Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
New Zealand-bred three-year-old Prince Of Pain, the youngest runner in the opening event, the 2130m Sport FM Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, is gradually overcoming his nervous disposition and has excellent prospects of breaking through for is second win at his 14TH start in a race.
He has drawn perfectly at barrier one, which has a remarkable success rate in race one at Gloucester Park in the past couple of years.
“I have always had a bit of an opinion of him,” said co-trainer Greg Bond. “He is a late maturer, and coming to the races he gets nervous and agitated. But he is gradually getting better.”
Prince Of Pain has had 13 starts for one win and seven placings. He led and won easily over 1684m at Pinjarra four starts ago and was an unlucky fourth behind Bettors Arcade over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
He raced four back on the pegs in seventh and last position, and was still last on the home turn, hopelessly blocked for a clear run. He went to the line full of running.
Prince Of Pain will be handled by his regular driver Deni Roberts, who has an important knowledge of one of the gelding’s most serious rivals Gully Gum, who will be driven by Mitch Miller from the No. 2 barrier.
Roberts has driven the Bob Mellsop-trained Gully Gum six times for two wins and four placings. Gully Gum has raced ten times for five wins and four placings. His latest run was full of merit, when he worked hard in the breeze throughout and fought on grandly to be a one metre second to Insta Gator over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
Frisky Styx (barrier three) and Cold Hard Cash (barrier four) are other runners with sound credentials. Kyle Symington will drive Frisky Styx for trainer Ryan Bell.
The New Zealand-bred Frisky Styx, a winner at four of his ten starts, will be resuming after a spell. He won at his only two starts in New Zealand, at Winton and Invercargill in May and June last year.
“Last year (as a three-year-old) we found that he had an abscess in his throat,” said Bell. “It kept recurring and it affected his final performance last year (when he finished last behind Holy Hecka over 2536m on December 8).
“His work since returning has been top notch, so we are expecting a good preparation from him.”
Cold Hard Cash, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is a handy performer who has raced 37 times for seven wins, 15 placings and $53,508 in stakes. He has resumed after a spell in fine style with wins at two starts at Gloucester Park last month before finishing third behind Im Lord Logan over 2100m at Bunbury last Saturday night when he raced three wide early and then in the breeze.
“He has come back a lot better horse than he was last time in,” said De Campo.
An interesting runner in Friday night’s race is the Katja Warwick-trained Rascal, who will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green. Rascal, who has earned $133,570 from 13 wins and eleven placings from 50 starts, should relish a considerable drop-in class and is capable of causing an upset.
Linebacker, trained by Barry Howlett, will be driven by Chris Voak from the No. 2 barrier on the back line. He took the lead in the middle stages and won by five lengths from Sanford Harry over 2100m at Bunbury at his most recent appearance, on May 4. “He looks my best bet at the meeting,” said Voak.