DAVID YOUNG SEEKS TO KEEP FAMILY TRADITION GOING

Pinjarra reinsman David Young has high hopes of completing a remarkable family record by driving unbeaten two-year-old Scot Bay to victory in the $50,000 Sony Centre Champagne Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

His father Ron Young and his brothers Kim and Shane have all been successful in this classic.

Scot Bay’s prospects rose sharply when he drew the coveted No. 1 barrier in the 2130m event. The No. 1 barrier proved a decisive factor in both the $115,000 finals of the WA Sales Classic last Friday night, with Artemis Belle setting the pace and winning the final for fillies and Blissfull Boy leading all the way in the final for colts and geldings. Each winner started from the inside barrier.

Scot Bay, who is trained at Manjimup by Debra Sutton, has revealed excellent gate speed in all his five starts. He led from barriers five, two and nine when he won at his first three starts, at Bunbury, Harvey and Bunbury again. Then he worked hard without cover before winning at his next two starts at Gloucester Park.

In attempting to make his record six starts for six wins, Scot Bay will have to prove the master of Blissfull Boy (who has strung together a sequence of five wins), Go West U Terror (a stylish winner at his past two starts) and highly-promising youngsters Bettors Ace, Cuba Jack and Who Thru Teddy.

Scot Bay has been freshened up since his latest victory, over 2130m at Gloucester Park on March 26 when he started from barrier three and raced outside the pacemaker Cuba Jack before charging to the front with 450m to travel and winning easily from Soho Dionysus and Cuba Jack.

Blissfull Boy, owned and trained by octogenarian Ken White, has struck top form and he has won at each of his past five starts, all at Gloucester Park, by a combined margin of 42.4m, an average margin of more than 8m.

But the gelding, who has led in four of those five wins, fared badly in the random barrier draw and will have to overcome the considerable obstacle of starting from the outside barrier at No. 9.

Go West U Terror, trained at Oakford by Bryan Cousins, fared little better and will start out wide from No. 8. He has scored impressive wins over 1730m at Gloucester Park at his past two outings after finishing eighth at his debut at Bunbury.

His wins have been from barrier four (when he worked hard outside the pacemaker before winning from Who Thru Teddy) and from barrier one (when he gave a bold frontrunning display to win by six and a half lengths from Master Damon).

Go West U Terror rated 1.57.5 at his most recent outing when he sped over the final 800m in 58.2sec. Unlike Scot Bay and Blissfull Boy, Go West U Terror has yet to race over 2130m.

Byford trainer Noel Keiley has engaged Shannon Suvaljko to drive the promising Bettors Ace, the solitary runner on the back line who should enjoy an ideal passage throughout. He started from the inside of the back line in the WA Sales Classic last Friday night and trailed the pacemaker Blissfull Boy, but was hopelessly blocked for a clear run in the last lap and finished an unlucky third.

Cuba Jack, placed behind Blissfull Boy and Scot Bay at his past two starts for Boyanup trainer Kim Prentice, is well drawn at barrier two. He warmed up for the race in good style when he set the pace and won a 1609m trial by a nose from stablemate Yankee Vagabond at Bunbury on Wednesday of last week. He dashed over the final 400m in 28.7sec.

Ron Young drove the George McAlpine-trained Racy Rate to victory in the 1980 Champagne Classic, Kim Young was successful with the Helen Luke-trained Social Aspect in 1998 and with the Russell Eddy-trained Bell Operative in 2004, and Shane Young trained and drove 30/1 outsider Courageous Ned to a last-stride victory over 7/4 on favourite Argent Treasure in 2007.

 WINTER RETREAT CAN BEAT HAS THE ANSWERS, SAYS WILLIAMS

Karnup trainer Grant Williams is confident his smart five-year-old Winter Retreat is capable of beating outstanding pacer Has The Answers in the Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

And rival trainers Ross Olivieri (Our Langee) and Clint Kimes (Undertheinfluence) also believe that their horses can lower the colours of the mighty Has The Answers, WA’s dominant and all-conquering pacer in recent months.

The reason for this enthusiasm is that Has The Answers is the backmarker off 50m and he has been beaten at his past eight appearances in standing-start events.

The seven-year-old, an effortless Gloucester Park winner in a 2130m mobile race last Friday night, has won only twice in stands, each time from the 10m mark. He has been found wanting at his three runs in stands this year, starting twice from 50m for a fourth to Crusaders Crest and a 12th behind Our Mercurio, as well as finishing tenth behind Arma Harris after starting off the 40m mark.

