Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Smart five-year-old mare Sports Package has been unplaced at her first three appearances after resuming from a spell by a combined margin of 60 metres. But she gets a perfect chance to return to the winning list when lines up for her first run in a standing-start event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Wonnerup trainer Terry Ferguson qualified Sports Package for stands when the mare began smoothly and trailed the pacemaker Bettor Beach Belle before cruising to the lead in the final 70m to win, unextended in a 2116m stand at the Pinjarra trials on Wednesday of last week.
She sprinted over the final 400m in 28sec. and looks very hard to beat from the inside of the 10-metre line in the 2503m Steelos Handicap on Friday night. She will be driven by Emily Suvaljko, and her chief rivals are expected to be Troopingofthecolor and Rebel With A Grin.
Troopingofthecolor dashed to the front in the first lap and set a solid pace before being beaten by a short half-head in the final stride by Hesacharmer in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra on Monday when the final 800m was covered in 57.8sec. Troopingofthecolor, trained and driven by Chris Voak, trailed the pacemaker and finished strongly along the sprint lane to win a stand at Pinjarra from Ohoka Titan and Doctor Steve with a final 400m of 27.3sec.
Rebel With A Grin is racing keenly for trainer Chris Phatouros and young reinsman Kyle Symington. The New Zealand-bred six-year-old impressed two starts ago last Friday week when he finished strongly to win a 2503m stand from Regal Scribe and Deeorse.
Lusaka, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, looks the night’s star bet when he is the only runner on the back line in the 1730m Taste Of WA In The Beau Rivage Pace for two-year-olds.
Lusaka met far stronger opposition when a splendid third behind Never Ending and Skylord in the group 1 Golden Slipper last Friday night. He trailed the pacemaking Never Ending before wilting slightly in the closing stages. Lusaka won stylishly at his only two previous appearances – at Addington and Pinjarra.
Leading reinsman Gary Hall Jnr has given punters a good lead by choosing to drive Vivere Damore in preference to Bettor Get It On and Platinum Sparkle in the $26,000 The Nullarbor Free-For-All for fillies and mares.
Vivere Damore, trained by Peter Tilbrook, will be resuming after a spell. She has performed well in two recent Byford trials, the latest last Sunday when she was driven by Tilbrook and set the pace before winning the four-horse trial by seven lengths from Ima Tiny Dancer, rating 1.59.8, with final quarters of 29.5sec. and 29.4sec.