OLIVIERI AND LEWIS ARE AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE

Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri and champion reinsman Chris Lewis have been a powerful combination in WA harness racing over the past 15 years and they look set to triumph in another major feature event with emerging star Dasher VC at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Dasher VC has been installed favourite at 2/1 on after drawing perfectly at No. 1 in the $175,000 XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Championship.

The inexperienced New Zealand-bred four-year-old is in such devastating form that it is difficult to visualise him being beaten in the group 1 classic over 2506m.

The 56-year-old Olivieri, the leading metropolitan trainer this season, and the 55-year-old Lewis, the leading metropolitan reinsman, have combined to win a remarkable 380 races in the city.

Olivieri, who has trained 778 city winners, has combined with Lewis to win dozens of feature events with Lombo Laredo, Harry Gunn, Mark Craig, Super Strike, John Albert, Captain Lee, Heros Knight, Saab, Talladega, OK Windermere, Argent Treasure and Ima Spicey Lombo.

They joined forces to win the 1998 Golden Nugget with the brilliant Saab, who beat Touch of Zam and Golden Gears. This gave Olivieri his only success in a Nugget, but Lewis has also been successful in this race with Vero Prince (1987) and Flashing Star (1994).

Dasher VC, owned by Paul and Tony Poli, has been in tremendous form this season, with his five starts since resuming after a six-month absence producing four wins in fast times and a nose second to Ohoka du Nord after racing wide early and then without cover.

There is no doubt that Lewis will be desperate to send Dasher VC to the front as soon as the mobile barrier sends the field of 12 on its way. The gelding has revealed sparkling early speed at his past two starts and he should be capable of resisting any early challenges for the lead this week.

He started from barrier two in a Nugget prelude three Fridays ago and burst straight to the front and gave a brilliant frontrunning display to win easily from Why Live Dangerously, rating 1.56.7 over 2130m after sprinting the final 800m in 56.7sec.

Then, in the Ross North Four-Year-Old Championship last Friday night, he went forward from the No. 6 barrier and worked hard outside the pacemaker David Hercules before forging to the front 250m from home and winning easily at a 2100m rate over 2100m.

Two men who believe that they have the horse to defeat Dasher VC are Motu Crusader’s owner Merv Butterworth and driver Andy McCarthy.

They were philosophical when Motu Crusader drew out at barrier six and said that they certainly were far from pessimistic about the New Zealand-bred gelding’s prospects. They are firm in their belief that Motu Crusader can bounce back from his last placing behind Dasher VC last Friday night when the pacer had difficulty in negotiating the tight bends on the 805m Gloucester Park track.

He came from the rear with a fast move after a lap had been covered and then was trapped three wide for more than a lap before dropping back in the final stages to finish last.

“We’ve got a different horse this week,” said Butterworth, who races the top-class pacer in partnership with his wife Meg. “We are going to go up and face the breeze and let Chris (Lewis) know that he’s in a race.” McCarthy said that the gelding was bright and in good spirits this week and he declared: “I believe we have the horse power to win.”

Dasher VC and Chillin Dylan are the least experienced runners in the race, with Dasher VC having had 14 starts for nine wins and Chillin Dylan 14 starts for six wins. The 12 runners have won a combined total of 128 races and have notched 73 placings for prizemoney of $1,582,308.

Chillin Dylan, now trained by Katja Schreyvogel, has made only one appearance this season, when he covered a great deal of extra ground and faded to finish eighth behind Franco Jazzman at Pinjarra nine and a half weeks ago.

Trevor Warwick was pleased with the grey horse’s progress when he drove him to a runaway five-length victory in a 2150m trial at Byford last Sunday. Chillin Dylan sped over the final two 400m sections in 27.6sec. and 28.4sec. and rated 1.58.7.

“I was very happy with the trial,” Warwick said. “I had to give him a blast to see where he’s at, and I hope to be a nuisance at the end of the big race.” Chillin Dylan will start from the inside of the back line and Warwick would dearly love to take the trail behind Dasher VC.

Warwick, like Lewis, has also won the Nugget three times. He was successful with Yaracoola (1984), Morano Magic (1985) and Slick Vance (1995).

Wanneroo trainer Barry Morrison said that Indomitable Saab (who will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line) was thriving. “He’s not much of a track worker and saves his best for races,” he said. “He worked over two miles in 4min. 11sec. on Monday, which was the same time he recorded before he won a 2506m prelude last Friday week.”

Olivieri has a good second string in the big race in Crombie, winner of the WA Derby last April. Crombie, who has won at three of his five starts as a four-year-old, will start from barrier five, and if Morgan Woodley can slot him into the one-wide line he should be capable of unwinding a powerful finish.

The two mares in the event, Ella Sue and Millwood Meg, drew well on the front line. Ella Sue, who has impressed with smart wins at Gloucester Park and Harvey at her past two outings, will start from the No. 2 barrier, with Millwood Meg, winner of the Gold Coast, Queensland and WA Oaks last season, at No. 4.

Only one mare has been successful in the 30-year history of the Nugget. That distinction belongs to the Noel Keiley-trained Countess Karla, who set the pace and won in a thrilling three-way photo finish from Make The Rules and Paulas Mate in 1999.

