Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Six-year-old pacer Im Eugene struck a purple patch with three all-the-way victories over 2555m, 1609m and 2080m at Cranbourne in March and April this year — and he will be fancied to extend his winning sequence when he makes his WA debut from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m www.gloucesterpark.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will be driven by his new trainer Dylan Egerton-Green, who was happy with the gelding’s performance when he scored an effortless win in a 2150m trial at Byford last Sunday week.
Im Eugene started from barrier four and quickly mustered speed to dash to the front after 150m before setting a solid pace, with final quarters of 29.7sec., 29.4sec. and 28.5sec. He won by four lengths from Sly Terror, rating 1.58.6.
“His trial was good, and so has his work at home been,” said Egerton-Green. “There is speed on his inside on Friday night, and he doesn’t have to lead. However, he has a few strings to his bow.”
Get Ya Bets On, trained by Nathan Turvey and to be driven by Emily Suvaljko, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and will have many admirers.
He started from barrier two and raced in sixth position in the one-wide line when a close-up seventh behind Serious Moonlite over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. A week earlier he began from out wide at barrier seven and settled down in tenth position before surging forward to be seventh at the bell and then sustaining a strong three-wide to win convincingly from Frankie J Holden, rating 1.59.9 over 2130m.
Also looming as a danger is the Debra Lewis-trained Wall Street Girl, who will be driven by Jocelyn Young from the No. 5 barrier.
Young drove aggressively to land Wall Street Girl an impressive winner at $19 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night. Wall Street Girl began from barrier five and settled at the rear while the $1.50 favourite Sugar Apple ambled through the lead time in 39.7sec. and the opening quarter in a slow 31.2sec.
Young dashed Wall Street Girl forward, three wide, while the pace was slow and the five-year-old mare travelled strongly in the breeze before forging to the front 100m from the post on the way to winning by 2m from Benji and Loucid Dreams, with final sections of 28sec. and 29.1sec.
Young also has sound prospects with Wall Street Girl’s stablemate Major Overs in the opening event, the 1730m Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace. Major Overs has a losing sequence of 13 but possesses excellent gate speed and will take catching if he beats out the polemarker Prime Mover and sets the pace.
Prime Mover led from barrier one before fading to finish a well-beaten third behind Pasquale and Sweet Lucifer over 2130m on Tuesday night.