Arma Einstein is ready
Veteran pacer Arma Einstein returned to form with a vengeance last Friday night with a fast-finishing second to Heavenly Gipsy, and he has sound prospects of ending a losing sequence of 40 and a 26-month drought by winning the $31,000 Cash Converters Rotary Club Of Fremantle Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The gelding will again be driven by Maddison Brown, who won the feature Rotary Club event over 2536m 12 months ago when Diego, the $2.70 favourite, began speedily from the No. 5 barrier, dashed to the front after 250m and went on to beat $8.50 chance Wildwest by a half-length to give champion trainer Gary Hall snr a quinella result.
Wildwest was driven by Stuart McDonald, who will handle the Hall-trained Skylou in Friday night’s race.
Brown will again line up in barrier No. 5 in this year’s Rotary Club event, this time with seven-year-old Arma Einstein, a veteran of 125 starts who is prepared by her father, astute Banjup trainer Colin Brown.
Arma Einstein put the writing on the wall last Friday night when he was the $126 rank outsider in a 2130m Free-For-All. Maddison Brown quickly manoeuvred the gelding to the inside, and he raced three back on the pegs in fifth position with Heavenly Gipsy setting a brisk pace.
Arma Einstein was badly hemmed in on the inside until he got into the clear 150m from the post. He moved to fourth at the 50m mark and charged home. He sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.7sec. and 28.1sec.
Skylou, winner of the 2023 WA Derby, will have many admirers after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier. He has led and won a Gloucester Park mobile event and also led when he won the standing-start 2503m Easter Cup in March 2024.
He had no luck when seventh behind Heavenly Gipsy last Friday night. He settled down in the favourable one-out, one-back position before being shuffled back to last at the bell and was hampered for room in the final stages.
Ace Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice holds a strong hand in Friday night’s race in which he will be represented by Mighty Ronaldo and Rolling Fire.
Trent Wheeler will drive Mighty Ronaldo, who will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, with Kyle Symington in the sulky behind Rolling Fire, who will start from the outside of the back line.
Mighty Ronaldo overcame a wide draw (No. 7) to win the group 3 Winter Cup over 2536m last Friday week. He began speedily and enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win by a length from Brickies Dream. Rolling Fire set a brisk pace and fought on gamely to finish fifth.
Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond will be pinning their faith in Vegas Strip (barrier four) and Lusaka (barrier six), with Deni Roberts choosing to drive Lusaka, who impressed when he surged home from tenth at the bell to be fourth in the Winter Cup.
Tom Nally will drive four-year-old Vegas Strip, the youngest runner in the race who has won at eight of his 25 starts but has not been successful since leading in a 2242m event at Narrogin 15 starts ago, on July 27 last year.
Fat Louie warms up for Higgins Memorial
Ace trainer-reinsman Chris Voak was delighted with Fat Louie’s powerful performance to win at Northam last Saturday week and he is confident that the inexperienced four-year-old will prove hard to beat in the $50,000 John Higgins Memorial next Friday week.
“He will have his final hit-out before going into the Higgins when he runs in the opening event (the $21,000 Rotary Ending Polio Pace over 2130m) at Gloucester Park on Friday night,” said Voak.
“He is a good chance, even from the outside barrier on the front line. This is the preliminary final before the grand final. The run will top him off for the final.”
The New Zealand-bred Fat Louie has had only nine starts (all in WA) for four wins and four placings. He was most impressive in a heat of the Higgins at Northam at his latest appearance when he began from the back line and raced in the one-out, two-back position before starting a three-wide run 400m from home and then switching four wide on the home turn and sprinting fast to take the lead 90m from the post and winning by almost a length from Blameitonthenight, rating 1.58.7 over 2190m.
His toughest rivals appear to be Im Lord Logan, Art Ideal and When In Vegas, with Im Lord Logan strongly favoured after receiving the coveted No. 1 barrier in the random draw.
Im Lord Logan, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, had no luck when he reappeared after a let-up in a 2190m event at Northam last Saturday week. He was trapped three wide early after starting from barrier five and then was restrained to the rear and was blocked for a clear run until late when eighth, five lengths behind Fat Louie.
Im Lord Logan, a winner at one of his six New Zealand starts, has had 16 starts in WA for four wins and six placings. He set the pace and won at three of his WA appearances, scoring at Northam, Narrogin and Bunbury.
Former New South Wales performer Art Ideal is getting close to his first WA success for trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper. The three-year-old possesses good gate speed and should appreciate a favourable barrier at No. 2. He has worked hard at his past three starts before fighting on gamely for three third placings.
When In Vegas, to be driven by Deni Roberts for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is the other three-year-old in the Friday’s race in which he will begin out wide at barrier seven. He raced wide early and then in the breeze when a last-start second to Mysta Moon Walker over 2190m at Northam four weeks ago.
Suvaljko picks Sound Wave
Ace reinsman Shannon Suvaljko had the choice of three drives in the Terra Mech Leasing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night and has given punters a valuable lead by opting to handle Sound Wave, who is poorly drawn out wide at barrier eight, ahead of Yankee Lincoln and Luke Attack.
