Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ace reinsman Shannon Suvaljko confidently predicts sharp improvement from Sheer Rock Lady when she contests the opening event, the 2130m Nathan, Nat And Shaun Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The WA-bred mare, trained by Ross Olivieri, will start from the No. 3 barrier at her second appearance after a spell, with Suvaljko planning a fast start in a bid to dash to an early lead.
Sheer Rock Lady resumed racing three Fridays ago after a four-month absence when she revealed good early pace from out wide at barrier seven but was unable to cross to the lead. She then worked in the breeze outside the pacemaker Up And Alive before wilting to finish seventh behind that mare.
“I expect her to lead and prove hard to beat,” said Suvaljko. “She is a good horse in front and her trackwork since her first-up run has been good.”
Sheer Rock Lady’s toughest rivals appear certain to be Captain Said So (barrier four) and Captains Creek (barrier five).
Aiden De Campo, who trains and drives Captain Said So, said: “I’m really happy with him and four is a good draw. He has decent gate speed and should be able to find the front. And I think he should go close (to winning).
“At his latest start he came from back in the field and won (scoring by three lengths from Switch Blade over 2185m at Pinjarra last Monday week). His only blemishes, a zero and a ninth in his past five runs, were when he was knocked over and when he galloped after breaking gear.”
Deni Roberts, who will drive Captains Creek for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, expects a solid performance from the gelding who has raced 31 times for eight wins and ten placings.
Captains Creek, who will begin from the No. 5 barrier, ran home strongly from sixth at the bell to finish third behind Hillview Bondi and Full Swing Denario last Tuesday week.
“There’s probably a bit of gate speed (inside of him), but it is not an overly strong field,” said Roberts. “Captains Creek was pretty good last start, and he should get a nice spot and be an each-way chance.”
Full Swing Denario, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, has been placed at his past four starts and will be one of the fancied runners in race two, the 1730m Perth’s No. 1 Brekky Show On Nova 93.7 Pace.
He is handily drawn at barrier three, with Up And Alive, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, expected to be the favourite after drawing ideally at barrier No. 2.
“I give Up And Alive a chance (of winning),” said De Campo. “She is racing very well, and it was a career-best run last start when she finished second (to Poppyonthebeach) in a race for Free-For-All mares.”
Up And Alive ran on from sixth at the bell to finish one length behind the frontrunning Poppyonthebeach, who will start from the outside of the back line in Friday night’s race.
Poppyonthebeach, to be driven by Trent Wheeler for trainer Justin Prentice, is in splendid form with her five starts as a four-year-old producing two wins and three very close second placings.