Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Glamour pacer Pinny Tiger will resume racing after a 12-week absence when he begins from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the $31,000 Media Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he showed that he is ready for a strong first-up performance with an effortless trial win at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago.
The seven-year-old’s regular reinsman Chris Voak did not use the gelding’s brilliant gate speed in the five-horse trial, and was content to let him settle in last place in the Indian file trial before sending him forward with 700m to travel.
Pinny Tiger, who paced kindly throughout the trial, got to the front 300m later and was not extended in winning by three lengths from Callmewhatuwant, rating 1.58, with the final four 400m sections being run in 29.8sec., 29.5sec., 28.8sec. and 27.5sec.
Voak will have options on Friday night when he will decide between racing with a sit before asking Pinny Tiger to unwind a powerful finishing burst, or whether to attempt to steel a march on the gelding’s rivals by using his dazzling gate speed.
Pinny Tiger, part-owned and trained by Michael Brennan, has won at 20 of his 54 starts. He has been freshened up since he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier in the 2536m WA Pacing Cup early last November but ruined his chances by pulling hard and fading badly over the final 500m to finish a distant last.
His clash with exciting six-year-old Swingband promises to be a highlight of the ten-event program. Swingband, trained by Ryan Bell and driven by Kyle Symington, will start out wide at barrier No. 8. He should be close to his top after two excellent runs at his two appearances after a spell.
He raced outside the pacemaker Lavra Joe before wilting to fourth behind that star pacer over 2536m last Friday night, and he also worked hard without cover when a first-up neck second to Hampton Banner over 2130m two weeks earlier.
Machnificent (barrier seven) and Dalvey Robyn (barrier five) will also have admirers. The Katja Warwick-trained Machnificent, driven by Stuart McDonald, enjoyed a perfect trail in the one-out, one-back position before running home strongly, out wide, to finish second to Lavra Joe last Friday night.
Dalvey Robyn, trained and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, impressed in winning a 2185m trial at Byford on Sunday morning. Recent placings behind Goodfellaz, Ventura and High Price were pointers to better things to come.
Brennan will be bringing a team of five from his Coolup stables to Gloucester Park, with Art Major colt Xpress Party having bright prospects in the $23,000 GPHR Tipping Comp Winner Trent Cooper Summer Series 0-2 Win final.
Xpress Party, to be driven by Hall, reappeared after a four-month absence in fine style with a splendid victory over Kinsaabi on Tuesday of last week. He began out wide at barrier eight and settled at the rear before dashing forward, three wide, to be fifth at the bell and then taking the lead 450m from home and winning at a 1.56.9 rate over 2130m.
One of Xpress Party’s chief rivals appears certain to be his stablemate My Hammer Down, to be handled by Voak. My Hammer Down has made most of the running at his two most recent outings for easy wins at Bunbury and Northam.
Brennan’s other runners on Friday night are Sea Fury (race two) and Cassini Belle (race nine). Sea Fury, to be driven by Maddison Brown, is favourably drawn at barrier two in the GPHR Tipping Comp Third Place Ken Casellas Summer Series NR up to 60 final over 2130m and has each-way prospects after placings at Pinjarra and Bunbury at his past two outings.
Cassini Belle, to be driven by Voak, should be prominent from the No. 1 barrier in the Allwood Stud Summer Series 0-1 final for fillies and mares.