HAS THE ANSWERS IN LINE FOR ANOTHER PARLIAMENTARIANS CUP

Star pacer Has The Answers continues to thrive on a rigorous program of racing every week and has bright prospects at Gloucester Park on Friday night of becoming the first horse to win the Parliamentarians Cup for the second time.

Has The Answers will start from No. 2 barrier on the back line of the $30,000 mobile event over 2506m and Chris Lewis should be able to settle him down in a prominent position in the moving line before sending the veteran pacer forward in the middle stages or in the final circuit, depending on the tempo of the race.

Morgan Woodley drove Has The Answers in last year’s Parliamentarians Cup when the gelding started from barrier three and burst to the front after 200m before setting the pace and coasting to a three-and-a-half length victory over Our Malabar.

No horse has won the race twice in its 17-year history. Lewis has been the dominant reinsman, winning the event five times. He won the inaugural Cup with Hilarion Star in 1993 and has also been successful with Heros Knight (1998), Our London Pride (1999), Jimmy Nail (2003) and Competitive Edge (2006).

Has The Answers warmed up for this week’s feature event in good style when he started off the back mark of 50m (effectively 40m in the 2503m Navy Cup, a race in which there was no frontmarker) and came from 12th in the middle stages to move into third place 250m from home before wilting late to finish sixth, only 5m behind the winner Jumbo Operator.

A week earlier Has The Answers started from the back line in the 1730m Mount Eden Sprint and finished boldly from seventh at the bell to be a 3m second to the pacemaker Real Life.

Rising star Jumbo Operator, who ambled to the front 550m after the start, set the pace and sprinted the final 800m in 56.6sec. in winning last week’s Navy Cup, will start from barrier five and will have many admirers. He will be seriously tested against top-class opposition, but has the ability to prove hard to beat again.

Jumbo Operator’s trainer Ron Huston will also be represented by The Hunter, who caused a major upset two starts ago when he sat behind the pacemaker Has The Answers before he finished strongly to snatch victory by a head. The Hunter will be driven by Justin Prentice.

Also holding strong hands in the Parliamentarians Cup are top trainers Gary Hall sen. and Greg Bond. Hall will be represented by Im Themightyquinn, Talk To Me Courage and Albert Jaccka, while Bond has three runners, Ima Rocket Star, In The Force and Pablito.

Im Themightyquinn, who has been beaten at odds-on at his first two appearances after a spell, will start from barrier seven and he should be ready to run a big race after covering a lot of extra ground before finishing third to Our Mercurio and sixth behind Real Life.

Hall said on radio after Im Themightyquinn’s last-start sixth that he was somewhat confused. “I think I’ve made a bit of a training error with him in that I’ve been a bit soft on him, keeping him in cotton wool,” he explained.

“It’s time to take the gloves off and get stuck into him. I’ve been trying to get him to peak at the end of November for the Miracle Mile and I’ve had him a bit underdone. I’ve got stuck into him and it’s probably the best he’s ever worked and I’m really looking forward to his next run.”

Colin Brown will drive Ima Rocket Star, who will be making his first appearance since his outstanding effort in finishing second to Villagem in the $200,000 Chariots of Fire at Menangle in July. He has recovered from a bout of colic and is working in fine style.

Bond will drive Pablito and outstanding young Queensland reinsman Andy McCarthy will handle the talented In The Force, who has scored dashing victories at two of his past three starts at Gloucester Park.

 MOTU TREASURE OUT TO BUCK THE TREND IN ITALIAN SPRINT

New Zealand-bred five-year-old Motu Treasure, the youngest and least experienced runner in the field, possess such sparkling speed that he should set the pace and prove the master of his older rivals in the $20,500 D’Orsogna Italian Sprint over 1700m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He will start from the No. 4 barrier, and though the three runners on his inside can muster plenty of early pace, Colin Brown is likely to urge Motu Treasure forward at the start in a bid to take up the running.

If Motu Treasure leads, he will have to buck the trend in previous Italian Sprints, with the pacemaker being beaten in the past four years.

Dark Shadow led and finished second to Forward Pocket in 2006; Jasper County led before finishing second to Signline in 2007; Noble Chevalier set the pace and wilted to fifth behind Sweet Home Alabama in 2008 and last year Spare Me led and faded to fifth behind Hy Royale, who charged home from tenth at the bell to win from Argent Treasure. 

Motu Treasure, trained at Forrestdale by Greg Bond, was favourite at 5/2 on when he started in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park last Friday week. He began speedily from the outside barrier (No. 9) and took up the running after 200m. However, he was challenged by Indomitable Saab for much of the journey and faded in the home straight to fourth behind Shoab.