Sound Wave is racing in good form for owner-trainer Simon Lowings and was unlucky when fifth behind Loch Tay, who rated 1.57.8 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night this week. He was restrained from barrier six and raced four back on the pegs before being blocked for a clear passage in the closing stages.
Three starts before that performance Sound Wave was driven by Suvaljko when he raced in the breeze and finished determinedly to win from Soho Vesper Lind, rating 1.57.7 over 2130m.
Yankee Lincoln and Luke Attack are handily drawn, with the former starting from the inside of the back line and Luke Attack on his immediate outside.
Owner-trainer Peter Tilbrook has engaged Chris Voak to drive Yankee Lincoln, while owner-trained David Simmonds has called on Chris Lewis to handle Luke Attack who was driven by Suvaljko when he finished strongly to win from Her Presence over 2130m at Gloucester Park two starts ago.
Sound Wave is likely to receive strong opposition from Candy Apple (barrier seven) and Manhattan Moon (nine). Candy Apple, prepared by Michael Munro, was driven by Toby Lynn when she was untroubled to set the pace from barrier one and win comfortably from Sweet Vivienne at a 1.57.5 rate over 2130m last Friday night.
Four-year-old Manhattan Moon, trained by Kevin Charles and driven by his son Hayden, was an impressive winner at a 1.54.5 rate over 1730m two starts ago, and he is capable of overcoming the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier.
Suvaljko also has given punters a good lead by choosing to drive the Mike Reed-trained Dark Eyes ahead of stablemates Lion Queen and Quinton in the 2536m Quayside Transport Pace.
Dark Eyes, who will begin from the prized No. 1 barrier, is in sound form and has been placed at three of his past four starts. Toby Lynn will drive Lion Queen from barrier seven, and Kyle Symington has been engaged for Quinton, who is ideally drawn at barrier two on the back line.
Star fillies to clash
The clash between brilliant New Zealand-bred three-year-old fillies Aretha and Captainshavtime in the Odin Consulting Services Pace over 2130m promises to be a highlight of Friday night’s ten-event program at Gloucester Park.
Captainshavtime, to be driven by Deni Roberts for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has gained an advantage over the Jemma Hayman-trained Aretha by drawing inside her rival at barrier seven, with Aretha on the outside in the field of eight.
However, Aretha has the advantage of having one start in her current preparation, while Captainshavtime will be making her first appearance for 19 weeks.
Captainshavtime had three starts in New Zealand for a win and a third placing, and her ten WA starts have resulted in six wins and two placings, the most notable being her excellent third behind champion gelding Cyclone Jordy in the group 1 Golden Slipper last September.
Aretha, to be driven by Chris Voak, raced three times in New Zealand for two wins and a third placing, and her four WA starts have resulted in three wins and a third placing.
Aretha resumed after a spell in fine style when she finished powerfully to win the $35,000 Daintys Daughter Country Classic at a 1.57.4 rate over 2185m at Pinjarra last Monday week. She raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back before switching three wide 400m to follow Bull Shark Betty. She burst to the front 50m from the post and won by a length from the pacemaker Ruby Lou.
Bull Shark Betty (barrier three) and Ruby Lou (barrier six) will contest Friday night’s event in which they should be prominent but unlikely to beat Captainshavtime and Aretha.
Nine two-year-olds will contest the 2130m Moonstream Information Services Pace in which leading trainer Michael Young holds a strong hand with three runners, Butter Me Up (barrier five), Toby George (eight) and Cease To React (nine).
“They are all going well, but under the preferential barrier draw conditions Cease To React and Toby George will need some luck,” said Young.
“Cease To React went better at Bunbury last Saturday (when he ran on from twelfth and last at the 800m to finish sixth behind Bettor Move Matty).” The gelding will be driven by Stuart McDonald, with Emily Suvaljko choosing to handle Toby George.
“Toby George was a bit disappointing when eighth behind Bettor Move Matty at Bunbury, but he worked hard, and he’s not an easy horse to drive,” said Young.
Butter Me Up will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko and has each-way claims after racing three back on the pegs and running on into third place behind Bettor Move Matty.
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond will be represented by The Final Offer and Chugach in Friday night’s event, with Deni Roberts opting to drive Chugach from an awkward draw at barrier six, with debutant The Final Offer starting from the No. 1 barrier with Tom Nally in the sulky.
Chugach won at his first two starts, at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park in February and March before setting the pace and finishing a close second to Wishing Belle in the Champagne Classic and then going for a spell.
He resumed racing at Gloucester Park last Friday week when he began from barrier seven and raced at the rear before meeting with severe interference with 120m to travel and finishing seventh behind Slay Queen.
The Final Offer ran a sound trial when second to Toby George over 2185m at Pinjarra last Wednesday week he began from barrier four and dashed to the front after 100m before taking the sit behind Toby George 800m later. He was beaten by 2m, with the final quarters being run in 28.9sec. and 28.1sec.
