HAS THE ANSWERS POISED TO EARN $517,082 IN ONE YEAR

Exactly 52 weeks ago Has The Answers was balloted from the group 3 Brennan Memorial and as a consolation was given a start in a minor event at Gloucester Park when making his first appearance for his new trainer Tony Svilicich.

The powerful gelding aroused little interest, raced at the rear and finished an undistinguished eighth behind Spiritwithin.

Now, just one year later, Has The Answers dominates all discussions on the Caravan Industry Association Brennan Memorial, a prestigious $35,000 event to be decided over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The all-conquering eight-year-old has drawn perfectly in barrier five and will be a long odds-on favourite to notch his fifth win in a row.

Has The Answers has been transformed into a pacing machine by Svilicich and in 12 months has contested 50 races for the master 64-year-old trainer, winning 27 times, being placed on another 14 occasions and earning $493,632, considerably more than the annual salary of the Prime Minister of Australia.

A win on Friday night would take the star gelding’s earnings in exactly one year to $517,082.

Svilicich is supremely confident that Has The Answers will burst to the front, set the pace and win without extending himself. Victory would give Svilicich his second training success in the Brennan Memorial. He prepared Demoralizer when Giles Inwood drove the eight-year-old and 5/4 favourite to an easy all-the-way success over Shardons Aflyin and Hayton Brain in September 2007.

Champion reinsman Chris Lewis will go into this week’s feature event with considerably more confidence than he did 12 months ago when he drove 10-year-old Total Motivation, who was quoted by bookmakers at 500/1 before starting at 150/1 and battling into fifth place behind 14/1 chance Capitol V.

Only a mishap will prevent Has The Answers from continuing his winning ways and giving Lewis his seventh win in the Brennan Memorial. Lewis has already won the race with Lord Maselle (1981), Black Irish (1983), Village Kid (1986, 1987 and 1990) and Ohoka Ace (2005).

Has The Answers possesses such dazzling early speed that he is certain to charge straight to the front from the No. 5 barrier and dictate the tempo of the 2536m event. He has led and has strolled to victory over 2130m at each of his past four starts. He started over 2536m five starts ago when he set the pace in the August Cup and finished second.
He was beaten by Im Themightyquinn, one of the best pacers in Australia. There is no horse anywhere near the class of Im Themightyquinn contesting the Brennan Memorial.

The Ross Olivieri-trained eight-year-old Gary Bromac will start from the No. 1 barrier and is likely to gain a perfect trail behind Has The Answers.

Gary Bromac trailed the pacemaking Has The Answers two starts ago and ran home gamely to finish second. Albert Jaccka, a brilliant first-up winner for Hazelmere trainer Gary Hall sen. two starts ago, will start from the No. 6 barrier and will be fancied to finish in the placings.

 TROTSYND SYNDICATE PICKS A WINNER IN IM TIM KELLY

Members of the Trotsynd No. 9 syndicate, managed by Des Parr, have secured a bargain in New Zealand-bred Im Tim Kelly, who looks set to maintain his unbeaten 
Australian record when he contests the Aspen Parks Pathway Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The brilliant five-year-old, trained at Hazelmere by Gary Hall sen., will start from the outside barrier (No. 9), but he has the class to overcome this disadvantage.

Racing as Tim Kelly in New Zealand, the Washington VC gelding won three races and was placed seven times from 25 starts before being purchased for $30,000 by the Trotsynd syndicate.

Im Tim Kelly has been most impressive in winning at each of his first four starts in Australia, all of them when driven with supreme confidence by Gary Hall jun. at Gloucester Park.

He warmed up for Friday night’s 1730m event in dashing style at Gloucester Park last Saturday night when he started from barrier eight, raced wide early and then moved outside the pacemaker Jimmy Dancer with 1200m to travel in the 2130m event. Im Tim Kelly simply slipped into overdrive in the home straight to forge to the front in the final 45m and win by 2m from Jimmy Dancer.

At his previous outing, his first start for four months, Im Tim Kelly began off 20m, charged forward in the first circuit to take up the running before strolling to victory by three lengths over 2503m.

Illustrating the huge influx of New Zealand pacers into Western Australia is the fact that nine of the 12 runners in Friday night’s race were bred in New Zealand.

