FALCONS MEDLEY ON TARGET TO END LOSING SEQUENCE OF 17

Falcons Medley, bred to be a star, but a major disappointment with only two wins from 26 starts in WA, has turned the corner and is poised to end a losing sequence of 17 when he contests the Sentinel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

A 25/1 outsider last Friday night, the New Zealand-bred six-year-old put the writing on the wall last Friday night with an eye-catching second to Lord Roddick and he looks a good thing from barrier two over 1730m this week.

Falcons Medley started from the back line and covered a lot of extra last week before fighting on with great determination to finish a head behind Lord Roddick, rating a slick 1.56.9 over 2130m.

Trained at Byford by Tony Svilicich, Falcons Medley is a half-brother to former superstar pacer Lively Medley, who had 34 starts for 20 wins and four placings. After winning at five of his 18 starts in New Zealand, Lively Medley was a sensation in WA, winning at each of his 15 starts in this State.

After that string of victories he contested the Legends Mile at Moonee Valley in November 2004 and finished fifth behind Sokyola. He then suffered a serious leg injury and has not raced since.

Now a 12-year-old, Lively Medley is on the comeback trail and he won a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday, easily beating Jackson Street and Chillin Dylan. The trial was run at a snail’s pace before Lively Medley sprinted over the final 400m in 27.6sec. for trainer-driver Kade Howson.

Lively Medley’s WA wins included two feature 1742m events at Gloucester Park in October 2004, the FHRC Members Sprint (1.55.7) and the Mount Eden Mile (1.54.6).

Falcons Medley, who will be driven by Colin Brown, has been placed only twice from his past 17 starts since winning at Kellerberrin in May. His chief rival looms as New Zealand-bred five-year-old Banana Dana, who will be making his first appearance since he set the pace and faded to tenth behind Ima Rocket Star at Gloucester Park last November.

Banana Dana, trained at Woodvale by Darren Duffy, has had only 14 starts, all at Gloucester Park, for five wins and three placings. He has not been produced in recent trials and will be driven for the first time by Greg Kersley.

Victorian-bred six-year-old Tuff Jag has a losing sequence of 24, but he will have admirers from the No. 1 barrier after his encouraging close-up sixth behind Lord Roddick last week when he ran on from eighth at the bell and was hampered for room in the home straight.

Face Your Fears and Smart Cullen also should be prominent. Face Your Fears raced one-out and two-back before bursting to the front 550m from home and battling on into third place behind Keep Celebrating over 2130m last Friday night. That was his fourth successive third placings and he will pay to follow.

Smart Cullen sustained a solid three-wide burst from ninth at the bell to finish fourth behind Lord Roddick last week.

 LEWIS AND HAS THE ANSWERS FACE A FRESH CHALLENGE

Chris Lewis looks set to notch his third victory in the Ross North Homes Spring Pace    over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he drives star pacer Has The Answers.

The Spring Pace has been run only four times, with Lewis being successful with Commander Whitby in 2006 and Sneakyn Down Under last year. Tony Svilicich, trainer of Has The Answers, prepared the 2007 winner Demoralizer, who was handled by Colin Brown.

Lewis dashed 10/9 chance Sneakyn Down Under forward four wide from the No. 5 barrier last year and the gelding charged to the front after only 280m and then careered away to win by just over six length from the even-money favourite Talk To Me Courage, rating 1.56.4.

However, Has The Answers is unlikely to be seen in his familiar role of pacemaker this week because he will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line. This should result in an intriguing race, with Lewis determining his tactics as the race unfolds.

At his past 45 starts Has The Answers has begun from a wide barrier on the front line or from a handicap mark in a stand. In all of his past 23 starts in mobiles Has The Answers has burst to an early lead and set the pace.

So this race should provide the horse and the driver with a highly interesting fresh challenge. No doubt Lewis would love to get Has The Answers to the lead at some stage in the first circuit, but this might not eventuate if there are horses in front of him racing out wide on the track. Lewis would then be reluctant to make the old gelding work overtime out very wide.

