Suvaljko picks Bettors Pride
Ace reinsman Shannon Suvaljko has driven High Price at his past two starts and has been impressed with his efforts in finishing fourth to Magnificent Storm in the Governor’s Cup and third behind A Little Silence.
But he has opted to handle Bettors Pride, who will start from the No. 3 barrier in the $31,000 Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with Chris Lewis being engaged to drive High Price, who is favourably drawn at barrier two.
Suvaljko said that Bettors Pride, trained by Kevin Keys, had excellent prospects of ending a losing sequence of ten. “He set the pace and finished a close second to Captain Ravishing over 2936m in the Fremantle Cup Consolation last Friday night when the winner rated 1.57 over the long distance.
“Bettors Pride was still going strong on the line,” said Suvaljko. “It was a good hit-out over 2936m, and he should be hard to beat over the shorter distance this week.”
Suvaljko is keen to lead, but he is mindful that the horses drawn to his inside, Im Lightning Banner (barrier one) and High Price (two) also possess good gate speed.
Im Lightning Banner, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, has set the pace and won at four of his eight victories, while the Garry Sayers-trained High Price has recorded two all-the-way wins and four placings after setting the pace.
Adding considerable interest to Friday night’s race will be the first appearance in Free-For-All ranks of the brilliant four-year-old Mad Monday, who is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line for trainers Greg and Skye Bond and driver Deni Roberts.
Mad Monday has revealed dazzling gate speed before leading and winning at his past four starts, all at Gloucester Park and over 2130m (twice), 1730m and 2536m.
“I was hoping for a front-line draw,” said Roberts. “Unfortunately, he didn’t get one, but at his first run in this company it is not a bad thing. He has come back after a spell very well and we are looking forward to seeing how he measures up.”
Captain Ravishing led early from barrier one in last week’s 2936m event before Kylah Madden opted to take the sit on Bettors Pride. Madden eased Captain Ravishing into the clear approaching the home turn and the seven-year-old sprinted powerfully to get to the front 50m from the post and beat Bettors Pride by a metre after a final 800m of 56.6sec.
Captain Ravishing faces a tougher assignment this week, starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, while the Michael Young-trained Hugotastic is sure to appreciate a drop in class after trailing the pacemaker Magnificent Storm and wilting to finish last behind Max Delight in the 2536m Nullarbor slot race last Friday week. Hugotastic, a winner at seven of his 25 starts, will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
Hawkins back in action
Former prominent trainer-reinsman Kristian Hawkins will return to harness racing after a six-year absence when he starts Soho Confidential and Jamie Kim at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The 46-year-old Hawkins relinquished his licence to train and drive in March 2020 when he was appointed by RWWA as a cadet harness racing steward, and after a period in that job he went to work in the north of the State.
He was a successful jockey, with one of his major successes being with Corporate Bruce in the 2002 Hannans Handicap. In harness racing he has driven 143 winners and trained 146 winners, with his major success being in the 2015 Kalgoorlie Cup when he drove Danieljohn to victory.
His most recent winner was when he trained and drove Runaway Three to score a half-head win over Soho Thunderstruck in a 2536m metro-class event at Gloucester Park on December 23, 2019, three nights after he prepared The Trilogy to win a 2536m city-class event with Dylan Egerton-Green in the sulky.
At the height of his career, he was the trainer of nine runners at a city-class meeting at Gloucester Park on November 2, 2018.
Egerton-Green drove Dontstopbelievin to two city-class wins for Hawkins in October 2018, including the group 3 Preux Chevalier final. Egerton-Green will renew his association with Hawkins when he drives Jamie Kim, a seven-year-old with a losing sequence of 19, in the Trotsynd Shares Available Now Pace on Friday night.
Jamie Kim has raced 134 times for nine wins, 24 placings and $89,994 in stakes. Hawkins is the seventh trainer to have prepared Jamie Kim for racing, and the old gelding who possesses excellent gate speed, is capable of a forward showing against moderate opposition.
Six-year-old Art Major horse Soho Confidential, bred and owned by Rob Watson, has had 62 starts for trainer Glenn Elliott for seven wins and 14 placings. He is awkwardly drawn at barrier five in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace over 2130m and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr at his first appearance for eight months.