One of the New Zealand pacers in the race is polemarker The Smooth Operator, who is capable of extending Im Tim Kelly, despite unplaced efforts at his past three starts. These were in stands and the six-year-old will be much better suited to the mobile event.

At his most recent appearance in a mobile, five starts ago, The Smooth Operator began speedily from the No. 6 barrier, raced in the breeze early and then zoomed to the front and impressed in winning by two lengths from Tell Or Die.

 MY SOUND OF THUNDER TO MAKE GLOUCESTER PARK DEBUT

Memories of smart pacer Ace of Spades winning the 2003 WA Derby will be revived when My Sound of Thunder makes his debut at Gloucester Park on Friday night, running in the Parkland Winnebago Handicap.

My Sound of Thunder is out of Rare Class, whose dam Rare Gift produced several winners, including Ace of Spades, who won at his Australian debut, at Gloucester Park in April 2003 before Mark Reed drove him to victory in the WA Derby two starts after that.

My Sound of Thunder, trained at Boyanup by Kim Prentice for owners Robert Watson and Joe Iemma, will be having his first start since he made his Australian debut in the Narrogin Cup early last November.

He impressed in running home solidly from sixth at the bell to finish third behind Schinzig Buller and Total Defiance. The gelding, by Presidential Ball, came to Australia with an excellent New Zealand record of nine wins and ten placings from 30 starts.

Competing as Sound of Thunder in New Zealand, the gelding won at his first two starts, as a two-year-old, over 2000m at Manawatu and over 1700m at Alexandra Park on Auckland when he beat Lively Royce.

At his fourth-last start in New Zealand, he finished in sixth place, three lengths from the winner, superstar Auckland Reactor, in the group 1 Messenger Championship for four-year-olds at Alexandra Park.

Presido, a half-brother to My Sound of Thunder, has earned $150,000 from his 12 wins and 15 placings from 83 starts. Presido contested the interdominion championship series at Moonee Valley and Globe Derby Park when he was unplaced in three heats in December 2006 and January 2007.

My Sound of Thunder, a winner of $102,246 in prizemoney, will start from 10m in Friday night’s 2503m event in which he will be driven by Justin Prentice. He has not been produced in recent trials, but has the class to prove to be hard to beat at his first start for almost 11 months.

Watson and Iemma will have a strong second string in Friday night’s race. They race the consistent standing-start specialist Fast Play in partnership with Sue Lyons and Paul Webster.

Fast Play, trained by Ross Olivieri, is in splendid form, with three wins and three placings from his past eight starts. He gave a strong frontrunning display to win from Real Life and Ohoka Rebel over 250m at his latest appearance, at Gloucester Park last Friday week.

 REAL LIFE IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

Seven-year-old Real Life has flourished since entering Tony Svilicich’s Byford stables last month and will pay to follow.

He will start from the back mark of 30m and will be handled by Shannon Suvaljko in the Aussie RV Products Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

He has started from 30m and has impressed in finishing second at each of his past two starts on the past two Fridays. A smooth beginning will greatly enhance his prospects this week after tardy starts at his past two runs.

He galloped out, but didn’t lose much ground two starts ago when he dashed forward in the first lap and then covered a considerable amount of extra ground before finishing strongly to be a 1m second to Fast Play.

Real Life galloped at the start last Friday night and settled down in tenth position before Suvaljko took him forward with a three-wide run at the 1200m mark. He moved to fourth at the bell and finished with great determination to be a 2m second to Pancho Maguire last Friday night.

In what appears to be the most open and competitive race this week, Real Life is one of several runners with strong winning prospects. Strong frontrunners Jordangarry and Barnetts Secret will start off the front line, with likely favourite Truckers Ruffnut off 10m and stout-hearted and in-form pacers Conte Centovalli, Sunsets West and Undertheinfluence off the 20m mark.

Truckers Ruffnut won for the 17th time from 44 starts when he was off 30m and stood flat-footed at the start before putting up a tremendous performance to win by seven lengths from the pacemaker Its Thegiftoflife over 2560m at Northam last Tuesday week.

Truckers Ruffnut was last with two laps to travel and in eighth place approaching the bell before he charged to the front 750m from home. He covered the final 800m in just under 57sec.

Conte Centovalli put in a great run at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he started from 20m and moved to eighth (three wide) at the bell before going five wide at the 400m mark and finishing powerfully to be second to the pacemaker Tara Village over 2096m.