Roberts admires Tualou
Star driver Deni Roberts has a high opinion of Tualou and she has high hopes of winning the $50,000 Catalano San Simeon Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night with the least experienced runner in the field.
If Tualou is successful it will give champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond their third victory in the San Simeon Pace in the space of four years --- after wins with Patronus Star in 2020 and Socrates in 2022.
The Bonds also won the event in December 2013 when Nathan Purdon drove the $42.80 chance Ima Connoisseur to victory over stablemate Commander Chapel ($5.80), who dead-heated for second with Morton Plains, with the Bond-trained Holy Grail finishing fourth.
Friday night’s 2130m event will be the 13TH running of the San Simeon Pace, and Tualou goes into the race with a splendid record of 14 starts for seven wins and three second placings. He will be attempting to become only the second three-year-old to win this event.
The only three-year-old winner has been the Bond-trained Patronus Star, the $1.06 favourite who was driven by Ryan Warwick and led from the No. 1 barrier and easily defeated Boom Time in 2020.
Socrates was a five-year-old when Roberts drove him as a $6.50 chance from barrier three to a last-stride victory by a short half-head over the $3.10 favourite and stablemate Himself, with Markham Eyre ($20) in third place to give the Bond stable a notable trifecta result two years ago.
Roberts has a wonderful record with the Sweet Lou gelding Tualou, having driven him eight times for five wins and three seconds. Tualou began from the No. 7 barrier in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park last Friday week when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before winning easily from the pacemaker Franco Delano, with the final 800m in 56sec.
A fortnight earlier, Tualou led from barrier four and won by 10m from his fast-finishing three-year-old stablemate Golden Lode, who has raced 25 times for nine wins, eight seconds and one third. Golden Lode will be driven by Stuart McDonald, who has handled the gelding five times for three wins.
Tualou will begin from the No. 5 barrier on Friday night, with Golden Lode at barrier six. If Roberts attempts to fire out Tualou she is likely to encounter plenty of speed to her inside, particularly from the polemarker and last-start all-the-way winner Montana Glory, Insta Gator (barrier two) and Mandown (barrier four).
Montana Glory, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, is the only mare in the field of twelve, and her trainer Mike Reed said: “She will be leading and won’t be handing up. The run last Friday has done her the world of good, and she is definitely a live chance.”
Gary Hall jnr trains and drives New Zealand-bred four-year-old Mandown, who will having his first start for 15 weeks. He has impressed greatly with his five wins and one second from six starts in Western Australia.
“Mandown is a nice horse, and I think he has come back better,” said Hall. “I didn’t have time to give him a start before this week’s race, which would have been ideal. He is forward enough, but this is a cracker field.
“We will punch out hard and see where we get to. Maybe he could lead, but we’ve got to try to stay in Tualou early. He should be an each-way chance.”
Insta Gator, from barrier two for trainer-driver Jocelyn Young, is a smart frontrunner who is racing keenly. He set the pace before being beaten by a half-head from Penny Black over 2130m last Friday night.
“He went a tick under 1.55 (1.54.9) and he has shown me that he is better than that,” said Young. “It’s a handy field and we have options and shouldn’t be far away. He has good gate speed, he can race tough as he showed two starts ago (when he raced in the breeze and finished second to Waverider at Pinjarra, and he can also race well with a sit.”
Waverider, the third three-year-old in Friday night’s event, will begin from the outside barrier (three) on the back line, and Kyle Symington has chosen to the Ryan Bell-trained colt in preference to his classy five-year-old stablemate Whataretheodds, who unwound a dazzling late burst to win from Nullarbor Navajo and Star Casino over 2130m last Friday night.
Whataretheodds will be driven by Trent Wheeler from the inside barrier on the back line. Wheeler drove Whataretheodds when the gelding finished a close second to Sorridere in the $50,000 Higgins Memorial five starts ago.
“Barrier 12 is a good draw for Waverider, and he will go good,” said Bell. “I think that the better the field, the better he will go. He and Whataretheodds are both good each-way chances.”
