Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran superstar pacer Magnificent Storm looks set to notch an important milestone, his 50th victory, by proving the master of his ten rivals in the $31,000 Vale Roselyn MacKinnon Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Under the preferential barrier draw conditions, Magnificent Storm will line up on the outside of the front line, and the Ray Williams-trained nine-year-old should prove too fast and too strong for the opposition which includes former sensational juvenile Never Ending, top-flight mare Penny Black and successful Free-For-All performer Bettors Pride.
Aiden De Campo will weigh up his options at the start, whether to launch Magnificent Storm out of the gate or to restrain him and wait for the opportune moment to dash him forward and take the lead or sit outside the pacemaker.
Adding interest to the race will be the appearance of former star juvenile performer Never Ending, who will begin out wide at barrier eight at his first start for five weeks, since he resumed after a seven-month absence and finished eighth behind Bettors Pride in the 2536m Winter Cup.
The Justin Prentice-trained Never Ending, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, has won at 16 of his 33 starts, with his most recent success coming on July 26, 2024, when he beat Talks Up A Storm in a 1730m Free-For-All.
The Michael Young-trained Penny Black will line up at barrier seven for driver Emily Suvaljko at her first appearance for four months. The six-year-old has been working attractively and Young is aiming to have her at her peak for the rich feature events for mares later in the year.
New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Lucca is on the comeback trail, and trainer Dan Walsh has the American Ideal gelding fit and ready to return to the winning list. He will start from the No. 5 barrier in the RAC Members Pace over 2130m, and Toby Lynn is expected to make good use of his excellent early speed in a bid to set the pace.
Lucca also began from barrier five in a 2130m event last Friday night when he raced without cover throughout and fought on grandly to finish a close second to the pacemaker Soho Shakedown.