Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Four-year-old Mister Linton is the youngest runner in the Catalano Truck And Equipment Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night — and with a record of 14 starts, he is easily the most inexperienced pacer in the field.
He will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed and will start from the inside of the back line in the 2130m event.
He resumed after a seven-month absence last Friday night when he began from the No. 4 barrier and after settling down in the one-out, one-back position he was shuffled back to seventh at the bell. He then caught the eye when he surged home, out four wide with a powerful late burst to finish second to the pacemaker Tubbs Farquhar.
On Friday night Mister Linton will start immediately behind the polemarker Seeknyoushallfind, a 12-year-old who has a losing sequence of 77. The most recent time he has set the pace was when Deni Roberts drove him from barrier three at Kellerberrin 104 starts ago, on September 30, 2018, when he finished a well-beaten third behind Rousey.
Mindful of this Suvaljko is likely to attempt to get Mister Linton off the pegs soon after the start instead of following Seeknyoushallfind, a veteran of 222 starts who will be handled by Roberts.
Roberts drove Seeknyoushallfind on Tuesday of last week when he began from the No. 1 barrier and was beaten for early speed by Disco Under Fire, who surged straight to the front from barrier No. 3. Seeknyoushallfind trailed Disco Under Fire and battled on to finish third behind him after final quarters of 29.1sec. and 28.5sec.
Mister Linton has won at two of his 14 starts and looks hard to beat, with his most serious rival likely to be the David Simmonds-trained five-year-old Luke Attack, who will be handled by Gary Hall Jnr from the No. 4 barrier. Luke Attack has good gate speed and he led from barrier one when finishing a head second to Richie Reactor over 2130m at Gloucester Park four starts ago.
Three starts before that Luke Attack led from barrier one and won from Bealawyer and Sweet Lucifer, rating 1.57.5 over 2130m, with final quarters of 27.9sec. and 28.7sec.
The Reed-Suvaljko combination is sure to be popular with punters. Apart from Mister Linton, Reed and Suvaljko will combine forces with Hoppys Way (barrier one; race three), Blitzembye (barrier three; race four), Bee Jays Boy (barrier five; race seven), Cabsav (barrier five; race eight) and Water Lou (barrier one; race ten).
Water Lou, a winner at ten of her 14 starts, will be a hot favourite in the Catalano Truck And Equipment Sales Pace, even against the quality filly Xceptional Arma, whose easy last-start victory over Lenora Jane and Copy Cat Queen improved her record to eleven wins and five placings from 20 starts.
Xceptional Arma, trained by Colin Brown and to be driven by Maddison Brown, will begin from the No. 3 barrier, with Water Lou having a significant advantage, starting from the No. 1 barrier.
Water Lou had a tough run in the breeze outside Xceptional Arma before winning the $50,000 Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies three Fridays ago. Outsider The Swindler finished second, with Xceptional Arma wilting to third.
Hoppys Way is a smart frontrunner who should make a bold bid for a first-up victory from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m SEFS You Name It, We Fund It Pace.