Penny Black set to repeat the dose
Twelve months ago, Penny Black scored a comfortable victory in the Lombardo Pace, and she is poised to repeat the dose when she begins out wide at barrier No. 8 in the $50,000 Westside Auto Lombardo Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She began from barrier five in last year’s feature event for mares and was untroubled to race in the breeze outside the pacemaker Peaceful before winning easily from Montana Glory and Wonderful To Fly, rating a smart 1.56.3 over the 2536m journey.
Last Friday night the six-year-old New Zealand-bred Penny Black was produced in fine fettle by trainer Michael Young when Emily Suvaljko rated her perfectly in the breeze outside Wonderful To Fly before taking the lead on the home turn and winning by a neck from Madam Publisher, rating 1.56.6 over 2130m after final quarters of 27.3sec. and 28.1sec.
That was an excellent first-up effort after a ten-week absence, and Suvaljko declared that she would have taken a great benefit from that run.
“We wanted to draw inside one horse this week, and that was Little Darling, and we have done that,” said Suvaljko. “Penny Black will be driven positively, and we will be looking to going forward in the early stages.”
Apart from Little Darling, Suvaljko goes into Friday night’s race with plenty of respect for the Annie Belton-trained Alta Allure (barrier five) who is racing in grand form, with her six starts this season resulting in two wins, one second (to Hunger Strike), two thirds and one fourth placing. Alta Allure, who ran on from sixth at the bell to finish third behind Penny Black and Madam Publisher last Friday night, will again be driven by Chris Lewis.
Little Darling, driven by Jocelyn Young for trainer Cameron Ross, has had two starts after a spell for an excellent first-up win over Bazaar Package and Sugar Delight at a 1.56.3 rate over 2130m last Friday week.
And then last Friday night Little Darling began from the outside barrier in the field of seven when she began speedily before being restrained back to last. She battled on gamely to dead-heat for fourth with the pacemaker Wonderful To Fly.
Deni Roberts is planning to set the pace with the Nathan Turvey-trained Hunger Strike on Friday night at the four-year-old’s first outing for month when she will begin from the No. 3 barrier. She rarely runs a poor race, and her past six starts have produced three wins, a second, a third and a fifth placing.
“This is a rise in grade for Hunger Strike, but she should be able to get to the front,” said Roberts.
Trainer-reinsman Stuart McDonald is looking for a strong performance from Madam Publisher, who raced in the one-out, one-back position before running home determinedly to finish a close second to Penny Black last Friday night.
“She was good last week when she was much better after I had got stuck into her after she had led two starts ago (finishing fourth behind Alta Allure),” he said. “She was underdone going into that race over 1730m two starts ago.
“So, I then gave her a pretty hard trial at Pinjarra and have hoppled her relatively hard since then. Her latest run was an indication that she is getting better. She is a rung below top notch and is not as good as Little Darling and Penny Black.
“But if those two mares happen to go to war, and if Madam Publisher is somewhere close to them, she is a potential chance of beating them.”
Leading trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is happy with Champagne Everyone’s draw at barrier two on the back line and said the seven-year-old was capable of running a place.
Como El Viento is on the way up
Leading trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo has changed his attitude against four-year-old Como El Viento and now has a high opinion of the New Zealand-bred gelding.
“I didn’t like him early because he had a real paddling action in front, like he was going up and down in the one spot,” explained De Campo.
“That was when he was a two-year-old, but he began to get better before I lost him as a three-year-old when he had a few little problems. But now he has come good and hasn’t run a bad race in this preparation (with his past ten starts producing five wins, four seconds and one third).”
Como El Viento, a runaway winner at his past two starts ---beating Reelem Inn by five lengths over 2130m at Gloucester Park and then making most of the running before winning the 2666m Williams Cup by almost nine lengths from Trunkey Carrawa --- looks outstanding in the 1730m Westside Auto 24/7 Online Inquiry Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line but has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
“He is versatile and has a lot of high speed,” said De Campo. “I don’t like to push him off the gate. I like him to settle and then work forward at some stage.”
Already, De Campo believes Como El Viento will develop into a candidate for the $200,000 Golden Nugget over 2536m on November 6, as well as the other rich events for four-year-olds.
Lincoln Lou ready to shine
Promising four-year-old Lincoln Lou has enjoyed a beneficial spell after finishing a distant last in the WA Derby last October and he has bright prospects of scoring a first-up victory when he begins from barrier six in the $21,000 Westside Auto for Your Tyres Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred gelding, who will be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, has won only four times from 29 starts but has excellent potential.
