Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding driver Deni Roberts has given punters a valuable lead by choosing to handle Ideal Agent ahead of the brilliant Minstrel in the Westbred Is The Way Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Roberts has driven Minstrel nine times for five wins, including convincing victories at his past three starts.
Minstrel and Ideal Agent are prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, with Ideal Agent drawing barrier five in Friday night’s event, and Minstrel out wide at the No. 8 barrier.
Ideal Agent reappeared after a 13-month absence at Gloucester Park three Fridays ago when Roberts drove him with supreme confidence, dashing forward from barrier four in a field of five to race without cover while the odds-on favourite Talks Up A Storm was setting the pace.
Ideal Agent got to the front 60m from the post and won by 2m from Talks Up A Storm, rating 1.55.7 over the 2130m journey, with final quarters of 27.5sec. and 28.1sec. That was the third time Roberts had driven Ideal Agent in a race, following a third and a fifth placing in 2022.
Stuart McDonald has been engaged to drive Minstrel, with another stablemate Galactic Star to be handled by Dylan Egerton-Green from the outside barrier in the field of nine.
Minstrel has earned $751,807 from 21 wins from 56 starts, with Ideal Agent winning at 17 of his 58 starts for stakes of $259,496.
Rascal, Chal Patch and Ima Fivestar General will begin from the three inside barriers, and are in splendid form, while the talented and lightly-raced Finvarra will be resuming after a spell for champion trainer Gary Hall Snr and will be handled by Gary Hall Jnr from out wide at barrier seven.
Finvarra, whose 31 starts have produced 13 wins, nine seconds and three thirds for stakes of $244,101, will add considerable interest to the race.
One of the most exciting events in prospect on Friday night will be the 2130m Garrard’s Horse And Hound Pace in which Hotly Pursued will clash with Jawsoflincoln, The Miki Taker, Soho Santorini and Alcopony.
Four-year-old Hotly Pursued, trained by Murray Lindau, is the youngest runner in the race and has the advantage of starting from the No. 1 barrier, with Kyle Harper sure to be anxious to set the pace.
Hotly Pursued started from barrier five in a race over 2130m last Friday week and settled down in seventh position before dashing forward, three wide to the breeze at the bell and wilting slightly to finish fourth behind the pacemaker Soho Santorini, who sprinted over the final 800m in 55.8sec.
That followed wins at each of Hotly Pursued’s three previous starts. He will need to be at the top of his game this week to keep the talented opposition at bay.
The Justin Prentice-trained Jawsoflincoln will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr and should prove extremely hard to beat, despite the disadvantage of beginning from the outside (No. 9) on the front line.
Jawsoflincoln was most impressive in winning the 1730m Nights Of Thunder last Friday week when he raced in sixth position before charging home from fifth, four wide, on the home turn to beat the pacemaker Chal Patch, with final quarters of 27.78sec. and 26.88sec.
Aiden De Campo’s The Miki Taker made a wonderful return to racing last Friday night when he worked hard in the breeze before taking the lead 100m from home and then being beaten by a half-head by the fast-finishing Flying Rumour, rating 1.55.9 over 2130m.
Soho Santorini is in peak form, with four wins and a second (to Hotly Pursued) from his five starts this year, and Alcopony continues to race in grand style for trainer Kevin Keys.