Captain Ravishing ready to fire
Aiden De Campo has been engaged to drive exciting pacer Captain Ravishing in the $50,000 Sky Racing Navy Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he is confident that the star five-year-old will fight out the finish of the 2130m event at his West Australian debut and a week before contesting the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup.
De Campo has formed his optimistic opinion after driving the stallion in workouts at Gloucester Park and Byford.
“I worked him with a couple of horses from Ryan Bell’s stable as well as a galloping pacemaker at Gloucester Park last Saturday morning when he had a really good hit-out,” said De Campo. “Freddy (trainer Freddy Taiba) was of the opinion that he needed the workout.
“And this morning (Tuesday) Captain Ravishing worked by himself at Byford, and he really sharpened up. He was almost a different horse, and certainly improved from his workout on Saturday.”
The 42-year-old Taiba was due to arrive in WA some time on Wednesday to take over the preparation of Captain Ravishing, who has been under the care of Ross Olivieri and Jemma Hayman for the past week.
Taiba has taken over the training of Captain Ravishing from his older brother Ahmed and has given the pacer four starts after a ten-month absence for wins and Geelong and Melton in September, followed by unplaced efforts at Melton from unfavourable draws.
Captain Ravishing, owned by another brother Hassan, has been lightly raced, with his 22 starts producing eleven wins. Four seconds and a third placing for stakes of $545,015, with a highlight of his career being his third placing, first-up for six months, behind Encipher and Leap To Fame in the $2.1 million Eureka at Menangle in September last year.
Freddy Taiba, who has not raced a horse in WA, is well known as the trainer of the brilliant Sushi Sushi, an Art Major gelding he raced 28 times for 21 wins and $838,827. This included a spectacular four group 1 triumphs in the space of six months in 2011 --- the Victoria Derby at Melton, New Zealand’s Northen Derby at Alexandra Park, the Alabar Breeders Challenge at Menangle and the Australasian Breeders Crown at Melton.
Captain Ravishing will be having his first start since he began from the outside of the back line and never got into the race when racing in last position and finished tenth behind Swayzee in the 2240m Victoria Cup at Melton on October 12.
Captain Ravishing will start from the No. 5 barrier in the Navy Cup, with the Ray Jones-trained Lavra Joe drawing the coveted No. 1 barrier for his third appearance after a five-month absence.
Lavra Joe, a winner of 33 races and $741,883 in prizemoney, had a tough second-up run in the breeze when a fighting second to the pacemaker Tricky Miki in a 2536m Free-For-All last Friday week.
“He is on his way up,” said his driver Kyle Harper. “His two runs in this campaign are sure to have improved him. “We knew that he was going to need the run a fortnight ago, and Ray elected to miss last week, preferring to put the work into him at home.
“Ray did a similar thing before --- when Lavra Joe turned up for the Nullarbor (last April) and ran a hell of a good race (finishing powerfully to be fourth behind Catch A Wave in the Nullarbor slot race).
“I would say we are likely to get early pressure from Steno (barrier two), and we will know we’re in a race. This will be a good test for Lavra Joe. Unless Ray tells me otherwise, we’ll have handlebars down (at the start) and make a race of it.
“This is certainly no gimme for Lavra Joe despite the barrier draw. Whatever he does I’m sure he will improve for the Pacing Cup the following week.
“Captain Ravishing is a very classy horse, and I’ll be sitting down and having a good look at his form and the way he races.”
Steno, the only mare in the Navy Cup, is in sparkling form for Ravenswood trainer-driver Jocelyn Young, who is looking for a strong performance for the five-year-old leading into the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic for mares the following Friday.
Who “I’d be happy if she flies out and leads,” said Young. “She is working the house down, but she doesn’t have to lead, and if she gets behind Lavra Joe she will be very dangerous.
“It’s not all eggs in one basket if we don’t lead, and I don’t want to torch her going into a $100,000 race a week later.”
The 31-year-old Young is establishing herself as an outstanding trainer, who notched her 154TH victory as a trainer when she brought Rock Rosie Rock home with a storming run to easily beat The Lightning Strike in a 1730m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
Her 887 starts as a trainer in six seasons have resulted in 154 wins (a 17 per cent winning record) and 255 placings (a 29 per cent record). And she has also shone in the sulky with 424 wins.
