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Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing

Classy Alta Christiano gelding Swingband resumed after a spell in dazzling style with a splendid victory in the 2130m Noah George Fundraiser Night Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His powerful performance in winning from The Miki Taker and Tricky Miki was a firm indication that he is on song for a crack at the $100,000 Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings on September 9.

Swingband was the $4.30 second favourite in the race in which many pundits considered that it would be fought out by The Miki Taker ($1.75) and Tricky Miki ($6.50), each of whom had scored impressive first-up victories at Bunbury.

But it was another Miki in reinsman Micky Grantham who was hellbent on spoiling the party.

Grantham got Swingband away fast from the No. 4 barrier, and the gelding burst to the front after about 75m. But Swingband shifted down and checked The Miki Taker, causing that pacer to be carried inwards with his nearside sulky wheel contacting the legs of $8 chance Hoppys Way, causing him to gallop.

The stewards charged Grantham with causing interference, and he pleaded guilty and was suspended for 16 days.

After comfortable opening quarters of 31.6sec. and 30.6sec., Swingband increased the tempo with final 400m sections of 29.4sec. and 27.6sec. to win by a half-length from The Miki Taker, who finished strongly after trailing the leader all the way. Tricky Miki ran on fast from the one-out, one-back position to be a nose away in third place.

Swingband, trained by Ryan Bell, has already amassed $176,747 in prizemoney from ten wins and three placings from 16 starts.

“I didn’t expect that he would get to the front as easy as he did,” said Bell. “He will race again in a fortnight on his way to the Westbred Classic. He has always been good, right from his first start when Aiden (De Campo) won on him at Pinjarra, rating 1.54.2. He is a bit headstrong, but even when he is naughty, he is still good enough.”