Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Several promising three-year-olds will clash in the $21,000 7News Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with outstanding driver Deni Roberts expecting a strong showing from the Greg and Skye Bond-trained gelding Tualou.
Tualou will start from the No. 5 barrier at his second appearance after a spell, and Roberts said: “He raced in the breeze, and I didn’t want to give him too tough a run first-up (when he finished second to My Watchlist on Tuesday of last week).
“He should be a lot better for that run, and from barrier five he should be able to get a helmet.”
Alta Tribute (barrier four), Menemsha (barrier nine), My Silver Spoon (barrier two) and Artful Major (barrier seven) will have many admirers.
“It’s not a great draw but I’ve been very happy with Menemsha,” said trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. “He will go back from the draw and hopefully he will run over the top of them.
“His trial was good (over 2185m at Pinjarra on September 11 when he won by seven lengths from Insta Gator, rating 1.57.2 after final quarters of 28.5sec. and 27.4sec.) and he was really good when a close second to Worlds Above in the Battle Of Bunbury last Saturday night. And he worked well this morning (Tuesday).”
The Peter Anderson-trained Worlds Above notched his ninth win from 33 starts when he trailed the pacemaker before finishing strongly along the sprint lane to win the Battle Of Bunbury. He will again be driven by Trent Wheeler and should figure in the finish after starting from the prized No. 1 barrier.
Alta Tribute, trained by Gary Hall Snr, goes into the race with a perfect record of three wins from three starts at Gloucester Park. “It’s a good race,” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. “Alta Tribute is going pretty good and seems to be getting better.”
The New Zealand-bred My Silver Spoon has won very easily for trainer-reinsman Chris Voak at his first two starts in WA, and he is favourably drawn at barrier two. “He will give a good account of himself, and this will be a good test for him,” said Voak. “He worked well this morning (Tuesday).”
Artful Major, trained and driven by Justin Prentice, has won at five of his 13 starts. He is capable of considerable improvement after his sixth in the Battle Of Bunbury when he raced wide early and then worked hard in the breeze.
After contesting race one on the 12-event program with Tualou, Roberts has several good each-way prospects, including Vegas Strip (race two), Heavenly Wage (race four), Captainshavtime (race five), Carana (race seven) and Hold That Gold (race eleven).
The best of those drives appears to be Carana and Hold That Gold, with Roberts opting to handle Carana ahead of Rattlin Lilly in The Chase Pace.
Carana, who has won at three of his past four starts, will begin from the outside barrier in the field of eight, with Rattlin Lilly, a winner at four of her past six starts, at barrier No. 7. Rattlin Lilly will be driven by Stuart McDonald.
“It was a hard choice, but I chose Carana because he is probably just the next class up from Rattlin Lilly,” explained Roberts.
Looming as a major danger to the Bond-trained pair is trainer-reinsman Gary Hall junior’s Solesseo Matuca, who will begin from barrier four.
“Solesseo Matuca is consistent, and he can win if he puts his best foot forward,” said Hall. “It could be a case of handlebars down, and I’d like to see if he can hold them all out at the start.”
Hold That Gold, trained by Bob Mellsop, is in top form with his ten starts in his current campaign producing six wins, three seconds and a seventh placing. He will start from the 10m mark in the Better Homes And Gardens Trot, a stand over 2503m.
Hold That Gold has finished second to Michael Munro’s sprightly eight-year-old trotter Nickys Son at his past two starts. “He had a hard run in the breeze when beaten by Nickys Son at his latest start,” said Roberts.