In contrast, Has The Answers has been almost invincible in mobile events, with his past nine starts in mobile producing eight wins and a second. He has won 14 times from his past 19 starts in mobile events.

Winter Retreat will start from 20m and after the trainer’s wife Alana rode the gelding in a stirring gallop in the bush on Tuesday morning she declared that he was ready to run a great race.

Grant Williams said that Winter Retreat was a safe beginner and that one of his options was to drive aggressively in a bid to beat Has The Answers.

“I’ll probably be looking to take up a forward position and rate him accordingly,” he said. “I’d like to get going before Has The Answers makes his move. Has The Answers has been well beaten in his recent starts from back marks in stands. He simply has to run stupid times.

“I’d say Winter Retreat has got a good chance of winning. His past few starts have been very good and we’ve upped his bush work, and he’s thriving on it.”

Winter Retreat, who has had 52 starts for 14 wins and 26 placings, started from 20m and finished boldly from seventh at the bell when second to Me Ole Mate Lombo over 2096m at Gloucester Park last Friday week.

Olivieri declared that frontmarker Our Langee would be “right in the firing line” with a 50m advantage over Has The Answers.

“He led and was beaten in a three-way photo by Undertheinfluence and Gransagenic last week,” Olivieri said. “He was pretty unlucky because he was in front everywhere but at the post. And he was still fighting strongly on the line.”

Kimes said that Undertheinfluence, owned by his mother Diane, had thrived since his win last Friday night when he came from last in the middle stages and surged home from seventh at the bell. “It’s not impossible for him to win and beat Has The Answers, Gransagenic and Winter Retreat,” he said.

Punters will also be wise not to underestimate Gransagenic, who burst back to form with a vengeance last week when, after galloping at the start, he dashed forward to work hard outside the pacemaker Our Langee before taking a narrow lead in the final 15m and being beaten by a head by Undertheinfluence.

 IN-FORM OLIVIERI IS THE TRAINER TO FOLLOW

Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri is not particularly superstitious, but he reckons his decision to buy a new sulky three weeks ago has played a part in his sensational run of recent successes.

“I paid $2000 for a new sulky, an identical model to the one which I earned as a trophy when Diablo Pass won the Geraldton Cup last year, and I have used this new cart behind my horses in 21 races for 17 wins,” he said.

The 17th success with the new sulky came when Chris Lewis drove hot favourite Crusaders Crest to an easy all-the-way victory in a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.

Olivieri is confident that his new sulky will bring him further successes when he starts a runner in eight of the ten events at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
  
Olivieri should start the meeting in great style by winning the opening two events with Ultimate Under Fire (Sony Bravia LCD Television Stakes) and Arctic Fire (Sony MP3 Walkman WA Oaks Prelude No. 1) and he also has strong winning prospects with Me Ole Mate Lombo (Sony 200HZL CDTV Stakes) and Miss Makarena (Sony Vaio Notebook Computer Stakes).

His other runners Our Langee, Elysees Crest, Flaming Roadstar and Cyclone Warrior have excellent each-way prospects.

“Ultimate Under Fire is very fast and he’s strong and is capable of winning from the outside barrier,” Olivieri said. “The hardest to beat looks to be The Hunter, who ran a very big race when second to Luminous Lombo last Friday week.

Ultimate Fire has impressed with powerful victories at his past two starts, when leading over 2560m at Northam and in finishing fast to win over 2170m at Pinjarra.

New Zealand-bred filly Arctic Fire looks a certainty from the No. 1 barrier in the first Oaks prelude after winning at her first three WA starts. At her latest appearance she worked hard without cover before sprinting the final 400m in a sizzling 27.5sec. to beat Aces Running.

“She doesn’t give you much of a clue about her ability when she works at home,” Olivieri said. “But she lights up when she comes to the races. She’s strong and is a beautiful racehorse who just relaxes.”

Me Ole Mate Lombo will be attempting to complete a hat-trick of wins when he contests the 2130m event for M1 to M2-class pacers. He will start from the outside barrier with ace reinsman Chris Lewis in the sulky.

“He’s carrying all before him,” Olivieri said. “There’s no individual runner I’m afraid of, but looking at the rest of the field collectively it becomes a bit harder.”