Penny Black set to shine
Improved gate speed and a strong workout by Penny Black have boosted Emily Suvaljko’s confidence before she drives the five-year-old in the $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Penny Black, trained by Michael Young, has impressed in winning at ten of her 19 WA starts, and she is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier in this week’s group 3 feature event for mares.
Suvaljko took Penny Black to the trials at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week when the mare got back into the draw in mobiles by beginning smoothly, following her costly mistake two starts ago when she broke into a gallop soon after the start of a 2130m event.
“She got out of the gate probably the fastest she has ever got out, and that was without asking her,” reported Suvaljko. “She has never had that much gate speed and is now showing a bit more.
“I worked her at Byford this morning (Tuesday) and she worked super, and if she gets to the front on Friday night, she will be a big chance. But if she doesn’t, we know how tough she is. She can race in the breeze or take a sit.
“It will be interesting early. I haven’t spoken to Michael yet about how he wants her to be driven.”
Holding an important key to the race will be the tactics employed by trainer-reinsman Shane Young with his outstanding mare Wonderful To Fly, who is extremely versatile, having won races when leading and also when charging home from the rear.
Wonderful To Fly, who will start from the coveted No. 1 barrier, caught the eye two starts ago when she was tenth with 300m to travel before sprinting home fast, out five wide, to finish a close third behind the fast-finishing Little Darling and Aardiebytheseaside.
Aardiebytheseaside, to be driven by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will begin from barrier five --- the same barrier she had when she dashed to the front after 300m and set a solid pace before winning the WASBA Breeders Stakes 12 months ago, beating Acharne Girl, driven by Suvaljko, by two lengths.
Aardiebytheseaside, a winner at 17 of her 35 starts, is versatile, with Roberts saying: “I will have to speak to Greg about tactics and what we want to do. She can sit and sprint and this might be the time to try that.”
Madam Publisher, the 2024 WA Oaks winner who has raced 19 times for nine wins and five placings, is an exciting frontrunner who set a fast pace from the No. 4 barrier last Friday night before finishing third behind Little Darling and Champagne Everyone over 2130m. She will begin from the No. 3 barrier for trainer-reinsman Stuart McDonald.
Ravenswood trainer-reinsman Corey Peterson has eight-year-old Nullarbor Navajo racing keenly with two wins from her past four starts. She possesses excellent gate speed and will begin from barrier four.
Nullarbor Navajo was the sole runner off the back line in last year’s WASBA Breeders Stakes when she dashed forward, three wide, in the first lap to race without cover before fighting on to finish third.
Little Darling is in dazzling form for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett and reinsman Chris Lewis. She will begin from barrier two on the back line she should fight out the finish. She was seen in an unfamiliar role in the breeze when she finished strongly to win from Champagne Everyone and Madam Publisher, rating 1.55.4 over 2130m last Friday night.
Aiden De Campo is looking forward to driving Alta Allure for the first time when the Annie Belton-trained six-year-old begins from the back line. “She should race two back or three back on the pegs, and she should go well,” said De Campo.
Alta Allure came from seventh at the bell to finish a sound fourth behind Little Darling in the Empress Stakes three Fridays ago. That followed easy wins at Bunbury and Pinjarra at her two previous appearances.
McDonald’s big chance
Stuart McDonald looks set for his most successful meeting in the sulky when five of his seven drives have excellent winning prospects at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Headlining those five runners is the brilliant Im The Black Flash, who is favourably drawn at barrier two in the $50,000 Allwood Stud Four And Five-Year-Old Championship over 2130m.
He is hoping Im The Black Flash, trained by Gary Hall snr, will give him and Hall another win in this group 3 feature after he won the race with Mister Smartee 12 months ago after that star pacer raced wide early from barrier six and then worked hard in the breeze before getting to the front on the home turn and beating outsider Alcopony at a 1.54 3 rate.
Im The Black Flash began from the No. 2 barrier in last year’s event when he raced in the one-out and one-back position and finished fifth for Emily Suvaljko.
