LEWIS POISED TO WIN FIFTH MEDIA GUILD CUP

Ace reinsman Chris Lewis is poised to notch his fifth victory in the Media Guild Cup when he drives star pacer Has The Answers in the 2130m feature event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Lewis has been successful in previous years with Village Kid (1987 and 1991), Paly (2002) and No Blue Manna (2007) and a win in this year’s Cup appears a formality for the all-conquering Has The Answers.

If Has The Answers, who will be an extremely short-priced favourite, continues on his winning ways, Lewis will equal the record of five winners in the Media Guild Cup, which was first run when Bob Pollock drove Lord Maselle to victory over Timely Hostess in 1979.

The record is held by Fred Kersley, who won with Sinn Fein (1983), Abenteuer (1986), Placid Arc (1995), Happy Chip (1996) and Onedin Pick Pocket (2000).

Has The Answers has been beginning with such dazzling speed that he is again certain to forge straight to the front from the No. 6 barrier on Friday night.

He started from barrier eight in the New Seasons Pace last Friday night and charged to the front after 250m before setting the pace and sprinting the final 800m, completely unextended, to win by 5m from Motu Treasure, with his stablemate Mysta Magical Mach putting in an outstanding run to finish a length farther back in third place.

Mysta Magical Mach broke in the score-up and lost 30m before he dashed forward to assume the position in the breeze withy 1000m to travel. A week earlier Mysta Magical Mach sat one-out and one-back before finishing boldly to be second to Has The Answers in the 2130m Spring Stakes.

Mysta Magical Mach will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) this week and again looms as the horse most capable of extending Has The Answers.

Albert Jaccka, Sheer Royalty and Gary Bromac, all stylish winners last Friday night, will contest the Cup, but none looks capable of extending Has The Answers, the winner of 47 races and $731,799.

 BOMBORA LOMBO OVERDUE TO BREAK THROUGH

“There’s no M0-class pacer going around who is going much better than Bombora Lombo,” declared the six-year-old’s trainer Ross Olivieri.

“He keeps getting bad barriers, but he is overdue to break through and win his city maiden race.” And the Oakford trainer believes the Jennas Beach Boy gelding gets a good chance when he starts from the outside of the back line in the D’Orsogna Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Bombora Lombo, to be handled by No. 1 stable driver Chris Lewis, is still a city maiden after earning $93,328 from 13 wins and 20 placings from 69 starts. With reasonable luck Bombora Lombo should make amends for unlucky placings when he was forced to cover extra ground at three of his past four starts.

His chief rivals appear to be recent winners Gathering Gears, Solomon Maguire, Aussie Reactor and Barnetts Secret.

Bombora Lombo is one of nine Olivieri runners at the nine-event program, and Olivieri who trained a double last Friday night with Big Town Drive and Gary Bromac, maintained his good form when Hirli Birli Lombo won the following night.

And then Olivieri had two runners at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night --- and both were successful, with Ultimate Under Fire (Lewis) setting the pace and winning a 2503m stand and Chris Voak driving 6/1 chance Sanderella to an easy win in a 1730m mobile.

Olivieri is confident that his two runners in the opening event, The West Australian Pace, are capable of fighting out the finish. He said that Alby Albert and Lord Roddick were capable of recording fast times over the 1730m sprint.

“Each horse has a good chance and much will depend on luck in running,”Olivieri said. “Alby Albert’s recent runs have been good and he’s got a future. But he’ll need luck from barrier nine. He’s one of those little sit-and-kick horses who can ping home, and he can run some pretty clever sectionals.

“Lord Roddick is better drawn on the outside of the back line and he did well when he rated 1.55.3 in finishing a length second to Grinjaro over 1730m last Saturday night.”

The Tasmanian-bred Alby Albert is an eight-year-old who comes into Friday night’s race with excellent credentials --- 20 wins, 42 placings and stakes of $133,399. He gave a splendid first-up performance for Olivieri in WA three starts ago when he started from barrier eight and settled in last position before sustaining a powerful three-wide run to win convincingly at a 1.57.1 rate over 1730m.

He then was forced to cover a lot of extra ground when fourth and second at his next two starts.

Olivieri said he considered all his other runners at the meeting had sound each-way prospects. He will be represented in the Veolia Environmental Services Pace by four-year-old Miss Peggy Sue, who will start from the inside of the back line. “She’s going better than you might think and she’s going to pick up a race very shortly,” he said. “When the race is run hard, she can sprint home strongly.”

Olivieri considers that standing-start specialist Jordangarry has sound claims off the front line in the Leading Tipster Pace, a stand over 2096m. “He’s at his best when he leads and will be suited over the short trip,” Olivieri said.

Olivieri said that McGintysgoat would be hard to beat if he was able to lead from barrier four in the 1730m WATA Tipping Competition Pace, but he admitted that last-start all-the-way winner Gary Bromac faced a virtually impossible task against Has The Answers in the Media Guild Cup.

The Olivieri-trained Fast Play looks well suited from the No. 1 barrier off the front in the 2503m View Media Guild Tips Pace. “You can’t fault his form and if he leads and gets an easy time early, he’ll be awfully hard to beat,” Olivieri said.

