Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Soho Seraphine is sure to have derived considerable benefit from her first-up performance when a close-up fourth behind Acharne Girl in the group 3 Kerry Clarke Pace last week and is poised to make amends by winning the $30,000 Nova 93.7 Lewis Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She is favourably drawn at barrier two and Mitch Miller is expected to make a determined bid to get to an early lead and then dictate terms in front with the four-year-old mare who has set the pace in five of her eight victories.
Last Friday night when having her first start for 15 weeks Soho Seraphine was smartest to begin from the No. 1 barrier and then had to fend off an early challenge from Paroquet before being put under considerable pressure in the middle stages by Three Rumours. The final 800m of the 2130m event was run in 56.7sec.
Wall Street Girl, who is in top form with two wins and two placings from her past four starts, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier and will be handled by Maddison Brown, who was in the sulky when the five-year-old led from barrier seven, set the pace and won easily in modest company over 2536m three starts ago.
Then Chris Lewis drove Wall Street Girl (owned and trained by his wife Debra) at Gloucester Park at her next two starts for a second to Secret Reaction after racing without cover, and then running home solidly from the rear to win from Chaco Eagle.
Lewis, who has driven Wall Street Girl 36 times for seven wins, nine seconds and five thirds, has opted to drive the Barry Howlett-trained Little Darling, who will begin from the No. 2 barrier on the back line.
Lewis has driven Little Darling at 22 of her 23 starts for seven wins and nine placings. She reappeared at Gloucester Park last Friday night after an absence of 18 months when she was restrained to the rear from barrier six and raced three wide in the final circuit before finishing tenth behind Acharne Girl. She is capable of improvement from a favourable draw this week.
Favourites have been beaten in the past five runnings of the Lewis Pace, with Dontbesillychilly, a $53.70 outsider from the No. 9 barrier charging home from last at the 500m to career away to win by four and a half lengths from the $1.80 favourite Acharne Girl in June last year.
Trainer Lang Inwood has Eye Better racing in good style, and the experienced six-year-old is capable of a solid effort from barrier six, with Emily Suvaljko in the sulky.
Eye Better finished strongly to win the 2130m Kellerberrin Cup from Barbados two starts ago, and then started from the outside of the back line and settled down in second last position before dashing forward to move to the breeze after 400m in a 2190m event at Northam on Tuesday night. She worked hard without cover before getting to the front 120m from the post and winning from Brewery Lane.