Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Five-year-old Me Flash excels as a frontrunner, and he has an excellent record from the No. 1 barrier, with six of his ten wins coming from that favourable position.
Trainer-reinsman Shane Steele produced Me Flash in fine fettle for his first-up assignment, after a two-month absence, when he was a $7.70 chance in the 1730m The West Australian Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I didn’t think he was a hundred per cent, but I was confident he could lead and win,” said Steele. “He is a different horse when he leads; he grows another leg.”
Me Flash was beaten out at the start by the $2.90 second favourite Soho Firestone but was able to kick through on the inside to deny that pacer, who then was forced to work in the breeze for the rest of the race.
Soho Firestone fought on tigerishly and failed by a head to get up and beat Me Flash, who rated 1.55 after final quarters of 28sec. and 28.2sec.
“He is not a very strong horse, and he hasn’t done particularly well when I have used him up from a wide barrier and tried to take him around,” said Steele. “He is much better in front and doesn’t like a horse to run past him.”
Me Flash has led from barrier one and won three times at Pinjarra and three times at Gloucester Park. He has earned $92,407 from ten wins and 13 placings from 66 starts.
Me Flash’s elder half-sister Stormyskyes caught the eye later in Friday night’s program when she was a $91 chance from out wide at barrier nine in the seventh event and was a clear last in the field of twelve on the home turn before surging home, out four wide, to finish an eye-catching fifth behind Castella Dellacqua.