INSIDE DRAW MAKES HAS THE ANSWERS VULNERABLE

The all-conquering Has The Answers faces a serious moment of truth and the prospect of a rare defeat when he contests the $35,000 Fremantle Harness Racing Club Members Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“The picket line looks a bit wobbly at this point,” said the champion eight-year-old’s driver Chris Lewis when bemoaning the fact that Has The Answers drew the inside of the back line (barrier ten) in the 1730m group 2 sprint.

Lewis was referring to the picket line of five No. 1s alongside Has The Answers, denoting five successive victories.

“The No. 10 barrier is probably not a bad draw, but not for Has The Answers,” he said. “It’s very painful. The horse is going exceptionally well, but this is the one draw we didn’t need. It’s absolutely the worst draw.”

Has The Answers, who has made use of his dazzling speed from behind the mobile barrier to set the pace and win brilliantly at each of his past five starts, is in grave danger of being trapped on the pegs in the first lap, thus minimising his winning prospects.

Has The Answers will start immediately behind nine-year-old M1-class pacer Governor Art and Lewis said that he would be making every effort to get Has The Answers out of a pocket and off the pegs as soon as possible to give the gelding the opportunity to forge forward.

“I’d certainly be keen to be sitting one out than on the pegs,” he said. “It’s awkward from the No. 10 barrier and Has The Answers meets some good horses. And we’re only running a mile. So the draw kind of levels things out.”

However, Lewis certainly has not resigned himself for a defeat in an event he has dominated. He has a truly remarkable record in the Fremantle Members Sprint, winning the race 11 times.

He has been successful with Black Irish (1982 and 1983), Village Kid (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990), Hilarion Star (1993), Our London Pride (1999), Ohoka Ace (2005 and 2006) and Sneakyn Down Under (2009). He has also finished second with Hilarion Star (1994), Meadow Power (1996) and Hail The Judge (1998) and third with Chivalrous Fella (2003).

Colin Brown, who will drive the lightly-raced and highly-promising Motu Treasure, is very happy with Motu Treasure’s No. 4 barrier.

“Considering the draws, he’s definitely a big chance of beating Has The Answers,” an upbeat Brown said. “It was a great run by Motu Treasure to get up and beat Grinjaro last week.”

Motu Treasure started from the inside barrier on the back line in the Pat Cranley Sprint last Friday night and was trapped on the pegs behind the speedy pacemaker Grinjaro before getting clear on the home turn and flying home to snatch a last-stride victory by a nose, rating 1.57.4 over the 1730m journey, with the final 400m being covered in a scorching 27.1sec.

“He’s not just quick, either,” Brown said. “He’s tough as well. He raced three deep for most of the way and won at his previous start over 1730m, rating 1.55.9.

“Governor Art might try to hold up from barrier one, but that doesn’t really concern me. We will be able to dictate the pace of the race, either by leading or sitting in the breeze.”

Brown said that he was impressed with Governor Art when he led from barrier two and sprinted the final 800m in 57.6sec. when a head second to Brown’s drive, The Final Word, who fought on to snatch victory at a 1.55.7 rate in a 1730m event last month.

Chris Voak, who has decided to drive Governor Art for trainer Christine Plozza in preference to the Ross Olivieri-trained Gary Bromac, said that he was likely to take a sit with the nine-year-old if Motu Treasure challenged hard for the early lead.

“Governor Art will definitely hold up from the No. 1 barrier, but I expect Motu Treasure will be charging forward and in that event I’ll probably be content to sit on his coat tails,” Voak said. “If Governor Art sits on Motu Treasure he should be capable of running a place.”

Noted sprinter Talk To Me Courage, prepared by leading trainer Gary Hall sen., will start from the No. 6 barrier at his first appearance since finishing third to Precious Dylan and Has The Answers over 2536m at Gloucester Park last April, will be driven by visiting Victorian Daniel Jack.

“He’s ready to run a good race, first-up, but No. 6 is an awkward barrier,” said Hall’s stable foreman Michael Brennan. “Talk To Me Courage ran a very good trial when second to Dasher V C at Byford a couple of Sundays ago.”

Hall will also be represented by two smart last-start winners Albert Jaccka and Aussie Reactor. But they will need all the breaks to cause an upset by beating Has The Answers and Motu Treasure.

 PANCHO MAGUIRE ON TRIAL FOR THE KILMORE CUP

Up-and-coming stayer Pancho Maguire will be on trial for a start in the rich Kilmore Cup late this month when he contests the FHRC President and Committee Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

And prominent Victorian reinsman Daniel Jack will fly into Perth on Friday morning to drive the lightly-raced Christian Cullen six-year-old, who will start from 10m in the 2503m event in which his clash with outstanding five-year-old Truckers Ruffnut promises to be a tremendous highlight on the ten-event program.

Part-owner and trainer Michael Brennan said that he was keen to start Pancho Maguire in the $70,000 Kilmore Cup to be run over 3100m in the last week of October.

Jack will replace the suspended Gary Hall jun., who has driven Pancho Maguire to stylish victories in stands at three of his past four starts.

