Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Talented driver Deni Roberts has given punters a valuable lead by electing to handle Lusaka in preference to Carana in the Smooth FM Perth On Digital Radio Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Both pacers are prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond and look set to dominate the 2503m standing-start event.
They will begin from the 10m mark, with Dylan Egerton-Green to drive the six-year-old Carana, a standing-start specialist with a record of 19 starts (18 in stands for nine wins). Roberts drove Carana from 20m in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon when he was eighth (and last) at the bell before fighting on tenaciously, out wide, to get up in the final couple of strides and win narrowly from Hes Royal Blue, with final quarters of 28.5sec. and 28.9sec.
Lusaka, a three-year-old up against older and more experienced rivals, will be making his first appearance in a stand after his 18 runs in mobiles have produced 11 wins and four placings.
Lusaka qualified to contest a stand when he began smoothly from the extreme outside in a field of three in a standing-start trial at Pinjarra early in September.
He started from the outside barrier in a field of eight last Friday night when he was restrained at the start and was in last place with 300m to travel before running home strongly, out five wide, to finish fourth behind Hillview Bondi in a 2130m mobile event.
Toughest for Lusaka and Carana to beat is likely to be the Jemma Hayman-trained Extraordinary Mary, who notched her eighth win when she set the pace in a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park last Friday week and won in fine style from American Bullitt.