The time-honoured Village Kid Sprint (1730m) highlights a stellar 10-event card at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The $50,000 Group 2 feature has attracted a top-class field with many staking their claims for the Fremantle Cup and the WA Pacing Cup early in the new year.
Members of the WA Trotting Media Guild have been studying the form to find their best bets on the program.
Guild president Wayne Currall has chosen Magnificent Storm in the Sprint as his best for the evening.
“Trainer Ray Williams looks like being rewarded for his decision not to send Magnificent Storm to Melbourne for the Inters,” Currall said. “The veteran mentor has always harboured a desire to win our rich cups and his stable star is heading in the right direction. I think Magnificent Storm can, once again, stamp his authority on this field and justify his ranking as the best pacer in WA.”
TABradio’s Hayden King and The West Australian’s racing co-ordinator Ryan Havercroft have both settled on Ifeel Sikdarl as their best bet.
“Ifeel Sikdarl can atone for last week’s defeat with a rolling frontrunning effort on Friday,” King said. “He will be mighty hard to beat.”
And Havercroft agrees.
“Ifeel Sikdarl is racing well, with consecutive close-up seconds here in the last fortnight,” Havercroft said. “Both came when drawing barrier one and the Graham Cummins-trained gelding will again get his chance from in front to lead and hold on for victory.”
Race three on the card sees a difference of opinion with TABradio’s Matt Young and veteran journalist Ken Casellas locking horns.
Young is keen on Ezana and has made that horse his best bet.
“Ezana drops in grade nicely and I believe he will monster this field from either the breeze or the lead,” Young said. “I’m very keen on him.”
However, Casellas disagrees with his younger colleague.
“Ragazzo Mach has been out of the winning list for 10 months, but I’m confident that he is ready to return to his best form on Friday night,” Casellas said. “He is my best bet to beat Cool Water Paddy and Ezana. All he needs to do is to reproduce his strong effort of two starts ago when he finished strongly to be a close third behind El Chema and Stamford.”
Veteran tipster and winner of the longest-priced winner competition on many occasions Pat Harding has opted for Glenledi Chief as his star bet.
“Looks like a tough night ahead at GP this week and I will not be surprised if we see some upsets,” Harding said. “My best bet comes up in race four with the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Glenledi Chief from barrier 10. Hasn’t had a great deal of luck lately but over the 2536 metres I think he can prevail.”
Ernie Manning, the pacing expert from the Sunday Times and The West Australian, believes Bettorstartdreaming can post an all-the-way victory in race nine.
“Bettorstartdreaming provides the rare case of a pacer who looks the best bet in Friday night racing after a midweek win has been the only victory in his past 19 starts,” Manning said. “As well, he faded to run 11th, 36m behind the winner, as an $81 chance last Friday night. But the gelding has a prize number one barrier for his 1730m event this week and the draw appears his ticket to success.”
VALUE BETS
WAYNE: Sangue Reale has a touch of class and shouldn’t be entirely discounted in the stand. He’s having his second run back from a break and could surprise at each-way odds.
HAYDEN: Vivere Damore is an exceptional frontrunner who will take shaking. I am expecting a peak performance on Friday.
RYAN: Heza Head Honcho will follow out stablemate Bettorstartdreaing and should be emerging late if the gap opens. Gets his chance to run into the money here.
MATT: Twobob Cracker is going well and could get a soft run in an open race. Keep safe in novelties.
KEN: For value, I suggest Vivere Damore in race eight. She is a noted frontrunner and she should give her rivals something to chase when she starts from the No. 1 barrier over the sprint trip.
PAT: My double comes up in race eight with No. 5 Tenzing Bromac. With two wins under his belt and a very small field, I think he can give the Bond stable a good win.
ERNIE: Four-year-old Dont Bother Me None was shaping as a prospect for next week’s $200,000 Golden Nugget after six Gloucester Park wins. He has been beaten at his past eight appearances and two weeks ago ran a last-start ninth, but he has now drawn inside the back line and gets his chance to regain prominence.
Click Here to view all of the Media Guild tips for this week.
Good punting.
FOOTNOTE: Last week the harness racing industry farewelled one of its own – Robbie Dewar. He was a much-loved figure in the industry and was sent off in grand style at his funeral and wake in Midland. For those who couldn’t attend the service, please go to the Bowra and O’Dea website and Google Dewar and you should be able to streamline the service.