If that were to be the case, Lewis probably would wait until the final 1200m before sending Has The Answers forward. Whatever transpires there seems little likelihood of Has The Answers being beaten.

Under the conditions of the Spring Pace, mares received preferential treatment and all other runners, apart from those out of the draw in mobiles, would be placed in a random draw. The only mare nominated, Little Big Sister, automatically drew the No. 1 barrier, meaning that Has The Answers could have drawn any other barrier, apart from Nos. 8 and 9 which will be occupied by ODM runners Sheer Royalty and Mysta Magical Mach.

Little Big Sister possesses good gate speed, and Brown is likely to send the mare straight to the front. If Has The Answers happened to get an unhindered run through the rest of the field and challenge for the lead in the first lap Brown almost certainly would opt to take the sit on the speedster.

An interesting runner is Auto Pilot, who has struck a purple patch of form for Coolup trainer Frank Nafranec. The eight-year-old, who has drawn the No. 2 barrier, has unwound powerful finishing bursts to win at each of his past four starts. But those wins were against vastly inferior opposition.

 OLIVIERI AND LEWIS THE RACE ONE SPECIALISTS

Former Tasmanian pacer Alby Albert, unsuccessful from wide barriers at his past three starts, is certain to relish the No. 1 barrier in the Admiral Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

And for the third successive week in the opening month of the 2010-11 season Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri and star reinsman Chris Lewis should combine to win the opening event on the program, following the wins of Big Town Drive and Lord Roddick.

Alby Albert put up an excellent performance last Friday night when fifth behind Lord Roddick. He started from the outside barrier (No. 9) and was wisely restrained to the rear by Morgan Woodley.

Woodley started a three-wide move (following Lord Roddick) as the field approached the bell and the eight-year-old ran home gamely from 11th at the bell, after being forced five wide with 300m to travel.

He was most impressive at his previous start, two weeks earlier, when he began out wide from barrier seven and sustained a powerful three-wide burst from last position at the 1000m mark to finish a head second to Solomon Maguire.

Alby Albert has excellent credentials to win the metropolitan maiden-class event. He has earned $133,729 from his 20 wins and 43 placings from 134 starts.

Dominating Diomedes and Talk It Up appear his main rivals. Dominating Diomedes is a smart five-year-old in the stables of Greg Bond who has had 40 starts for ten wins and nine placings. He was about to unwind a powerful burst when he met with severe interference 500m from home in the race won by Big Town Drive last Friday week.

Talk It Up ran home determinedly to finish second to Big Town Drive and then he maintained that good form last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Ip Game of Chance before finishing solidly into third place behind Lord Roddick and Falcons Medley.

 KEEP CELEBRATING KEEPS UP THE GOOD WORK

Bokal owner-trainer Tracey Reed has five-year-old Keep Celebrating spot on in a bid to complete a hat-trick when he runs in the Rendezvous Pace over 2096m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Keep Celebrating warmed up for his assignment in fine style at Northam on Tuesday night when he finished strongly to win from hot favourite Hirli Birli Lombo in a 2620m mobile. This followed his fast-finishing victory over Nivea Joe in a 2130m mobile at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he ended a losing sequence of 11.

At Northam, Morgan Woodley sent the gelding forward to race outside the pacemaker Be Artful in the early stages of the race. Soon after that Hirli Birli Lombo took up the position in the breeze, giving Keep celebrating an ideal passage, one-out and one-back.

Keep Celebrating, who has won nine times from 51 starts, will start from barrier four off the front line on Friday night and is expected to receive stiff opposition from the talented Pancho Maguire (10m), Sunsets West (20m), Real Life (30m) and fellow-frontmarker Lombo Air Express.

Pancho Maguire has won in dashing style at each of his past two starts at Gloucester Park for trainer Michael Brennan and driver Gary Hall jun. He started from 10m at Gloucester Park last Friday week when he surged forward from the rear with two laps to travel, moved into the breeze outside Fast Play at the 1500m and then cruised to the front 450m from the finish before winning from Son of Fergie and Fast Play.