The 30-year-old McDonald had the choice of driving Im The Black Flash, Alta Tribute or Skylou for the Hall stable, and he has given punters a good lead by opting to handle Im The Black Flash, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old he drove to a splendid first-up victory in a 2503m stand in which he began off the back mark of 50 metres last Friday night.
Im The Black Flash raced in eighth position before he finished powerfully from fifth at the bell with a three-wide burst which saw him get to the front with 100m to travel.
Skylou, who came from eighth at the bell to finish fourth in last year’s championship event, will begin out wide at barrier eight on Friday night, with Micheal Ferguson in the sulky. Skylou was most impressive when he came from tenth and last at the bell to finish third behind Im The Black Flash.
Alta Tribute, who has won at six of his nine starts, will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and will be driven by Emily Suvaljko. He has won at his two starts at Pinjarra last month when resuming racing after a spell. He possesses good gate speed and is expected to figure in the finish.
A quality field will contest Friday night’s race in which a victory by any of the 12 runners would not come as a surprise.
Leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond will be represented by Golden Lode and Lusaka, with the stable’s No. 1 driver Deni Roberts opting to handle Golden Lode, who will begin from an awkward barrier at No. 7, with Lusaka to be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green from the inside of the back line.
Golden Lode resumed racing after a four-month absence when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in a 2130m event last Friday week and impressed when he raced in last position in the field of eleven before charging home, out wide, to finish third behind Gully Gum and Major Freeway.
“Golden Lode was last and got home, out three wide for a long time,” said Roberts.
Lusaka, at his second outing after a spell, finished third behind Tiger Royal and The Miki Taker in a thrilling three-way photo finish last Friday night. He raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before starting a three-wide move with 700m to travel. He took the lead on the home turn.
“I think Lusaka needed the run last week over the long trip (2936m) before getting to the front and then getting a bit tired,” said Roberts.
The Bob Mellsop-trained Gully Gum, to be driven by Lauren Harper, cannot be left out of calculations. He began speedily from out wide at barrier seven, surged to the front after 200m and went on to win by a half-length from Major Freeway over 2130m last Friday week. He is better drawn at No. 4 this week.
McDonald has excellent winning prospects with Hall-trained runners Ambitsiya (race three), My Watchlist (race seven) and Scooter B (race eight).
Ambitsiya has won at five of her nine starts and she looks set for a bright career. She will start from the No. 4 barrier in the $23,000 Ramsays Horse Transport Pace over 2130m at second appearance after a ten-month absence. She resumed in style with a strong-finishing easy victory over Hunt The Magic at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
Both My Watchlist and Scooter B have the class to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the Larkhill Vets Your Equine Specialists Pace and the Go To Allwood Stud Pace, respectively.
My Watchlist has resumed after a spell in good style with a first-up second to Belly Up, followed by an effortless three-length victory over Kurios Boy. He has the ability to be strongly competitive against Thelittle Master, Star Casino and Marbeechsam.
Thelittle Master, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is better drawn at barrier four, and Deni Roberts is confident the four-year-old, a winner at eight of his 37 starts, will prove hard to beat, saying: “This looks like an all right race for him, particularly with the draw advantage over the horses who appear to be his main rivals.”
Three-year-old Scooter B will be tested from his wide barrier by his older and more experienced rivals. But he is a classy Bettors Delight gelding who has been placed behind his brilliant stablemate Cyclone Jordy at his past two starts.
Trial points to Miss Bejeweled
An outstanding trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week points strongly to her prospects of making a successful debut when she begins from the No. 1 barrier in the Allwood Stud Pace for two-year-old fillies over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She will be driven by her trainer Aiden De Campo, who will also be represented by Altas Last, who will be driven by Trent Wheeler from the No. 2 barrier.
Miss Bejeweled led early in the three-horse trial before sitting behind the pacemaker Typhoon Treasure and then being eased off the pegs 500m from home and quickly surging to the front before careering away to win by 16 lengths from Hudson Street, rating 1.59.4 after final 400m sections of 29.5sec. and 28.3sec.
