Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park
Outstanding reinsman Ryan Warwick, who has had one drive at the past nine Friday night meetings at Gloucester Park, will be under the glare of a massive spotlight when he will handle five well-fancied runners at headquarters on Friday evening.
The 46-year-old Warwick, who drove in excess of a hundred winners in eight successive seasons between 2014 and 2022, will be hoping to get away to a flying start when he handles brilliant filly Its Maa Time in the opening event, the $21,000 Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace over 2130m.
Warwick will replace trainer Aiden De Campo, who has driven Its Maa Time at seven starts for five wins and a third placing, including a dazzling last-start performance when the filly charged home from eighth at the bell to score an easy victory over Delulu and Reinette in the $100,000 APG Sales Classic three Fridays ago.
De Campo, who is serving a term of suspension, said that Its Maa Time was not an easy pacer to drive. “I thought Ryan would suit her,” he said. “He is quite kind on their mouths. Its Maa Time is a quality filly, but from the outside barrier in the field of eight she will need to show that to win this race. It is a great field of fillies.”
Its Maa Time has revealed great potential in her brief career. She is versatile and has won when leading and also when coming from behind.
Its Maa Time will clash with other brilliant fillies in Quintessa, Reinette, Delulu, Aretha and Fakenit, with Gary Hall Jnr giving punters a valuable lead by choosing to handle Quintessa for Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice ahead of Fakenit, who is prepared by Gary Hall Snr.
Quintessa is unbeaten at her three starts but will have to overcome the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier No. 7.
“Quintessa and Fakenit (barrier six) both go really good,” said Hall Jnr. “Quintessa is versatile, and I think she is definitely up to them.” Quintessa was untroubled to lead from the No. 1 barrier and romped to an easy win over Chief Copy and Miss Uneek three Fridays ago.
Fakenit will be driven by Stuart McDonald, who was in the sulky when she raced roughly early before setting the pace and winning easily on debut from Captainshavtime at Gloucester Park three Tuesdays ago.
Trent Wheeler is the regular driver of the Frank Nafranec-trained Reinette, and he is looking forward to sending the filly to the early lead from the favourable No. 2 barrier.
“It’s a very good field but Reinette has drawn better than our main dangers,” said Wheeler. “Her past two runs (a head second to Jaxs Ideal and a third behind Its Maa Time and Delulu) have been really good. She has good gate speed and should be able to jump to the front — and then we’ll see what happens.”
Delulu, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, has been impressive, with her seven starts producing three wins and four placings. She will start from the No. 5 barrier with Deni Roberts in the sulky.
“She is going really good but at her latest start (when racing in the breeze and finishing second to Its Maa Time) she hung quite badly,” said Roberts. “So, we have added a nearside pole and have worked her with it on a couple of times when she was a lot better. It’s a good field and an awkward draw but she should be running on.”
After driving Its Maa Time in race one Warwick will handle My Ultimate Chevron (race two), Waverider (three), Wicked Hustler (four) and Bettagetonpip (seven).
Warwick, whose only drive at Gloucester Park on a Friday night this year was with $81 outsider Spot On Molly, who raced without cover and finished fifth behind Miss Red Velvet in the Western Crown Classic on February 7, decided to slow down a couple of seasons ago.
He has driven one winner from 29 drives this year, with nine-year-old Cams Boulder, an $18 chance, scoring a half-head win at Pinjarra three Mondays ago. That took his career record to 1971 wins, including 14 at group 1 level.
When he drove 253 winners in the 2019-20 season he had the best winning percentage of any driver in Australia. He also holds the Australian record of winning nine races with nine successive drives, and he is the first person to have driven the winner of every race at a meeting — on a six-event program at Kellerberrin in October 2019.