Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Shannon Suvaljko, Western Australia’s leading reinsman in the 1917-18 season and winner of 122 races this season, faces a busy evening at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he will be in action in all ten events.
“I reckon I’ve got a lot of good drives, and I think that my best chances are in the first two races, with Medieval Man in the first and Rock Me Over in the second,” he said.
“Rock Me Over (trained by Matt Scott) is my best drive. He has been racing in Free-For-Alls this season and has dropped down in grade a couple of times. He likes running along, and I can see him running a big race.”
Rock Me Over is a nine-year-old veteran of 145 starts for 22 wins and 49 placings. And he has bright prospects of ending a losing sequence of 15, stretching back to last April.
He will start from barrier three on Friday night and Suvaljkjo will be aiming to win the start and then dictate terms in front.
Rock Me Over began from barrier six in a 2536m event last Friday night when he worked hard for the first 700m before getting to the front. He wilted in the home straight and finished second to rank outsider Disco Under Fire.
Rock Me Over’s main rival looms as the former Victorian performer Rupert Of Lincoln, who is trained by Ross Olivieri and will be driven by Chris Voak from out wide at barrier eight.
Rupert Of Lincoln made an encouraging WA debut in a 2130m event last Friday night when he began from the No. 1 barrier, was beaten for early speed, raced three back on the pegs and did not get clear until the closing stages, when he finished strongly to be third behind Rockaball and Joe With The Flow.
“He never got the chance to be wound up,” said trainer Ross Olivieri. “He should be improved by the run and is a each-way chance.”
Chris Voak said he was looking forwards to driving Rupert Of Lincoln, saying: “He didn’t show much gate speed last week, but he’s got some strength. At his best, he will run a mighty race. He is a good chance and I think he is stronger than he is fast.”
Nathan Turvey’s The White Rabbit also will have admirers. He will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from the No. 2 barrier on the back line. He led when a winner two starts ago, and then ran home solidly to finish third behind Mirragon and Alice Kay.
“It will be tricky where he ends up,” said Suvaljko. “If he had drawn to lead, he probably would’ve just led and won. There looks to be plenty of early speed from the one, two and three runners, and I should be able to put The White Rabbit into the race at some stage.”
Medieval Man will be having his first start for seven weeks when he begins from barrier two in the second event on the program, and Shannon Suvaljko said he was sure to prove hard to beat.
“He is working well, and Kiara (trainer Kiara Davies) said that he has come back better than he has ever done,” said Suvaljko. “He is really quick off the arm, and I expect he will be able to hold Thereugo.”
Thereugo, a noted speedy beginner, will start from the No. 6 barrier and Lindsay Harper is expected to use the veteran gelding’s early speed to advantage.
Polemarker Blue Blazer and Alta Rhett (barrier three) are in good form and cannot be underestimated, while Double Expresso, drawn out wide at barrier nine, is capable of causing an upset.