“She ran a quick quarter at the end, and I’m quite happy with her,” said De Campo. “She was a lot better in this trial than she was in her previous trial when she was a bit scratchy up to the gate. The plan will be to lead.”
Altas Last has raced twice for a debut second to Way Of The World at Gloucester Park followed by a half-length win over Gentlemans Promise at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
“Altas Last was probably unlucky not to win on debut, and then got the job done at her second start,” said De Campo. “She will come out of the gate hard on Friday night and she where she gets. She might even cross Miss Bejewled. We will just see what happens; with two-year-olds, you’re never sure what’s going to happen.”
Ruby Lou drops appreciably in class when she begins out wide at barrier eight in the $21,000 Allwood Stud Pace for three-year-old fillies, and she should prove too strong for her eight rivals.
A winner of four races and $69,558, Ruby Lou has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of her wide draw and make amends for her very close third behind Reinette and Poppyonthebeach in a qualifying heat of the Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening.
She began from the inside of the back line and raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before being hampered for room in the home straight and squeezing through on the inside.
“Ruby Lou, driven by Shannon Suvaljko, still had the plugs in and she will be improved by the run,” said her trainer Mike Reed.
Ruby Lou’s only serious rival appears to be the Ryan Bell-trained Wicked Lover, who set the pace before finishing a half-length second to Ruby Lovera over 2130m in the second Diamond Classic qualifying heat on Tuesday evening. She will start from barrier seven and will be handled by Kyle Symington.
Ruby Lovera is prepared by Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, who is enjoying a well-deserved family holiday in Exmouth, and the filly was under the care of Katie Lally, who will bring the speedy Jawsoflincoln to Gloucester Park to contest the $31,000 Grange Bloodstock Insurance Pace over 2536m on Friday night.
Jawsoflincoln will be driven by Trent Wheeler and will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight, with his main rivals likely to be Vegas Strip (barrier two), Hoppys Way (barrier three) and Mighty Conqueror (barrier seven).
“This is a good draw for Vegas Strip (having his first run for two months) and his work has been good and we’re hoping he will go straight to the front,” said his driver Deni Roberts. “We are hoping for improvement from him after his previous campaign.”
Scott fancies his debutant
Serpentine trainer Matt Scott has had his hands full with En Pariant Sur since he arrived in WA in February, but he is optimistic that the six-year-old will make a successful debut in the State when he contests the opening event, the $21,000 Pegasus And Milne Feeds Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is working well, and he beat Franco Mecca on the track at Jandakot last Friday, and this morning (Tuesday) Shannon (Suvaljko) got the feel of him in a workout when he beat Rock Me Over,” said Scott.
En Pariant Sur is awkwardly drawn at barrier six for his first outing since he covered a lot of extra ground before winning a race over 1660m at Parkes on January 31.
However, Scott believes that the Betting Line gelding is capable of overcoming the wide draw, saying: “He has good gate speed, and he has won when leading and also when sitting.
“I’ve got him pretty fit, and we plan to be positive on Friday when I expect him to be hard to beat.
“He was offered for sale early this year and we got him cheaply. He is raced by stable clients Scott Nelson and Todd Hughes and their wives.
“I’ve had a few issues with him. He smashed up two carts at home, by bucking and carrying on. He wasn’t used to our heavy carts, so now I just put him on the lead. He would have been ready to race about a month ago, but he had about 15 staples in his side when he cut himself, bucking and smashing a cart.”
Among En Pariant Sur’s eleven rivals on Friday night are two of his stablemates, Sonic Seelster and Zuede, who clashed in a race at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening when Sonic Seelster set the pace and faded to finish sixth behind Vintage Blu, and Zuede raced three back on the pegs before running home gamely to finish second.
“Sonic Seelster (barrier four) will be driven by Aiden De Campo, and he will work forward, while Zuede (barrier three) will be driven by Tom Nally,” said Scott.
“Sonic Seelster got a bit of mental pressure, and he knocked up in the final bit. Zuede is just an honest horse who will need luck. He has to be driven cold, and on the fence, preferably.”
