Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Smart six-year-old Sangue Reale will have many admirers when he resumes racing at Gloucester Park on Friday night after an absence of seven months.
The Art Major gelding is now trained by Chris Voak, who has engaged Kyle Symington to drive him when he starts from the outside barrier in the field of seven in the 2536m Freshest Hits And Throwbacks on Nova Pace.
Voak has driven Sangue Reale in two recent trials in which the gelding has impressed with spirited performances. He set the pace against modest opposition in an eight-horse field over 2100m at Bunbury on Wednesday of last week, and he romped home with final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 27.7sec. to beat 12-year-old Captain Proud by 21 lengths, rating 1.56.4.
In a 2185m trial at Pinjarra the previous week Sangue Reale raced in the breeze and finished a head second to Miss Boudica, rating 1.58.8.
Sague Reale is sure to appreciate a drop in class and is capable of a bold first-up showing. He is well remembered as the horse who won the group 1 Four-Year-Old Classic in November 2019 on protest after finishing a nose by Shockwave. At his next start he finished third behind Shockwave in the group 1 Golden Nugget.
One of Sangue Reale’s opponents is promising four-year-old Orlando Blue, who is also resuming after a spell. Orlando Blue is a winner at eight of his 33 starts. He will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr for trainer Michael Young.
Orlando Blue will start from the No. 3 barrier, with his stablemate and last-start winner Moonlite Drive to be handled by Maddison Brown from barrier six.
One of the best bets on the ten-event program is Little Darling, who has the ability to overcome an awkward draw at barrier seven in the Smooth FM Perth On Digital Radio Pace.
Little Darling, to be driven by Chris Lewis, for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, is overdue for a change of fortune. She was extremely unlucky last Friday night when she enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position but was badly blocked for a clear run until she got into the clear 250m from home. She then surged home, out four wide, to finish an unlucky second to the pacemaker Rockmyster.
Her eight runs in her current campaign have resulted in six seconds, one second and one third placing. This week she should bounce back to winning form.