Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Deni Roberts faced a tough decision to choose between driving Kinky or When In Vegas in the opening event, the 2130m Free Entry Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, before being swayed by Kinky’s more favourable barrier and opting to handle the New Zealand-bred four-year-old mare.
Kinky, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the front line, with stablemate When In Vegas, the only other four-year-old in the race, awkwardly drawn at barrier six.
Roberts drove When In Vegas at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night when he began smartly from out wide at barrier seven and gave a solid frontrunning performance to win by a half-length from fast-finishing stablemate Wicked Hustler, rating 1.58.1.
Kyle Symington will handle When In Vegas on Friday night. The WA-bred gelding has had 32 starts for eight wins and ten placings. He has been driven by Roberts for seven of his victories.
When In Vegas impressed with his fast lead time of 36.2sec. on Tuesday night, and he had to be driven hard over the concluding stages to hold out Wicked Hustler.
“After using him early he didn’t have much left in the tank at the end, but I was happy with his run,” said Roberts, who has driven Kinky for all of her six wins.
Kinky disappointed when she was a fading ninth behind Pocket The Change over 2130m last Friday night. She began from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line and raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell and then dropping back in the late stages.
Roberts was swayed in her decision to drive Kinky on Friday night after considering the mare’s strong performance two starts ago when she raced without cover all the way and fought on doggedly to finish a 2m second to her pacemaking stablemate Munroes Mate.
The Bond stable and Roberts have sound winning prospects with Our Crunch Time and Justcallmemiki later on Friday night’s program.
Four-year-old Our Crunch Time will begin from out wide at barrier eight in the 2130m The ONN1 Stakes Pace in which his clash with richly-talented four-year-old mare Fabulous Dream should provide plenty of action.
The lightly-raced Our Crunch Time has resumed after a spell in fine style with his four starts in his current campaign producing a first-up all-the-way victory over Last Hard Copy, seconds to Soho Moonraker and Bettors Pride and a third behind Im Lightning Banner and Ultimate Miki.
“Our Crunch Time looks a good chance,” said Roberts. “This is probably a lesser race than what he has been in.”
Our Crunch Time enjoyed a favourable trip in the one-out, one-back position before being switched three wide 270m from home and fighting to finish third behind Im Lightning Banner last Friday night when the final 800m was covered in 56.2sec.
Fabulous Dream is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2 and the Kevin Keys-trained mare, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, will have many admirers at her first appearance for seven weeks.
“This is a handy field, and I was slightly disappointed with her last-start third (behind Sweet Pins and A Little Silence),” said Keys.
Justcallmemiki, a winner at twelve of his 34 starts, raced in the breeze and was inclined to hang in before fading to sixth behind Hotly Pursued over 2130m three Fridays ago.
“He will start from barrier two on the back line which is a nice draw for him,” said Roberts.