“I learnt the basics of harness racing when I lived with the Jack family for 12 months at their establishment just out of Kilmore, and the Kilmore Cup is one of those races I really like,” Brennan said. “Traditionally, it’s a fantastic race and this is an ideal opportunity to go over there. The 3100m journey is perfect for my horse.

“With Gary out of action, I needed Daniel to come over and drive Pancho Maguire before the Kilmore Cup. Daniel has driven him a couple of times in trackwork when he’s been over here on holidays, but he hasn’t driven him in a race.

“Pancho Maguire is going really good. Every time we ask him to step up, he does the job. This is his biggest test and this will find out where he’s really at.

“A flight is due to leave Perth for Melbourne on Wednesday fortnight and at the moment Pancho Maguire is the only horse booked on the flight. It will be a bit expensive and hard to justify if we’re the only one on the flight. If there’s one or two other horses on the flight, it makes it much more feasible. So, fingers crossed, hopefully there will be other horses booked for the flight.

“Then, if Pancho Maguire performs well in the Kilmore Cup, he will stay in Melbourne to run in the $25,000 Maryborough Cup.”

Brennan said that Pancho Maguire, a winner at 12 of his 35 starts, was an ideal standing-start performer.

“He’s better in stands because he lacks just a little bit of gate speed in mobiles and I think he enjoys being able to settle a bit early before he gets going,” he said.

Brennan said that he would give Jack no special instructions for Friday night’s race in which Pancho Maguire will start off the 10m mark, with Truckers Ruffnut starting off the back mark of 20m.

“If Pancho Maguire happened to find the front, he’d be very hard to beat,” Brennan said. “He can work in the breeze, he can come three wide and he can sit up and sprint home. He’s an adaptable horse with a high cruising speed, and that’s the best thing about him. He hasn’t got explosive speed, but in saying that he ran the last 400m in 27.9sec. when he won his M0, just jogging and with the ear plugs in.”

Brennan said that Pancho Maguire faced a stern test against Truckers Ruffnut, who has scored effortless victories in stands at his past two starts to take his career record to 18 wins and 13 placings from 45 starts.

Murray Hansen, who trains Truckers Ruffnut, said he was confident the five-year-old would prove very hard to beat this week.

“Pancho Maguire and Jordangarry are definite dangers, but Truckers Ruffnut is in great form,” Hansen said. “And his work since his latest win has been fantastic. He’s a versatile pacer who goes well in front and can also produce a strong sprint when sat up.”

Hansen said that Truckers Ruffnut was getting better at standing starts. “He’s been a bit fidgety in stands, but he was a lot better at his latest start,” he said. “He’s the type of horse who doesn’t like to stand around for too long; he likes to get into it.

“I’ll be setting him for the mobile Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup if he’s good enough and I’ll also be looking at the feature stand events for him. I’ll also be looking at sending him to Melbourne where they have a lot of feature stands.”

 IN-FORM AIDEN de CAMPO IS READY TO STRIKE

Eighteen-year-old Aiden de Campo has struck a purple patch and he has high hopes of continuing his winning ways when he drives Clancy Maguire in the 2130m FHRC Join The Club Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

De Campo’s past six drives (on South-West tracks) have produced three winners and two thirds and Clancy Maguire has the credentials to provide him with his second metropolitan-class win at Gloucester Park.

Clancy Maguire, trained at Capel by Ryan Bell, won six times in New Zealand before arriving in WA  last July, and he has impressed at his first four Australian starts, winning first-up at Bunbury and twice at Pinjarra, as well as finishing a close second to Ultimate Under Fire at Gloucester Park.

He was driven at his first three WA starts by Matt White, who had to relinquish the drive at Pinjarra last Monday week when he was recovering from injuries after being kicked by a horse. De Campo took over at Pinjarra and guided Clancy Maguire to a brilliant victory over Mr Clancy and The Hunter.

Clancy Maguire was ninth at the bell and de Campo did not ask the gelding for an effort until approaching the home turn when he went six wide and thundered home to win by more than a length, rating 1.57.7 over the 2170m journey.

White drove Clancy Maguire at Pinjarra the previous Monday when the pacer raced without cover for a while in the middle stages and then obtained a trail, one-out and one-back, before finishing fast to win by four lengths from Grinjaro over 2670m.

Clancy Maguire is ideally drawn at No. 2 on Friday night and he has bright prospects of winning from Keep Celebrating and Lombo Air Express.

 SHANNON SUVALJKO TO DRIVE GRINJARO

Owner-trainer Ken White has engaged in-form reinsman Shannon Suvaljko to drive brilliant four-year-old Grinjaro in the FHRC New Members Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Grinjaro, the youngest horse and best-performed runner in the event, is perfectly drawn at the No. 1 barrier and should provide Suvaljko with an armchair drive.

Grinjaro, the winner of $123,029 in prizemoney from his ten wins and seven placings from 28 starts, gave a superb frontrunning display when beaten in the final stride by Motu Treasure in the 1730m Pat Cranley Sprint last Friday night.

Falcons Medley (barrier five) and Bankers Choice (three) are in good form, but they face tough tests in their bids to topple Grinjaro, who looks certain to set the pace.