Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr describes New Zealand-bred four-year-old Master Publisher as “a bit of a basket case, but with plenty of ability” and he gives the gelding a good each-way chance in the opening event, the 2536m Intersport Slater Gartrell Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is a troubled horse, but when he gets going, he’ll probably string a few (wins) together,” he said. “He has a good draw (barrier two), and the distance of the race brings us into it against the likely leader Poisedtopounce from barrier one.”
Master Publisher was a $41 outsider from barrier seven in a 2130m event last Friday night when he finished solidly from seventh at the bell to be a well-beaten fourth behind the brilliant Matai Geordie.
Poisedtopounce deserves to be a short-priced favourite. He revealed excellent gate speed to set the pace and win easily over 2130m at two of his past three starts. He raced three back on the pegs and did not threaten danger when a last-start fifth behind Matai Geordie.
Maddison Brown, who has driven Manning and Longreach Bay to victory in the past week, has chosen to handle the Justin Prentice-trained Manning, who will start from the No. 6 barrier. Dylan Egerton-Green has been engaged to drive Longreach Bay (barrier two on the back line) for part-owner and trainer Peter King.
Manning raced in the breeze before getting up to snatch a nose victory over the frontrunning Im Rocknroll Magic in a 2130m event last Friday night.
Prentice said that Brown had told him that Manning travelled much better in the breeze where he seems to be so much more switched on. “It’s a tricky draw this week,” said Prentice.
Longreach Bay set the pace and won in good style at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening when he dawdled through the lead time in 39.9sec. and the opening quarter in a very slow 33.1sec. before sprinting over the final 400m in 27.5sec. He faces a tougher assignment from the back line on Friday night.
The third event, over 2536m, appears likely to develop into a duel between the speedy frontrunner Rakasinc and My Carbon Copy, who is resuming after an absence of five months.
Rakasinc, trained by Nathan Turvey and driven by Emily Suvaljko, looks certain to lead from the No. 2 barrier and will take plenty of catching. He led but was inclined to overrace over 2130m last Friday night when he sped over the final 800m in 55.1sec. when second to the fast-finishing Thomson Bay.
Gary Hall Snr trains five-year-old My Carbon Copy, whose 33 starts have produced ten wins and 14 placings. “He has done a lot of work and is probably working better than last time in (when he had 11 starts for one win and seven placings),” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr.
“I expect Rakasinc will lead and prove hard to beat. He likes to roll along, so they’ll probably run a good mile rate. With My Carbon Copy racing first-up I will have to look after him early and find a spot. We expect him to win a few races in this preparation.”
By Ken Casellas