Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Well-bred New Zealand pacer Raven Banner is poised to follow in the footsteps of his half-brother Crusader Banner by winning at his Australian debut when he lines up at barrier two on the front line of the Barbagallo Ferrari Handicap, a stand over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The five-year-old Raven Banner is a five-year-old by Bettors Delight, who will be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond. He arrived in Western Australia eight weeks ago and has not been produced at trials.
He certainly is sure to appreciate a drop in class, considering that at his most recent outing he started off the 20m mark in a 2200m stand at Alexandra Park on October 20 when he lined up against the 55m backmarker Copy That, a $2.4 million earner and winner of 30 races.
Raven Banner ruined his chances by galloping at the start. He raced at the rear and finished last behind Copy That in what was his fourth successive appearance in a stand after racing in mobiles at all his 27 previous starts for six wins at Alexandra Park, one over 1609m and the other five over 2200m.
Raven Banner’s most recent victory was five starts ago when he began from barrier eight and raced at the rear before unwinding a powerful burst to win easily by just over two lengths from Zarias. He then finished third in a 2700m stand at Cambridge, followed by a second and a third placing in 2200m stands at Alexandra Park before his last-start failure.
Raven Banner is out of Caitlin Banner, who produced Crusader Banner (49 starts for 14 wins, 13 in WA, 13 placings and $157,222) and Trojan Banner, a winner of three races in New Zealand, seven in Queensland and 15 in America.
Caitlin Banner is a half-sister to Titan Banner, who raced 46 times for 16 wins, 17 placings and stakes of $340,853. He finished third behind Lazarus and Tiger Tara in the group 1 New Zealand Cup at Addington on November 8, 2016, and beat home Smolda and Christen Me.
Titan Banner won the group 2 2016 Franklin Cup from Christen Me at Alexandra Park and was also successful in three group 3 events as a six-year-old. At his final start he finished second to Vincent in the group 1 Auckland Cup on December 31, 2017.
The Bond stable will be popular with punters on Friday night when, apart from Raven Banner, the stable has excellent prospects with Street Hawk (race one), Socrates (race two), Glenledi Chief and Tenzing Bromac (race four), and Master Yossi (race eight).
Street Hawk, to be driven for the first time by Roberts, should give punters a flying start by winning the opening event, the 2130m Barbagallo Pace, in which he is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 at his first appearance for 14 weeks.
Street Hawk, a winner at seven of his 14 starts, last raced when he began from the back line in the WA Derby on November 4 when he raced in seventh position, four back on the pegs, before he hit a wheel of a rival pacer and broke into a gallop about 400m from home, dropping back to finish eleventh behind Tricky Miki.
Street Hawk’s previous run, in the group 2 Western Gateway, was full of merit. He raced three wide for much of the first lap and then in the breeze before finishing third behind Tricky Miki and Machs Bettor.
Roberts will drive Socrates from the inside of the back line in the 2536m Barbagallo Luxury Cars Pace, and the New Zealand-bred gelding should fight out the finish and prove very hard to beat. He trailed the pacemaker Talks Up A Storm and was badly blocked for a clear run until the final few strides when he surged home to finish a close third behind Mirragon and Hengheng.
Glenledi Chief (Gary Hall Jnr) and Tenzing Bromac (Dylan Egerton-Green) are two of the main chances in the 2536m Barbagallo Land Rover Pace in which Sangue Reale (barrier one) and Handsandwheels (two) are likely to vie for the early lead.
Pinjarra trainer Chris Voak, who has Sangue Reale in top form, is serving a 12-day suspension for causing interference, and he has engaged Chris Lewis to handle the seven-year-old, who finished strongly from seventh at the bell to be fifth behind Diego in the WA Pacing Cup last Friday week.
Sangue Reale, an all-the-way winner over 1730m four starts ago, followed that success with a win over 2130m, beating Pradason and Handsandwheels after racing without cover. And then he completed a hat-trick after racing in the one-out, one-back position before surging home to beat Glenledi Chief over 2130m at a 1.53 rate.
Handsandwheels, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is certain to prove a formidable rival, following his all-the-way success over James Butt, rating 1.58.5 over 2536m last Friday night.
Tenzing Bromac, Glenledi Chief and last week’s all-the-way winner over 1730m, Jack Farthing, cannot be discounted in what should be a very keen contest.