Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Speedy frontrunner Rascal enhanced his prospects of gaining a start in the upcoming rich feature events for four-year-olds when he set a solid pace and scored a decisive victory in the Michael Young Pacing Stables Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His win at $14.50 followed his all-the-way victory over Kimble a fortnight earlier and took his record to 20 starts for ten wins, six placings and stakes of $78,948.
Tenzing Bromac was the $1.90 favourite from barrier No. 2, and he led by a neck from the polemarker Rascal before breaking into a gallop after about ten metres and dropping back through the field.
Part-owner and trainer Katja Warwick attempted to cure Rascal’s bad habit of hanging in by making gear changes, adding a nearside lugging pole and a nearside Murphy blind. The Captaintreacherous gelding still showed an inclination to hang in, but Chris Lewis handled him with great skill to enable him to negotiate the 804m track with in capable fashion.
Tenzing Bromac settled in sixth position and Ryan Warwick sent him forward with a three-wide burst with 700m to travel. He sustained a strong effort to get within a neck of Rascal on the home turn and battle on doggedly to finish just under a length behind Rascal, who rated 1.57.2 over the 2130m.
Warwick also has another contender for the $50,000 Four-Year-Old Championship (November 18), the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic (December 2) and the $$200,000 Golden Nugget (December 16) in Machnificent, who started from the outside of the back line in Friday night’s event, raced three back on the pegs in fourth position before charging home, out six wide, to finish an eye-catching fifth after being last 100m from home.
Other four-year-olds Ragazzo Mach and Ima Rockabilly Rebel also impressed with powerful finishing bursts. Ragazzo Mach, having his first start for four months, was badly checked and broke into a gallop at the start, losing six or seven lengths. He was tenth and last at the bell.