 SUVALJKO ON TARGET FOR THIRD SALES CLASSIC WIN
Brush With Courage, who is closely related to top-flight pacer Hy Royale, looks set to give reinsman Shannon Suvaljko his third victory in the Clipsal WA Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies when she contests the $115,000 event over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Courage Under Fire filly, trained at Byford by Noel Keiley, has had an ideal preparation for the classic and her prospects were boosted considerably when she drew the No. 2 barrier.
Suvaljko has handled the filly at each of her first three starts for two impressive victories. His previous successes in the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies were with Classical Gas in 1992 and Jupiters Darling in 2005.
Brush With Courage, by former New Zealand star Courage Under Fire, is out of Artists Impression, a mare who was retired after having only three starts at Gloucester Park as a two-year-old in November 2001 for one placing.
Artists Impression is out of Rakamo, a mare who has produced nine winners of 76 races. The best of her progeny is Hy Royale, who will resume racing after a spell in race eight, a Conditioned Pace over 2503m.
Hy Royale, who worked impressively in winning a 2150m trial by a length from General Eisenhower at Byford on Sunday, has earned $207,030 from his 17 wins and 15 placings from 61 starts.
Brush With Courage looks set to improve on Hy Royale’s effort when he contested the Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings in February 2006 when he was a 6/4 on favourite who wilted to finish fifth behind the pacemaker Aikido Whitby after racing without cover for much of the way.
Brush With Courage made an impressive debut when she finished boldly from eighth at the bell to win a 1670m mobile event at Pinjarra on March 22, rating 1.59.2.
Then she raced one-out and one-back before fading to sixth behind Forza di Volonta at Harvey before she contested a heat of the Sales Classic at Gloucester Park last Saturday week and trailed the pacemaker Forza di Volanta and finished powerfully to win from that filly and Western Memory.
She covered the final 400m in 29.2sec. and rated 2.1.7, which was faster than the rate recorded by the other heat winners, Rebecca Amy (2.2.3) and Mazeltov (2.2.2).
Rebecca Amy and Mazeltov each led all the way in their heat wins. In the final Mazeltov will start from barrier four and Rebecca Amy from barrier six. The likely pacemaker is the polemarker Artemis Belle, who started from the No. 7 barrier in her heat, raced wide early and then without cover before fighting on to finish second to Mazeltov.
This followed her excellent debut, over 1730m at Gloucester Park on March 8 when she set the pace from the inside barrier and coasted to victory by almost three lengths over As Happy As.
BLISSFULL BOY HOLDS ALL THE ACES IN CLASSIC
Blissfull Boy looks to have a stranglehold on the $115,000 Clipsal WA Sales Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier.
Owned and trained at Wanneroo by Ken White, Blissfull Boy has scored easy wins at each of his past four starts after his first eight starts produced two seconds, two thirds and four fourths.
He certainly looks capable of setting the pace and proving too smart for his nine rivals over the 1730m journey.
Not only was he the fastest of the three heat winners last Saturday week when he rated 2.1.7, he also was the most impressive, scoring after starting from the outside barrier (No. 8), being trapped four wide early and then meeting with severe interference on the first turn.
This check caused him to lose five lengths before Gary Hall jun. was able to get him going and move into a commanding position, one-out and one-back while Director Whitby bowled along in front.
Blissfull Boy went three wide with 475m to travel and burst to the front at the 300m mark before winning in good style from Our Mates Rates.
Blissfull Boy won effortlessly by an average margin of 13m at his three previous outings.
The other heat winners, Bettors Ace (2.2.1) and Touch of Tango (2.2.1) recorded significantly slower rates than Blissfull Boy in his heat victory. Bettors Ace, trained by Noel Keiley, is nicely drawn as the only runner on the second line and he should be able to enjoy a perfect trip behind the likely pacemaker Blissfull Boy.
Touch of Tango, trained by Bob Mellsop, gave a smart frontrunning performance to win his heat from Soho Dionysus, who worked hard in the breeze. Touch of Tango faded badly in the draw for the final and will start from the No. 9 barrier, with Soho Dionysus at No. 7.
TOTAL DEFIANCE IS A STANDING-START SPECIALIST
Smart five-year-old Total Defiance will relish a return to standing-start racing when he contests the Conditioned Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be the New Zealand-bred pacer’s second start after a spell, following his splendid third behind Has The Answers and Talk To Me Courage in a 2130m mobile event last Friday week.
He raced wide early and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before battling on gamely.
Total Defiance is a star performer in stands. His 12 appearances in stands in WA have produced 11 wins --- three off the front, five off 10m and one each off 20m, 40m and 50m.
Part-owned, trained and driven by Aldo Cortopassi, Total Defiance will start from 20m on Friday night in a race in which his most serious opposition is likely to come from Hy Royale, Parasite and Slick Lavra.
Hy Royale, trained by Katja Schreyvogel, warmed up for his return to racing with a sound win in a 21.50m Byford trial on Sunday when he dashed over the final 800m in 58.4sec. and beat General Eisenhower by a length, rating 2.2.4.
Parasite started from 20m in a 2503m event at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he sustained a powerful burst from tenth in the middle stages to finish second to Albert Jaccka. He charged home from tenth at the bell to win from Its Thegiftoflife the previous week.
Slick Lavra, who caught the eye last Friday week when she flew home from 11th at the bell to be a 2m second to stablemate Elysees Crest in the 2536m Empress Stakes, is an interesting runner for in-form trainer Ross Olivieri. She will start from 10m and warrants plenty of respect.
This will be a change in Slick Lavra’s recent racing. She has raced against mares at her past eight outings and her past 18 starts have been in mobiles. But there is no denying her outstanding form in WA since arriving from Victoria. Her nine starts in this State have produced six wins and three placings.
LUMINOUS LOMBO LOOKS A STAR BET
Five-year-old Luminous Lombo is a standout bet at Gloucester Park on Friday night and should send punters home on a winning note by proving too good for his 11 rivals in the 2130m Young Drivers Pace.
The Ross Olivieri-trained gelding should give 21-year-old Morgan Woodley an armchair drive after he had handled him last Friday night when he was extremely impressive in scoring an effortless victory at a 1.58.2 rate over 2130m.
After leading for the first 150m and then surrendering the front to outsider Lord Hurst, Luminous Lombo regained the lead 450m after the start and gave a bold frontrunning display, sprinting the final 800m in a slick 56.6sec.
A repeat of that effort would give his rivals very little chance of beating him this week. He fared well in the random barrier draw and should enjoy starting from No. 3.
Olivieri and Woodley will be widely fancied to open and close the ten-event program with a win. Woodley will handle crack three-year-old Crombie in the opening event which is likely to develop into a fierce battle between Crombie and Why Live Dangerously.
Woodley drove Crombie to a head victory over David Hercules in the WA Derby last Friday week when Why Live Dangerously gave promise of better things to come by storming home from 11th at the bell to be third.
Crombie had a much easier run, racing in fifth place on the pegs before Woodley got the colt into the clear 400m from home.
This week Crombie will start from barrier seven and Why Live Dangerously from No. 8 in the eight-horse field.
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