 INSIDE BARRIER GIVES CELTIC CRUSADER A GOOD CHANCE

Celtic Crusader, plagued by unfavourable draws for much of his career, should appreciate the No. 1 barrier and prove hard to beat in the $23,000 XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Consolation at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

This will be only the second time in 38 starts in WA that Celtic Crusader will start from the pole position. However, he has been a consistent performer with seven wins and 14 placings from 37 starts in this State after winning at five of his 13 starts in New South Wales.

The Debbie Padberg-trained gelding warmed up for Friday night’s event with a sound third behind Black Pontiac and Son of Fergie at Pinjarra on Monday when he started from barrier four, raced without cover early and then enjoyed a good passage, one-out and one-back. The final 800m of the race was run in a slick 56.9sec.

In an even field in the consolation, Darling Downs trainer Aldo Cortopassi has solid winning prospects with Franco Renegade and Aussie Terror.

Franco Renegade, who will start from barrier four, has had 25 starts for nine wins and eight placings, while Aussie Terror has had 32 starts for ten wins and seven placings. Franco Renegade settled in ninth position and raced three wide for more than a lap before hitting the front briefly in the final 50m and finishing second to Pacific Jaccka over 1700m at Gloucester Park last Saturday week.

Aussie Terror impressed two starts ago when he enjoyed a perfect trail in fourth position before starting a three-wide run 600m from home and going on to win comfortably from Alby Albert over 2130m at Gloucester Park.

Elite Angel will have admirers after her encouraging first-up effort when second to Ella Sue at Harvey last Thursday and Free The Man warmed up in good style when he finished boldly to beat Peppi La Rue by three lengths at Pinjarra on Monday.

 JUMBO OPERATOR GETS HIS CHANCE TO BOUNCE BACK

Up-and-coming star Jumbo Operator will make a rare appearance in a sprint when he contests the 1700m XXXX Summer Bright Lager Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

This will be only his second start in a sprint in a superb 24-start career of 19 wins and three placings. His only appearance in a sprint was at Gloucester Park in July 2009 when he started from barrier seven in a field of seven, settled at the rear, was last at the 400m mark and raced roughly on the home turn before finishing brilliantly to be a close second to the pacemaker Money Twitch over 1730m.

Jumbo Operator will start from barrier seven and gets a strong chance to make amends for his unlucky 11th behind Ima Spicey Lombo in the 2506m Parliamentarians Cup last Friday week.

He was travelling beautifully in the one-out, one-back position before meeting with severe interference 650m from home. He broke into a gallop and finished 290m behind the winner.

Jumbo Operator won the 2503m Navy Cup in fine style the previous Friday when he dashed to an early lead, set the pace and held on to beat My Sound of Thunder and Talk To Me Courage.     
   
Jumbo Operator will certainly not have things all his own way on Friday night when he clashes with smart pacers Mighty McDana, Mr Clancy, Little Big Sister and Lombo Air Express.

Mighty McDana completed four wins in a row in exciting style last Friday night when he sprinted home brilliantly, out wide, to snatch a last-stride victory over Hirli Birli Lombo.

 LONG-SHOT ROBBIE WILLIAMS STRIKES GOLD

Young reinsman Robbie Williams has struck a purple patch, landing three long-priced winners in the space of four days.

After scoring with $27.80 tote outsider Pacific Fortune at Gloucester Park last Friday night, the 22-year-old Williams was successful at his only two drives at Pinjarra on Monday, winning with the Merv Jupp-trained pair Imali ($60.30) and Justlikelindt ($12.90).

This was one of several doubles in the past few days. Chris Lewis won with Dasher VC and Lombo Air Express at Gloucester Park last Friday night before winning with Secret Interlude and Oak Grove at Northam on Tuesday night.

Glen Richards and Mark Roberts also drove doubles at the Northam meeting. Richards scored first-up victories with the Mike Reed-trained five-year-olds Tommy Tornado and Taiaha, who are owned by Auckland couple Pero and Lorraine Smith.

Roberts joined in the fun by driving Sun Catcher ($65.90) and Frankies Girl ($11.90).

At Gloucester Park on Saturday night, Gary Hall jun. scored a double with Blissfull Boy and Bettor Still and Gary Elliott won with Big Jedd and Stumpygullyroad.

Shannon Suvaljko, who drove Snowballs A Flyin and Styx By Mee to victory at Gloucester Park last Friday night, had the rare experience of training the warm favourite in all seven events at the Kalgoorlie meeting on Saturday night where Giles Inwood and John Sangalli each landed a driving double.

All seven Suvaljko-trained runners were driven by Giles Inwood and it must go down as an Australian record that one trainer and one driver were represented by the favourite in all seven events on a program.

Inwood won with Billionaire Bob ($2.30) and Westwind Renegade ($2). He didn’t enjoy a lot of luck with Blindmans Bluff (fourth at $1.80), Top Gun Whitby (fourth at $1.50), Robbery (seventh at $2), Dial A Taxi (fifth at $2.20) and Room To Zoom (second at $1.30).

Sangalli was successful with outsiders Haematite ($46.40) and You Wish You Could ($15.40).