Outstanding filly Black Jack Baby, a brilliant all-the-way winner last Friday night, will be seen in a different role when she starts from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the 2130m Tokyo Olympics On Seven Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She will be driven very conservatively and will be saved for one sharp sprint over the final 400 metres,” said star reinsman Chris Voak.
“If we get a helmet to follow into the race it will be perfect. If no-one makes the move, we won’t be making the move until late. She raced very well in front last week and Shane (owner-trainer Shane Quadrio) wanted to race her again before the WA Oaks (on April 9).
“This is the sort of run she needs to have to fit in for the campaign. Unfortunately, she has drawn badly (under the conditions for the race), and she won’t be making her own luck.”
However, Black Jack Baby, who possesses wonderful gate speed and is a proven frontrunner, also is capable of unwinding a dazzling finishing burst and she should prove extremely hard to beat on Friday night. Her chief rivals appear likely to be Newsy, Always An Angel and Unconditional.
Newsy, prepared by Greg and Skye Bond, will start from the No. 6 barrier with Dylan Egerton-Green in the sulky. She impressed, second-up after a spell, when she enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before sprinting fast with a 27.5sec. final quarter to win by more than three lengths from the pacemaker Royal Essence over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. That was her fourth win from six starts.
Newsy’s smart stablemate Unconditional (Ryan Warwick) is better drawn at barrier four. She possesses good gate speed and is likely to lead or settle in a favourable forward position. She raced in the breeze before winning over 2242m at Narrogin three starts ago and followed that with a head second to Sound Wave over 2185m at Pinjarra after setting the pace and a wilting fourth behind Black Jack Baby last Friday week after setting the pace.
Always An Angel was a splendid first-up winner four starts ago when she scored narrowly from Black Jack Baby, but she has been slightly disappointing at her following three starts when fifth behind Rumour Has It, fourth behind Altamatum and third behind Black Jack Baby.
By Ken Casellas