OK Boomer to warm up with a stand
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper is leaving nothing to chance in his bid to win the $200,000 Golden Nugget on Friday week with talented four-year-old OK Boomer, and he has chosen a 2503m standing-start event, the Catalano Truck and Equipment Sales Handicap at Gloucester Park as an ideal lead-up for the group 1 feature.
This will be OK Boomer’s first appearance in a stand in WA which has seen him shine with three wins and a third placing from five outings in mobile events. He is handily drawn at barrier three on the front line.
His only stand in his 34-start career of ten wins and 11 placings was over 2647m at Albion Park on April 27 this year when he began smoothly from the No. 1 barrier on the front line before breaking into a fierce gallop after 20m and dropping back to last before finishing sixth.
“I have put him in the stand to make sure he will be able to handle the 2536m trip in the Nugget,” said Harper. “He is a sensible horse and should step away all right, and if he gets away, he will be hard to beat.”
OK Boomer has raced once over 2536m, and that was four starts ago, on October 8 when he began from the No. 7 barrier and raced wide early before enjoying an ideal trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win from Henwood Bay.
Chris Voak trains and drives Rock Artist, and he is looking for a strong performance from the four-year-old, who will begin from barrier four on the front line.
Rock Artist is a sound performer, whose nine starts in stands have produced five wins, two seconds, one third and one seventh (when blocked for a run). In July and August this year Rock Artist finished second to Carana in feature standing-start events, the 2503m BOTRA Cup and the 3309m Marathon.
Rock Artist has been unplaced at his past three appearances in feature mobile events for four-year-olds in November and he should appreciate a drop in class, apart from OK Boomer. He was an $81 outsider at his most recent outing when he raced three back on the pegs and finished a well-beaten sixth behind Mister Smartee in the group 2 Four-Year-Old Classic at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
“He was slightly disappointing,” said Voak. “He pulled up like a whale, and I think that was because of a training error. I expect him to be a lot sharper this week.”
OK Boomer and Rock Artist are likely to receive plenty of opposition from the Kim Prentice-trained frontmarker Soho Santorini, whose recent form in stands has been excellent.
The well-performed Blitzembye, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, will begin from the 20m mark at his first appearance for almost seven months.
Two starts ago, he finished eighth behind Catch A Wave in the $1.2 million Nullarbor slot race at Gloucester Park, and he is sure to appreciate an enormous drop in class ion Friday night.
“Blitzembye has been out for a long time, and may need the run,” said Reed. “However, the small field will help him, and he has an each-way chance.”
Swingband ready to shine
Talented five-year-old pacer Swingband has competed in nine group events from his past ten starts, including a strong finishing effort when third behind Catch A Wave and Minstrel in the Nullarbor slot race and racing in the WA Pacing Cup and Fremantle Cup.
He will reappear after a four-week absence in considerably weaker company when he begins from the No. 4 barrier in the $25,000 You Name It, We Fund It Conditioned Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with Kyle Symington in the sulky.
Swingband last raced when he trailed the pacemaker Pinny Tiger in the 2536m WA Pacing Cup on November 8 when he was eighth in the middle stages before starting a three-wide move 1000m from home and getting to fourth with 220m to travel. But he then wilted badly to finish tenth, nine lengths behind the winner Minstrel.
His trainer Ryan Bell disclosed this week that Swingband suffered a leg injury during the Cup.
“He hit himself really badly on the side of his shin just below his knee,” explained Bell. “And this turned into a haematoma. He must have given himself a good whack, and that’s obviously why he didn’t run on. He went terrible.
“We lanced it and kept the injury bandaged, but he hasn’t missed any work. I’m happy with him and he should run a forward race. It’s a winnable race in which he is capable of leading. But he doesn’t have to lead to win.”
Dominus Factum (barrier three) and Goodfellaz (barrier eight) appear Swingband’s chief rivals, with the Aiden De Campo-trained Dominus Factum racing keenly and blessed with abundant gate speed.
Dominus Factum led when second to Jawsoflincoln over 1730m three starts ago, and he raced three back on the pegs and was hampered for room in the closing stages when fifth behind Gee Heza Sport over 2536m at his latest appearance a month ago.