Motu Treasure started from barrier eight when he set the pace and won easily at a 1.56.3 rate over 1730m at his previous outing. He rated 1.57.4 over 1730m two starts before that when he raced behind the pacemaker and finished fast to snatch victory from that pacer.

Bond has an excellent second string in Friday’s Italian Sprint in Little Big Sister, who will start from barrier seven. She has been freshened up since she was prominent throughout and ran home nicely along the pegs to finish fourth behind Albert Jaccka in the FHRC Members Sprint on October 8. Kim Prentice has been engaged to drive the mare this week.

The other mare in Friday’s race is ultra-consistent seven-year-old Parsonemby, who was most impressive last Friday night when she set a solid pace and won over 1730m at a 1.56.4 rate. Parsonemby will start from barrier five and cannot be left out of calculations.

 WHITE ON THE DOORSTEP OF A MEMORABLE MILESTONE

Octogenarian Wanneroo trainer Ken White will chalk up his 100th city winner if smart four-year-old Grinjaro triumphs in the XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Prelude over 2506m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Grinjaro, a winner of 11 races from 31 starts, will start from barrier six and will be strongly fancied after finishing solidly, out wide, into fifth place behind Dasher VC in a Nugget prelude last Friday night.

His previous six runs since resuming from a spell produced three wins and three seconds.

White trained the first of his 99 Perth city winners on June 19, 1982 when Geoff Marriott was successful with Craig’s Way. Since then, White has enjoyed considerable success with Touch of Zam, Lord Marques, Imagreektoo, Shadow Maker, Fletcher Christian, Conrod Black and Grinjaro.

Why Live Dangerously, trained by Gary Hall sen., fared badly in the random draw and will start from the outside barrier at No. 9. However, he should be running home strongly at the end of the 2506m journey.

He has made a splendid return to racing after a spell, covering a deal of extra ground before winning over 2130m last Saturday week and then sitting behind the pacemaker Dasher VC before finishing strongly to be second to that pacer last Friday night.

Indomitable Saab, a winner at 13 of his 34 starts for Wanneroo trainer Barry Morrison, has drawn ideally at No. 1 and Wayne Reid is likely to attempt an all-the-way win. Aussie Terror (Aldo Cortopassi) also will have many admirers after he sustained a strong finishing burst to win from Alby Albert last Friday night.

 BRONZE ICON A GOOD DRIVE FOR ANDY MCCARTHY

Queensland reinsman Andy McCarthy has excellent prospects of driving a winner at his first appearance at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The 24-year-old horseman, who has just returned from a successful stint of driving in North America, has been engaged to drive Bronze Icon for Pinjarra trainer Kelly Groves in the 2100m D’Orsogna Continentals Pace.

McCarthy will replace regular driver Chris Brew, who is on a visit to New Zealand. Brew drove Bronze Icon at Gloucester Park last Friday night when the gelding led for the first 550m and then sat behind the pacemaker Global Glider before running home solidly to be a nose second to Xupan Three over 2536m.

Bronze Icon was an all-the-way winner over 2130m at Kellerberrin the previous Sunday. He will start from barrier four on Friday night and his chief rivals are likely to be Heeza Top Dog, Lees Approval and Jimmy Dancer.

Heeza Top Dog finished determinedly when second to Ella Sue at Gloucester Park on Monday after finishing with powerful bursts to win at Northam and Pinjarra at his two previous outings.

Lees Approval is in wonderful form for trainer-driver Aldo Cortopassi and the New Zealand-bred six-year-old should enjoy a good passage after starting as the only runner on the back line. Lees Approval worked very hard when a fighting third to Duncan Finn over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.

 VILLAGE KID SPRINT TO LUMINOUS LOMBO

Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri and champion reinsman Chris Lewis combined for yet another feature success when Luminous Lombo stormed home to win the $25,000 Village Kid Sprint at Northam on Tuesday night.

Luminous Lombo, a 9/2 chance, started from the back line and Lewis brought him home with a powerful burst from ninth at the bell to win by a half-length from Alzona, rating 1.56 over the 1780m.

Scan Air, the winner of this event 12 months ago, gave a strong first-up performance to finish boldly from eighth at the bell to be third.

Hot favourite Scruncher (Aiden Warwick) set the pace from barrier two after resisting a strong early challenge from Alzona, who began speedily from the No. 7 barrier.

Gary Hall jun. then rated Alzona in the breeze outside Scruncher before Alzona gained the upper hand approaching the home turn.