Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Punters should disregard The Miki Taker’s eighth placing behind Aardiebytheseaside in last week’s August Cup when assessing the five-year-old’s prospects in the Lady Camel Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was hopelessly hemmed in and blocked for a clear run throughout the final circuit last Friday night, with trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo saying: “He was held up and just couldn’t get a crack at them. This is an even Free-For-All, and I will consider driving him more positively.”
In the August Cup The Miki Taker dashed forward, three wide, after 450m and moved to the breeze before obtaining an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, after Steel The Show surged forward to race outside the frontrunning Aardiebytheseaside with 1450m to travel.
Aardiebytheseaside was not extended in winning the Cup from Talks Up A Storm and Sangue Reale, with Steel The Show fighting on to finish a creditable fourth.
Steel The Show will start from the outside in the field of seven this week and he should fight out the finish, while Talks Up A Storm (barrier six) will have many admirers after his strong showing in the August Cup when he was fastest to begin from barrier three but was unable to cross Aardiebytheseaside.
Sangue Reale, trained and driven by Chris Voak, raced three back on the pegs in the Cup and ran on solidly into third place at his first appearance since early last October.
He will start from barrier four on Friday night, with Voak saying: “I give him a good each-way hope. His run last week after ten months off was good, and he has pulled up in terrific shape.”
Gary Hall Jnr drove The Code Breaker for the second time in his 92ND start career when he was a $51 outsider from out wide at barrier eight. The Ryan Bell-trained seven-year-old raced at the rear before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell and finishing in seventh place.
The Code Breaker will be far better suited this week from the coveted No. 1 barrier, and Hall is confident that he will be prominent.
Hopeland trainer Debra Lewis has sound prospects of winning the first and final events on Friday night, with Major Overs a major player in the opening event, the 2130m Camel Time Pace, and Goodfellaz and Robbie Easton having sound prospects in the final event, the 2130m Rattlin Lilly Pace.
Major Overs, who has a losing sequence of 14, will be driven by Jocelyn Young from the No. 2 barrier and the four-year-old is a speedy beginner capable of leading all the way. He set the pace from barrier two over 1730m last Friday night when he was beaten by a nose by Chillin.
His main rival could well be veteran performer Major Freeway, who will be driven by Chris Lewis for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett. The eight-year-old has not been successful since winning from Mr Fantastic at Bunbury 26 months ago, but his recent form has been quite encouraging.
Major Freeway began from barrier seven in a 2130m event last Friday week when he raced without cover for much of the way, took the lead 500m from home and finished third behind Tashs Spartan and Seven No Trumps.
Emily Suvaljko will be looking for a stout-hearted effort when she drives Seven No Trumps from the inside of the back line in Friday night’s race.
“He was a bit ordinary last week (when seventh behind Chillin), but he was good the previous week when a head second to Tashs Spartan (when he finished strongly from tenth at the bell). He is likely to race three back on the pegs and should go well,” said Suvaljko.
Five-year-old Goodfellaz warmed up for Friday night’s event in good style when he reappeared after a seven-month absence in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening this week. He began from barrier seven and raced without cover before taking the lead 520m from home and winning from the fast-finishing Justlike Turbo, rating 1.57.3.
Chris Lewis will drive Goodfellaz from barrier five, with his stablemate Robbie Easton to be handled by Jocelyn Young from out wide at barrier eight.
Robbie Easton, who will be having his first start since last November, impressed in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when he came from last in a field of seven — eight lengths from the leader at the bell to finish second to the talented Storyteller.