Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Speedy pacer Steno has set the pace and won at 14 of her 19 victories in her 42-start career, and trainer-driver Jocelyn Young will be determined to take full advantage of her prized No. 1 barrier and her sparkling frontrunning ability in the $50,000 Schrader Free-For-All for mares over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night in an all-out bid to beat arch rival Aardiebytheseaside.
Aardiebytheseaside trailed the pacemaking Steno in the 2536m Empress Stakes in April this year before getting to the front 110m from the post and beating that mare by a length, and then at her next outing, six months later, over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday week, she finished fourth behind the frontrunning Aardiebytheseaside.
Steno is sure to be improved greatly by that first-up effort when she began speedily from the No. 5 barrier but was then quickly restrained as Aardiebytheseaside mustered good pace from barrier four to get to the front after 250m.
Young was quick to get Steno into the favourable one-out, one-back position, but the four-year-old was shuffled back by the breeze runner to seventh. She improved to fifth at the bell before starting a three wide burst 600m from home, and she fought on to finish fourth behind Aardiebytheseaside.
Aardiebytheseaside, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, and to be driven by Deni Roberts, faces a stern task from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line. She has won eight races in succession, beginning with a victory at her final appearance in New Zealand and followed by seven in a row at Gloucester Park.
Adding interest to Friday night’s race will be the appearance of the classy, lightly-raced seven-year-old Starlight Dream, who has resumed after a spell in top shape for trainer-reinsman Donald Harper, scoring brilliant victories at her first two outings after a four-month break.
Starlight Dream, who will begin from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line, finished brilliantly from 11TH and last at the 600m to beat Pocket The Change and Peaceful three Fridays ago, and then she revealed her versatility with a smart all-the-way win over Little Darling last Friday night, rating 1.55 over 2130m.