Former Victorian pacer Will I Rocknroll has finished last at his first two appearances in Western Australia, but champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr is confident the six-year-old will bounce back to his best and win the $25,000 Insure With PSC Bloodstock Services Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is pretty quick out and will lead and win,” declared Hall. “His trial at Byford on Sunday was pretty good. It was a soft trial. He was sat up and got out late to win.”
Will I Rocknroll started from the back line in the seven-horse 2150m trial. He raced in the breeze for the first 500m before taking the lead, which he surrendered to Ideal Liner about 600m later. He got clear in the closing stages and burst to the front to win, unextended, from Queen Shenandoah.
Will I Rocknroll has raced 36 times for eleven wins and six seconds. He made his WA debut last November when he began speedily from barrier three before breaking in the breeze after 120m and dropping back to last in the field of nine in the 2536m event. After a lap Will I Rocknroll was sent forward to race without cover before wilting badly to finish a distant last behind To Fast To Serious.
He resumed racing at Gloucester Park on April 2 when he was restrained to last in the field of six before obtaining the one-out, one-back trail. But he paced roughly 420m from home and dropped back to finish last behind Thomson Bay.
If Will I Rocknroll leads and sets a fast pace it will make life tough for last-start winners Jack Farthing (barrier eight) and Perfect Major (nine). The speedy Extradite is racing in fine style for trainer Kim Prentice and reinsman Corey Peterson, and from the inside of the back line he should enjoy a perfect trip behind the likely pacemaker Will I Rocknroll.