Tough decision for Roberts
Outstanding driver Deni Roberts thought long and hard as she wrestled with making a choice of which Greg and Skye Bond-trained three-year-old she would handle in the $200,000 Sky Racing WA Derby at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Bond stable holds a powerful hand in the rich classic with five top-flight pacers in the field of twelve --- Vegas Strip, Tualou, Christopher Dance, Thenu Came Along and Golden Lode.
And finally, Roberts reached a decision after making a choice between Christopher Dance, Vegas Strip and Tualou.
“I was tossing up between the three of them before opting for Christopher Dance,” she said. “The draw on the outside of the front line doesn’t look pretty, but Christopher Dance is all class.
“Vegas Strip has very good gate speed, and No. 1 is a perfect draw. I have a big opinion of Tualou, who is probably a little bit greener of the bunch. But he has a lot of ability and is tough, and barrier four is an alright draw.”
Chris Lewis will drive Vegas Strip, Dylan Egerton-Green will handle Tualou, Maddison Brown will drive Thenu Came Along from barrier two on the back line, and Donald harper has been engaged for Golden Lode (outside of the back line).
Christopher Dance, a colt by Sweet Lou, is unbeaten at his two appearances in WA after racing seven times in New Zealand for two wins and three placings.
He began from barrier six in the group 3 Western Gateway last Friday week when he raced three wide for the first 300m, challenged unsuccessfully for the lead and then raced in the breeze as the polemarker Menemsha set a solid pace.
Christopher Dance then took the lead 350m from home and held on to win by a head from Vegas Strip, who began from barrier five and enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing strongly. The final 800m was covered in 56.8sec. and the winner rated 1.56.5 over 2536m.
Tualou trailed the pacemaker all the way and was hampered for room in the closing stages when an unlucky fifth, while Golden Lode ran on from sixth at the bell to finish fourth. Thenu Came Along began out wide at barrier eight and raced at the rear before finishing eighth.
Thenu Came Along earned a Derby start last Friday night when he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier before dashing away from his eleven rivals to win over 2130m, beating Menemsha by five and a half lengths.
Menemsha began from barrier seven and settled down in ninth place before sustaining a spirited three-wide burst from seventh at the bell.
Menemsha will start from the inside of the back line on Friday night, with his trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo saying: “It’s a perfect draw for him. He is building all the time, and I’ve got him as good as I can, physically. Now he just needs to apply himself a bit more mentally.”
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr predicted a strong performance from the inexperienced Alta Tribute, who will start from the No. 2 barrier.
“Two was a good draw until Vegas Strip drew one,” said Hall. “If he had drawn to lead, I think he would have given it a good shake. He is good out of the gate and is pretty tough, so I’d like to hold my spot. He’s not impossible.”
Changes should help Lion Queen
Lion Queen put up a strong performance in the WA Oaks two starts ago to race in the breeze, take the lead 380m from home and finish third behind Madam Publisher and Atlantic Gem before she took the lead after 500m and set the pace when a winner by a nose from Soho Honey Rider over 1730m last Friday week.
On the surface it wasn’t a particularly impressive performance. But she was at a disadvantage over the final 600m when she hung out badly.
Trainer Mike Reed predicted that Lion Queen would give a better performance when she starts from barrier two on the back line in the 2130m Sky Racing Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She was hanging out badly at her latest start,” explained Reed. “I’ve now changed her bit and let her hopples out a hole. Since those changes she has been going straight in her trackwork. Barrier two on the back line is not a bad draw, and she will go good.”
Aiden De Campo, Kim Prentice and Colin Brown each has two runners in the race, with De Campo choosing to drive Copy Cat Queen from the No. 4 barrier, and engaging Trent Wheeler for last-start winner Miss Hepburn from out wide at barrier eight.
“Copy Cat Queen (a winner at six of her 21 starts) is probably the better of the two from the draw,” said De Campo. Both are each-way chances with racing luck.”
Prentice will be represented by Soho Honey Rider (Mitch Miller) and Soho Vesper Lind (Gary Hall jnr), while Maddison Brown will drive Xceptional Arma from barrier nine for her father Colin, who has engaged Deni Roberts to handle stablemate Relatively Arma from the inside of the back line.
Xceptional Arma has impressed greatly, with her 36 starts producing 12 wins, eight seconds and four thirds. She is a strong filly who is capable of working hard in her races and is certainly capable of winning despite the outside draw.
