Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Leave the best until the last was trainer Michael Young’s learned prediction when assessing the prospects of his four runners at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is confident that Gary Hall Jnr will guide Evas Image and Firerockfireroll to victory in the final two events on the nine-race program.
Evas Image will start from the inside barrier on the front line in the Twinkly Tinsel Trot, and Young expects her to begin smoothly and set the pace in the 2503m stand, in which she will clash with outstanding trotter Patched, the co-backmarker off 40 metres.
Evas Image resumed after a spell at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when she began smartly off the front in a stand and set the pace before winning comfortably from Aldebaran Sundown and Elegant Peak.
“She bounced out a couple of lengths in front and won with a bit in reserve,” said Young. “She has come back a lot better, is a lot more tractable and is going a lot straighter. I’ve taken all the hanging gear off her, and I’m really happy with the way she is going.”
Hall agrees with Young, saying: “Evas Image is a different horse this time in. She is driving better, and I give her a good chance on Friday night.”
Hall has driven the David Young-trained Patched at four of his 13 WA wins (including wins at Pinjarra at two of his past three appearances), and Young has engaged his niece Jocelyn Young to drive Patched for the first time.
Birchmont trainer Brad Lynn has Elegant Peak racing keenly and the mare who has won at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at two of her past three runs, is expected to seriously test Evas Image.
Firerockfireroll is a noted frontrunner and should be very hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier in the final event, the 2130m Team Bond Pace.
“I think Firerockfireroll gets his chance, even though he’s not at his best,” said Michael Young. “He likes to lead and roll along. If he gets beaten, it probably will be by my other runner, October Reign (who will start from the outside in the field of seven and will be driven by Maddison Brown).”
Young also is confident of winning races at the Albany meeting on Friday night, with his best winning prospects being Chillin in race three over 1832m and Firefly, who will start off 20m in race seven, a stand over 2247m.
Chillin, a three-year-old from Victoria, will be having his first start in WA when he begins from barrier five with Stuart McDonald in the sulky. He has a losing sequence of eleven, with his only win from 18 starts being over 1730m at Horsham last December.
Chillin was driven by Gary Hall Jnr when he dashed straight to the front from barrier five and set the pace on the way to winning a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week, beating Bonnie Pauline by eight lengths, rating 1.58 with final quarters of 28.7sec. and 29.1sec.
Firefly is in top form, with three wins from his past five starts. He will be driven by Aaron Suvaljko.