He warmed up for his return to racing in good style with an easy win in slow time in a five-horse trial over 2150m at Byford last Saturday. He took an early lead and ambled through the opening three 400m sections in 32sec., 30.9sec. and 31.3sec. before sprinting over the final quarter in 27.4sec. to beat The Wand Waver by three lengths, rating a slow 2.2.3.
“Lincoln Lou worked with Penny Black today (Tuesday) at Jandakot and Michael said he felt really good,” said Suvaljko. “He has very good high speed and should be right in the finish on Friday night.”
Lincoln Lou’s main rival is likely to be Cee Dee Three, who is ready to show his best form at his third appearance after a spell. He trailed the pacemaker Sugar Shake and was inconvenienced when the offside tyre of his sulky was punctured approaching the home turn and he finished fifth behind Reset The Bar last Friday night.
Trainer-reinsman Gary Hall Jnr will be looking for a repeat victory when Reset The Bar begins from the outside of the back line in the 2130m Westside Auto We Buy Cars Pace.
Reset The Bar challenged unsuccessful for the early lead in last Friday night’s race before Hall opted to get to the inside and the horse was sixth under lock and key at the bell before getting clear with 250m to travel and flashing home, out three wide, to get up and win by a half-head from Sugar Shake after final quarters of 28.5sec. and 28.9sec.
“He did a good job and should be improved by that run,” said Hall. “He has to cover the whole field at some stage but should prove hard to beat.”
McDonald to fill in again
Stuart McDonald made the most of an unexpected opportunity last week when he drove Lincoln River to a runaway victory --- and he now has another chance to cash in on his good fortune by winning the Westside Auto Wholesale Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He filled in last Friday night when Lincoln River’s regular driver Abbey Vidovich was laid low, suffering from a delayed concussion. The 19-year-old Vidovich is still out of action, leaving the New Zealand-bred gelding’s trainer Jemma Hayman with the simple choice of engaging McDonald to drive the talented six-year-old again.
“I made the most of it last week and am hoping we can do it again this week,” said McDonald.
Lincoln River will start from the outside barrier in the field of nine, with McDonald saying that the small field would help the gelding to notch his eleventh win from 77 starts.
Vidovich, who has driven 123 winners, was dislodged from the sulky when Shes All Go contacted the sulky of Hes Royal Blue and fell with 450m to travel in a 1170m event at Pinjarra last Monday week.
Vidovich had three drives at Gloucester Park the following day for a third placing with Supreme Rhapsody and wins with Blitzar and Rockability. But later in the week she was affected by delayed concussion.
“Lincoln River has the most speed of all the nine runners in Friday night’s event,” said McDonald. “If he sits close enough to them, he should be hard to hold out. His latest run was impressive when he worked hard early and then was able to put them away like he should.”
In-form trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper has two runners in Friday night’s event, and he has chosen to handle Chivalry from barrier seven, while his daughter-in-law Lauren Harper will drive Spyglass from barrier six. “Both pacers are going okay,” said Harper.
Harper also has two runners, last-start winners Eldaytona (barrier three) and Minos (barrier six) in the $31,000 Westside Auto Fixed Price Servicing Pace over 2536m. He will handle Minos and Lauren will drive Eldaytona.
Harper said that Minos looked the better chance of his two runners following his splendid form at his first four starts in WA which resulted in three wins and a fourth behind Sorridere.
“This is a good field in which Petes Honour looks hard to beat after impressive wins at his past three starts,” said Harper. “And Thelittle Master will be a danger if he gets a soft trip. However, Minos should perform strongly over the 2536m journey.”
Thelittle Master and Tualou are prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond and will have many admirers after recent strong showings.
Deni Roberts has chosen to drive Tualou, who will start from the inside of the back line, with Thelittle Master (Tom Nally) the only other back-line runner.
Thelittle Master caught the eye two starts ago when he began from the outside of the front line and flew home from seventh at the bell to finish a half-neck second to Minos over 2130m.
Tualou reappeared after a three-month absence when he began from the back line and was tenth at the bell and was still at the rear half-way in the home straight before unleashing a devastating late charge to finish third behind Franco Encore and Hotly Pursued last Friday night.
“Both Thelittle Master and Tualou have handy draws, and I’ll drive Tualou because I think he is the better horse,” said Roberts. “Over the 2536m Tualou should be able to get into it at some stage, while Thelittle Master is flying, and all he needs is for the speed to be on while he is sitting back.”
