Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper is leaving nothing to chance in his bid to win the $200,000 Golden Nugget on Friday week with talented four-year-old OK Boomer, and he has chosen a 2503m standing-start event, the Catalano Truck and Equipment Sales Handicap at Gloucester Park as an ideal lead-up for the Group 1 feature.
This will be OK Boomer’s first appearance in a stand in WA which has seen him shine with three wins and a third placing from five outings in mobile events. He is handily drawn at barrier three on the front line.
His only stand in his 34-start career of ten wins and 11 placings was over 2647m at Albion Park on April 27 this year when he began smoothly from the No. 1 barrier on the front line before breaking into a fierce gallop after 20m and dropping back to last before finishing sixth.
“I have put him in the stand to make sure he will be able to handle the 2536m trip in the Nugget,” said Harper. “He is a sensible horse and should step away all right, and if he gets away, he will be hard to beat.”
OK Boomer has raced once over 2536m, and that was four starts ago, on October 8 when he began from the No. 7 barrier and raced wide early before enjoying an ideal trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win from Henwood Bay.
Chris Voak trains and drives Rock Artist, and he is looking for a strong performance from the four-year-old, who will begin from barrier four on the front line.
Rock Artist is a sound performer, whose nine starts in stands have produced five wins, two seconds, one third and one seventh (when blocked for a run). In July and August this year Rock Artist finished second to Carana in feature standing-start events, the 2503m BOTRA Cup and the 3309m Marathon.
Rock Artist has been unplaced at his past three appearances in feature mobile events for four-year-olds in November and he should appreciate a drop in class, apart from OK Boomer. He was an $81 outsider at his most recent outing when he raced three back on the pegs and finished a well-beaten sixth behind Mister Smartee in the Group 2 Four-Year-Old Classic at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
“He was slightly disappointing,” said Voak. “He pulled up like a whale, and I think that was because of a training error. I expect him to be a lot sharper this week.”
OK Boomer and Rock Artist are likely to receive plenty of opposition from the Kim Prentice-trained frontmarker Soho Santorini, whose recent form in stands has been excellent.
The well-performed Blitzembye, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, will begin from the 20m mark at his first appearance for almost seven months.
Two starts ago, he finished eighth behind Catch A Wave in the $1.2 million Nullarbor slot race at Gloucester Park, and he is sure to appreciate an enormous drop in class on Friday night.
“Blitzembye has been out for a long time, and may need the run,” said Reed. “However, the small field will help him, and he has an each-way chance.”