Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
A flying finish by Menemsha into fourth place behind Hugotastic last Friday night delighted trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo, who is confident the four-year-old will win the $29,000 Westside Auto Wholesalers Memorial Day Stakes over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Menemsha began out wide at barrier seven last week and he was last in the field of nine at the bell before he thundered home to finish fourth after dashing over the final 400m sections in 27.18sec. and 28sec.
“He will start from barrier five and he should be able to find the front this week, and if he does, he will be hard to beat,” said De Campo.
“It was a super run last week, and his previous form was really good.” A week earlier Menemsha set the pace from the No. 2 barrier and finished an excellent second to up-and-coming star Justcallmemiki.
Menemsha’s clash with Golden Lode should be one of the highlights of the night’s pacing. Golden Lode, the only other four-year-old in the field, will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line at his first outing since he finished with a powerful burst to be third behind Brickies Dream in the Christmas Gift last December.
Golden Lode, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, won at his two previous starts in which he covered a lot of extra ground, beating Vegas Strip at a 1.56.4 rate over 2130m and then beating The Beaudster and Tualou in the 2130m San Simeon Pace, rating 1.55.2.
“Golden Lode is pretty classy and is forward enough to fight out the finish,” said his driver Deni Roberts. “I’m excited to have him back. It’s not a great draw for him, first-up, but his work at home has been very good.”
Another Bond-trained pacer who will be resuming after a spell on Friday night is the New Zealand-bred Lusaka, who will start from the outside of the back line in the $31,000 TABtouch Parliamentarians Cup over 2536m.
The five-year-old Lusaka boasts a splendid record of 37 starts for 14 wins and 16 placings for stakes of $235,727. He last raced when he finished third behind Lavra Joe in a 2130m Free-For-All on December 27. He was placed at his four previous outings, twice behind Mister Smartee.
“Lusaka has been working with Golden Lode, and he meets horses with good form, first-up, when I probably will drive him quietly,” said Roberts.
One of his main rivals is likely to be New Zealand-bred eight-year-old Prince Of Pleasure, who will begin from the No. 1 barrier, with Gary Hall Jnr in the sulky.
Prince Of Pleasure should appreciate a drop in class after being unplaced behind star pacers Mister Smartee and Catch A Wave at his two runs this month after resuming racing following a 17-month absence. He has raced only 41 times for 15 wins and nine placings.