Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran pacer Middlepage has sound prospects of ending a sequence of 13 unplaced efforts when he begins from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the opening event, the 2130m Retravision.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Part-owned, trained and driven by Lindsay Harper, the seven-year-old veteran of 109 starts put the writing on the wall three Fridays ago when Lauren Harper drove him into fourth place behind Alta Rhett.
Middlepage began from barrier five and raced three wide early and then in the breeze before taking the lead 450m from home.
From the inside barrier this week Middlepage is sure to have a far less onerous task. He is a good frontrunner, having set the pace at four of his Gloucester Park wins in a career of 109 starts for 18 wins, 21 placings and $188,261 in prizemoney.
His most recent victory was in April this year when he began from the No. 1 barrier and trailed the pacemaker The Code Breaker before finishing solidly to beat Jett Star, rating 1.55.8 over 2130m.
Major Overs (barrier three), Showpony (four) and Mister Macedon (nine) appear his major rivals. Major Overs, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by Maddison Brown, is a speedy beginner who is sure to appreciate a drop in class and has sound claims of breaking through for an overdue success after only one win from his past 27 starts.
The David Young-trained Showpony’s recent efforts have been encouraging, and he also will benefit from a drop in class. He will be driven by Aiden De Campo.
Mister Macedon has struck form for trainer Nathan Turvey with tough all-the-way wins at his past two outings. He will be driven for the first time by Gary Hall Jnr, who replaces Emily Suvaljko, who has a full book of drives at the eight-race program at Albany on Friday night.
Mister Macedon is a dour type of pacer who faces a tough test from the outside barrier.
Goodfellaz, trained by Debra Lewis and to be driven by her husband Chris, looks a star bet when he starts from the No. 1 barrier in the Retravision, For All The Electrical Stuff You Love Pace.
Five-year-old Goodfellaz is a bold frontrunner, as he showed two starts ago when he won by two lengths from Navy Street at a 1.55.5 rate over 2130m.
Then, last Friday night he was most impressive when he began out wide at barrier eight and raced in the breeze throughout before finishing second to the classy Swingband. He finished four lengths ahead of the third placegetter, Rupert Of Lincoln.
Star Casino, placed at his past two starts, will begin from the inside of the back line and should trail Goodfellaz all the way and looks a certain placegetter.