Goodfellaz, trained by Debra Lewis and driven by her husband Chris, gave a dashing frontrunning display to score an easy victory over Navy Street, rating 1.55.5 over 2130m last Friday night.
Lavra Joe looms as a danger
Star pacer Lavra Joe, a winner of 26 races at Gloucester Park, will reappear after a four-week absence when he begins from the No. 1 barrier in the $31,000 Catalano Truck and Equipment Sales Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He has a losing sequence of nine, but star reinsman Kyle Harper gives the Ray Jones-trained gelding a good chance of beating champion four-year-old Never Ending, who will be on trial for a start in the $200,000 Golden Nugget the following Friday night when he resumes racing after a 13-week absence.
“Talking to Ray, he is happy enough with him, and if the horse is anywhere near his top, he will be very hard to beat,” said Harper. “The plan (from barrier No. 1) will be to lead, and that’s where he does his best work, out in front.”
Harper’s wife Lauren handled Lavra Joe in a 2100m mobile trial at Bunbury last Friday night which was virtually a one-horse affair, with the other starter Miki Windermere being an unraced three-year-old colt who trailed Lavra Joe by some 100 metres throughout.
Lavra Joe was not extended at any stage when he covered the final four 400m sections in 30.4sec., 29.6sec., 28.3sec. and 27.2sec. and rated 1.56.1.
“I watched the workout which was a one-horse trial,” said Kyle Harper. “He ran good enough times.”
Lavra Joe last appeared in a race when he was an $81 outsider from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the WA Pacing Cup on November 8. He was 11TH at the bell and was hampered by a tiring horse before finally getting clear and finishing strongly into sixth place behind Minstrel.
“It was a really good run,” said Harper. “We went to the rail and drove him quietly because he hadn’t been racing up to his best. But he had no luck and got dragged back before finally he came home via the cape and finished strongly with a fast last half.”
Never Ending, a winner at 16 of his 23 starts, including a Gloucester Park record of 17 starts for 13 wins, two seconds, one third and one ninth, for outstanding Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, will start from the outside barrier in the field of seven, with Gary Hall jnr in the sulky.
Never Ending will be having his first start since finishing eighth behind Don Hugo in the TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 7.
“Justin is happy with the way he is going, and it is a difficult race to line up,” said Hall. “I’d say that Never Ending will sit up, and the small field will help him. I visualise Never Ending racing in the one-out, two-back position, and from there he would be dangerous.
“I think he could struggle first-up to beat the best version of Lavra Joe.”
Hall has several other solid winning prospects on Friday night, including Mikis Beach (race one), Franklin Delano (race two), Venture (race three), Mandown (race five) and Penny Black (race seven).
“I think Mikis Beach is the best horse in the race, and I’m happy to lead or breeze,” said Hall. “Franklin Delano has received no favours from the draw (barrier No. 7), but he is a good each-way chance. His second to Tualou at his last start was good, after setting the pace.
“Ventura and Mandown should be prominent, while Penny Black (trained by Michael Young) should prove hard to beat.”
Young is pleased with Penny Black’s form, and he reported that the four-year-old mare had pulled up in good shape after working hard in the breeze and getting up to snatch victory from the pacemaker Insta Gator over 2130m at a 1.54.9 rate last Friday night.
“Penny Black has had no luck when it comes to barrier draws,” said Young, who also prepares Acushla Machree (barrier one). Penny Black (barrier No. 5) should fight out the finish in a race in which Little Darling (barrier three) has been a nemesis of ours.
Acushla Machree has led and won at Narrogin and Gloucester Park at her past two starts, and she is sure to be prominent again, from the No. 1 barrier. She will be driven by Maddison Brown.
Astute Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed is confident that comeback pacer Ragazzo Mach will prove hard to beat when he starts from the No. 5 barrier in the Catalano Truck and Equipment Sales Ugga Dugga Pace.
“Ragazzo Mach was a most unlucky sixth behind Whataretheodds last Friday night,” said Reed. “Shannon (Suvaljko) said he was bolting and would have won if he had got out. He has had two nice easy runs (after a first-up second to Jawsoflincoln) and they will know he’s there on Friday night.”
