Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Mundijong trainer Michael Young, pacing’s man of the moment, has inexperienced filly Im Themightylucy at her peak, and he has high hopes she will give him his first Group 1 victory by overcoming a back-line draw and winning The Trots WA Oaks at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr shares Young’s optimism and says that the 2536m journey of the $150,000 classic will suit Im Themightylucy, whose forte is her sit-sprint ability.
The New Zealand-bred Im Themightylucy will start from the outside (barrier three) on the back line, and Young visualises her settling down in the one-wide line before Hall calls on her to unwind a typical sparkling last-lap dash.
“Im Themightylucy has to be sat up,” said Hall, who has won the Oaks with Miss Holmes in 2004 and Major Reality in 2015.
Im Themightylucy warmed up for the Oaks in splendid fashion last Friday night when the filly started from the inside of the back line in a 2130m event in which a patient Maddison Brown was happy to keep her in eighth position, four back on the pegs, before getting into the clear about 350m from home and sprinting fast, out wide, to win by a length from Little Darling, rating 1.56.2.
That improved Im Themightylucy’s record to seven wins from 12 starts. She has had eight starts in Western Australia for Young for six wins and a second placing.
Young is enjoying an outstanding season this year and is in second position on the trainers’ premiership table with 78 wins from 259 starters — behind Greg and Skye Bond, who have prepared 151 winners from 469 starters. Hall is the leading driver this year with 182 winners, 62 ahead of his nearest rival, Shannon Suvaljko.
The Bond stable has won the Oaks with Millwood Meg (2010) and Dodolicious (2016) and will be represented on Friday night with the smart New Zealand-bred In The Spotlight, who has won at nine of her 18 starts and will begin from the inside of the back line. In The Spotlight, to be driven by Ryan Warwick, has been placed at her past two starts. She should enjoy an ideal passage and is capable of fighting out the finish.
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis, who has won the Oaks with Jamcaro (1988), Showtime Franco (1996), Sheer Royalty (2009) and Sensational Gabby (2012), will have an army of supporters when he drives the Barry Howlett-trained Little Darling from the favourable No. 2 barrier on the front line.
Little Darling, a winner at five of her 15 starts, is a good frontrunner who can also produce a strong finishing burst when held up for a late charge. She, as well as In The Spotlight and the brilliant Wonderful To Fly, loom large as serious rivals for Im Themightylucy.
Wonderful To Fly boats the best record of the 12 Oaks runners —33 starts for 21 wins, six placings and stakes of $410,645. She has won two Group 1 events, three at Group 2 level and two in Group 3 races. She has drawn barrier five on the front line, leaving trainer-reinsman Shane Young with plenty of options over the 2536m.
Wonderful To Fly lost very few admirers after she had to do plenty of work before wilting to fourth behind Im Themightylucy last Friday night. She started from barrier seven, raced three wide for the first 420m and got to the front 130m later. The lead time was a cracking 35.1sec., and after opening quarters of 31.9sec. and 29.7sec. Wonderful To Fly sped over the third 400m section in 27.9sec.
“She just got tired at the end,” said Young. “When Sovrana came forward into the breeze it made Wonderful To Fly rev up a little bit and run that 27.9sec. quarter. If she had got away with a slower quarter, she probably would’ve been okay (and won the race).”
Sovrana, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, did a fine job to finish third behind Im Themightylucy last week. That followed her smart victory over In The Spotlight in the Group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic a fortnight earlier. She faces a stern task from the outside barrier (No. 9) this week.