Kyle Symington will drive the polemarker Chilli Punter for Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman. He was in the sulky at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when Chilli Punter began badly in a stand over 2116m before finishing strongly from fourth at the bell to win from Trouble Supreme and Doctor Steve.
Chilli Punter has won at five of his 21 starts, including victories over 1684m and 2185m at Pinjarra when he set the pace.
“I’ll also be looking to set the pace with Acuto from barrier one in race two (Follow @Skyracingau On X Pace),” said Symington, who has been chosen to represent Western Australia at the Australasian Young Drivers Championship in New South Wales in December, with heats at Menangle, Bathurst, Penrith and Newcastle.
“Acuto grows a leg in front, and I’ll be looking to lead on Friday night.” Nine-year-old Acuto, trained by Chris Phatouros, was driven by Gary Hall jnr when he began from the back line in a filed of eight in a 2150m trial at Byford last Sunday and raced in the one-out, one-back position before stating a three-wide move 600m from home and going on to win, unextended, by just under a length from the pacemaker Navy Street, rating 1.58.6.
Acuto’s toughest rival appears likely to be newcomer Tommy Waterhouse, who will make his WA debut for trainer Gary Hall snr from the inside of the back line.
Tommy Waterhouse will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, who was pleased with the six-year-old’s trial win in a field of two over 2185m at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week. Tommy Waterhouse set the pace and beat Have Ago Joe by 41 metres, rating 1.57.2 after final 400m sections of 28.8sec. and 27.8sec.
“He went super time in the trial and is a nice horse,” said Hall jnr. “It’s not an ideal draw on the inside of the back line, and he will need some luck.”
Aardiebytheseaside set to make amends
Brilliant four-year-old Aardiebytheseaside, a shock failure when ninth behind Steno last Friday week, is set to make amends for that defeat by winning the $27,000 Follow @Skyracingau On Instagram Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The plan will be to lead from barrier one, and hopefully to get the cash,” said trainer-driver Jocelyn Young.
After winning at her first seven starts in Western Australia, the New Zealand-bred Aardiebytheseaside began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line last Friday week when she paced roughly and broke in the mobile score-up before getting to the breeze after 600m and then fading over the final stages top finish almost ten lengths behind Steno.
“That was the first time she had drawn a wide gate, and you have to get up there a bit quicker than you do when down lower,” said Young. “She just got too fierce and broke. It was probably a one-off, and her two trials since then have been good.
“She did the whole trial at Pinjarra when I gave her a nice quiet run. And then she did a successful jump out at Byford last Sunday.”
Friday night’s race will be Aardiebytheseaside’s final appearance before contesting the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic the following Friday.
Most of Aardiebytheseaside’s seven rivals on Friday night will be running in the Norms Daughter Classic, with the Michael Young-trained Penny Black resuming after a three-month absence. She will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from barrier five and should be prominent following an excellent trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
In the six-horse trial Penny Black raced in the breeze in the middle and late stages before winning by a half-length from Jaspervellabeach, rating 1.58.6 over 2185, with final quarters of 28.5sec. and 27.2sec.
Seven-year-old Jaspervellabeach is likely to be well fancied when he begins from the No. 1 barrier for trainer Gary Elson in the 2130m Sky racing Listen Live Pace. He has a losings sequence of nine and has won only once from his past 35 starts.
However, the opposition is not particularly strong and Jaspervellabeach, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko, should take plenty of beating. He is a noted frontrunner who is sure to take plenty of catching.
Another fast beginner is seven-year-old Hampton banner, who will start from barrier four. He has a losing sequence of 17 (including just two third placings) and has managed one win from his past 45 starts.
Trainer Mike Reed has three runners --- Dark Eyes (barrier thee), Quinton (five) and Mikis Pride (six) in the WA Derby Consolation Pace --- and he gives Dark Eyes the nod as the stable’s best winning hope.
“They will all go well, and Dark Eyes is my choice,” he said. “And he likes to lead. Quinton has been unlucky at his past couple of starts and if he gets cover, they’ll know he’s there.”
The stable trio will clash with Ideal Muscle, who will be driven by his trainer Aiden De Campo from barrier four. “I thought he was a touch disappointing last Friday night (when fourth behind Thenu Came Along),” said De Campo.
“I’ve had a few problems with him, but he is working back into form and hopefully he will put his best foot forward this week. I’ll try to slot him into a good position. He can then run home pretty fast.”
