Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ace trainer Michael Young indicated a change of tactics for Hugotastic when he appears after a two-month absence from out wide at barrier seven in the 2130m Trotsynd Syndicate No. 29 Shares Available Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Hugotastic, a lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old, disappointed as an odds-on favourite at his two most recent outings in January when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) in both events and was driven aggressively before fading badly to be eighth behind Codename Marcus and tenth behind Lincoln River.
He charged forward at the start, out three wide, and was forced to work hard outside the pacemaker Arma Believer before dropping back to the rear in the race won by Codename Marcus, and then two weeks later he was restrained to the rear before dashing forward after 950m to move to the outside of the frontrunning Northview Dance and then fading badly to finish last, ten lengths behind Lincoln River.
Young said that he would instruct Emily Suvaljko to drive Hugotastic with a sit on Friday night. “We over-drove him a few times earlier this year, and that was his undoing,” said Young. “We have to back off on how tough we drive him, so we will drive him sit-kick.
“He is a fast horse, a bit like Lincoln Lou, who goes back in his races and gets past a lot of horses late. Hugotastic has a lot of speed which enables him to get out of trouble.”
Two pacers seeking to end a worrying losing sequence look set to fight out the finish of the final event, the 1730m Park at Gloucester Park Pace. They are Ideal Interest and Hi Sugar Rush.
Ideal Interest, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for Pinjarra trainer Russell Eddy, has a losing sequence of 15, and Hi Sugar Rush, who will be having his first start for trainer-reinsman Chris Voak, has a losing sequence of 14.
Ideal Interest is better drawn at barrier two, while Hi Sugar Rush will begin out wide at barrier seven in the field of eight. Ideal Interest began from the No. 5 barrier in a 2130m event last Friday night before he made a lightning mid-race move to challenge the pacemaker Il Bandito with 1300m to travel. But he was unable to get to the front and was left in the breeze before wilting to finish seventh behind The Wand Waver.
Four days earlier Ideal Interest set the pace in a 2185m event at Pinjarra and was swamped in the closing stages to finish sixth in a blanket finish, less than a length from the winner Leavemeamessage.
Hi Suga Rush has recently changed stables and is expected to perform strongly at his first appearance for six weeks. At his most recent outing he raced wide early and then in the breeze before wilting to finish sixth behind Fly To The Finish over 2130m.