He has had a spell since he worked hard in the breeze and finished second to Take A Hike over 2130m on September 2 last year.
Heres Herbie is a shining light
Emerging top-flight pacer Heres Herbie will be a star attraction at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he begins from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line in the Swan Draught Pace over 2130m.
“I don’t think that that barrier 12 will bother him in what should be another nice race for him,” said his driver Deni Roberts. “I’m very excited to have him racing. He is fairly lowly assessed, and he is my best drive on the night.”
The seven-year-old New Zealand-bred Heres Herbie, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, gave a sample of his exceptional ability when he made an outstanding Australian debut last Friday week.
He began from barrier five and worked in the breeze outside Opal Hunter before taking the lead 300m from home and then surging away to win by 10m from the fast-finishing Sweet Pins, rating 1.54.3 after a final 800m of 56.8sec.
The $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on December 11 is the long-range target for Heres Herbie.
Other good drives for Roberts include the Bond-trained In Rare Air (race one), Mad Monday (race five) and Kinky (race six). In Rare Air is awkwardly drawn at barrier six in the Free Entry Pace, with Roberts saying: “It’s not a great draw and I probably will have to drive him for luck.”
In Rare Air was the $1.70 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in the group 3 Caduceus Club Classic last Friday night when he set the pace and was placed under considerable pressure for much of the event by the eventual winner Wake Up Geoff. In Rare Air finished third, less than a length behind Wake Up Geoff.
“Barrier four is a good draw for Kinky (in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace) and, hopefully, she can get up there (in the firing line),” said Roberts.
Fabulous Dream looks the goods
An outstanding performance by Fabulous Dream at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night was a strong pointer to her winning prospects in the 2130m Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace over 2130m at headquarters on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred four-year-old mare, trained by Kevin Keys and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, was not bustled at the start from out wide at barrier eight and was in eleventh position at the bell before she followed a three-wide burst from Mysta Moon Walker and then was switched five wide with 300m to travel and got to the front 130m from the post on the way to winning easily from Under The Alta.
Fabulous Dream rated 1.57.9 over the 2130m trip, the fastest time of the night on a track which suited frontrunners much more than horses coming from back in the field.
“It was a super first-up run (after a three-month absence),” said Suvaljko. “There was a fast lead time (36.2sec.) and we were off the track in the last lap. She also has good gate speed and has won a lot of races when leading.”
One of the main dangers to Fabulous Dream is expected to be inexperienced six-year-old Diamond Bay, who is trained and driven by Chris Voak and will begin from the No. 3 barrier.
Diamond Bay excelled in the lead two starts ago when she won a 1609m event at Pinjarra in 1.53.5 a month ago and then got to the lead in the middle stages and finished a close second to The Wand Waver over 2242m at Narrogin on April 18.
Ace trainer Colin Brown holds a strong hand in the opening event, the 2130m Free Entry at Gloucester Park Pace restricted to three-year-olds in which he will be represented by Im Category Five and My Machane.
Brown’s daughter Maddison has given punters a good lead by choosing to drive Poster Boy filly Im Category Five, who is handily drawn at barrier No. 3. Brown’s son-in-law Dylan Egerton-Green will handle My Machane, a promising American Ideal gelding who will start from the No. 4 barrier.
Im Category Five, one of three fillies in the race, has won at five of her 15 starts and has finished second at her past two starts. She is speedy and versatile and has led and won as well as winning twice after racing without cover.
My Machane also has good gate speed, and he was a winner at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park as a two-year-old. He is capable of significant improvement after unplaced efforts at his first three outings since resuming from a spell.
Ideal Beach, trained by Justin Prentice, was an outstanding two-year-old, and is sure to improve on his two runs since resuming after a spell. He will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr and will start out wide at barrier seven.
He fought on solidly from seventh in the middle stages to finish an encouraging second to Wake Up Geoff in the $100,000 APG Sales Classic race over 2130m last Friday week.
The Kevin Keys-trained Shimmering should be prominent from the No. 2 barrier. She caught the eye last Friday night when she finished an unlucky fifth behind Wake Up Geoff in the Caduceus Club Classic.
She was ninth at the bell and was hopelessly blocked for a clear passage in the closing stages when she finished full of running.