Olivieri’s final runner is the lightly-raced Falcons Delight, who faces a stiff test from the No. 9 barrier in the 2130m Bio John Pace.

 GARY HALL JUN. GIVES PUNTERS A VITAL LEAD

Gary Hall jun., the State’s leading reinsman on metropolitan tracks last season, has given punters an important lead by choosing to drive Ohoka Rebel in preference to Im Grant Lea in the 2503m View Media Guild Tips Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Hall has driven Im Grant Lea to victory at three of his past six starts and the speedy beginner and smart frontrunner looks well placed off 10m on Friday night, with only two runners on the front line.

Ohoka Rebel, a New Zealand-bred seven-year-old like Im Grant Lea, will start off 20m. He resumed after a spell last Friday night when he started from 20m and Chris Butt quickly moved him into a perfect position, one-out and one-back, before he fought on gamely to finish a 10m third behind stablemate Albert Jaccka and Mister Odds On over 2503m.

That was his first appearance since finishing behind Im Themightyquinn in the 2902m Fremantle Cup in the first week of last December.

“He’s a dour stayer and I think he will improve on his last week’s effort when the race was not run to suit him,” said trainer Gary Hall sen. “He has been off the scene for quite a long time because he was suffering from feet problems.”

Ohoka Rebel will need to be close to his best to succeed this week in what appears to be the most even and competitive event on the program. A strong case can be made for almost every one of the 12 runners.

 THE HUNTER WELL DRAWN FOR HIS RETURN TO RACING

A seven-year-old resuming after a spell and unplaced at his past four starts, including a fading 12th at his most recent appearance, should prove one of the main chances in the 1730m WATA Tipping Competition Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He is New Zealand-bred gelding The Hunter, who also finished 12th at his only run in a 1730m event, eight starts ago, at Gloucester Park last February.

Trained at Byford by Ron Huston and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, The Hunter looks ideally drawn at the No. 1 barrier, with Huston declaring: “He’ll go super. He worked great this (Tuesday) morning; he’s a great horse fresh and there doesn’t look a lot of speed outside of him.

“He is a very good horse on the pole. When he’s got to come wide he hits a knee, so when he’s on the pole, he’s a much better horse.”

Huston, who has trained The Hunter for his past seven starts, said that he was not disappointed at his last-start last placing two months ago. “He had a horrendous trip and still was beaten by only just over 20m,” he said.

“But the hard run knocked the edge off him and so we gave him a freshen up for three weeks and he’s come to hand real good.”

The Hunter, who has won at ten of his 48 starts, will meet stiff opposition from Im Mark Antony, Mr Clancy, Mister Veejays Fella and McGintysgoat.

Im Mark Antony had his first start for trainer Greg Bond last Friday night when he was a 10/9 on favourite, but ruined his chances when he galloped hopelessly from the inside barrier At the mobile start and simply trailed his rivals throughout. The six-year-old has loads of ability and can certainly bounce back to his best form.

 MUM AND DAD UPSTAGE THEIR SON

Bunbury trainer Peter Bell upstaged his son Ryan when his five-year-old gelding Full Moon Tonight gave a splendid frontrunning exhibition to score an effortless victory in the 2130m D’Orsogna Pace at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.

Full Moon Tonight, who is raced on lease by Peter Bell’s wife Jean, was a 16/1 outsider who carried too many guns for 2/1 on favourite Bollinger Baby and beat the New Zealand-bred mare at her Australian debut by just over two lengths.

Bollinger Baby, who is trained at Capel by Ryan Bell, was having her first start since finishing tenth behind the brilliant Millwood Meg at Cambridge last February.

New Zealander Reon Tither dashed Full Moon Tonight straight to the front from the No. 1 barrier and the gelding relished his pacemaking role. Bollinger Baby, with Matt White in the sulky, enjoyed a perfect passage, one-out and one-back, but she just battled home into second place.

Peter Bell said that he had expected the gelding (who was having his first start for almost two months) to run a strong race.

“Ryan drove him when he finished a very good second in a recent trial in Bunbury,” he said. “And I have altered his training routine and made some gear changes which have helped.

“He has been very immature and he has improved since I have changed his training program. Our daughter Tamara has been riding him a lot in the bush and he has thrived on this work.”

Among the gear changes were lengthening the pacer’s hopples from 58 inches to 59 and a half inches and adding a headcheck and hopple shorteners.

Full Moon Tonight, who ended a losing sequence of 12, is out of Calypso Moon, who had 105 starts for her breeder Allen Mitchell for five wins, 20 placings and $15,933. Calypso Moon, who is out of former outstanding juvenile pacer Chryso Mou, has produced six winners, including Bright As (13 wins and $74,645 in stakes) and Trunkey Lorenzo (five wins and $33,815).

 GRANT WILLIAMS ON FIRE WITH FOUR WINNERS

Karnup horseman Grant Williams was in devastating form at Pinjarra on Monday when he trained and drove four winners.

He was successful with Vokai, Franco Jazzman, Cromac Johnny and Ohoka du Nord.