is a lot of speed in the race, and he is quite versatile.” Four-year-old Lusaka, a winner at 13 of his 27 starts, ran home strongly from the one-out, one-back position to be a short half-head second to The Miki Taker over 2130m last Friday week.
Paul Edward, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, will start from the No. 5 barrier, and will have many admirers following his stylish first-up victory last Friday week when he trailed the pacemaker and stablemate Hale Saint Louie before finishing fast to win by a length after a final 400m of 27.9sec.
The Kim Prentice-trained Franco Ecuador will be driven by Mitch Miller from barrier three. The smart seven-year-old has raced 17 times for seven wins and five placings. He overraced in the breeze before fading to finish eighth behind Ira Poole over 2130m last Friday night.
“He choked down, and we have made a few changes this week, taking the Dollys off and using a different bit,” said Miller. “If he settles, I think he is as good as any runner in the race. He is not purely a frontrunner, and I can still see him winning.”