 MOTU TREASURE POISED TO GIVE BOND THIRD SUCCESS
Highly-promising New Zealand-bred four-year-old Motu Treasure has bright prospects of remaining unbeaten in Australia by winning the $35,000 John Higgins Memorial at Gloucester Park on Friday night and giving Forrestdale trainer Greg Bond his third success in the feature event.
Bond’s previous wins were with other New Zealand-bred pacers, Money Magnet (2004) and Richard Henry (2005). He also trained Mister Odds On when he finished second to Sneakyn Down Under in 2008.
Bond will be watching the race on Sky Channel from Sydney where he will be hoping for success with Ima Rocket Star in the $200,000 Chariots of Fire at Menangle.
Motu Treasure had 19 starts in New Zealand for six wins and eight placings and he has been most impressive in winning easily at each of his first four starts in WA.
He began speedily from barrier seven, set the pace and sprinted the final 800m in 58.3sec. when he won by 7m from Scruncher over 2190m at his most recent appearance, at Northam on Thursday of last week.
Motu Treasure started from the back line and dashed to the front in the first lap before winning a heat of the Higgins Memorial easily from Supreme Courage and Artorius at Narrogin at his previous outing. That followed stylish victories at Gloucester Park at his two previous starts.
Looming as the chief danger to Motu Treasure is Lombo Navigator, the youngest runner in the 2130m event. Lombo Navigator, trained at Capel by Andrew de Campo, is in dazzling form and has won at his past four starts.
Lombo Navigator, who has won at 13 of his 23 starts, rated 1.57.1 when he scored an impressive victory over 2130m last Friday night when he started from the outside barrier and raced three wide for much of the journey.
He again has drawn wide and will start from the No. 7 barrier this week. He certainly has the toughness and natural ability to beat his older rivals.
Bond knows first-hand that three-year-olds can perform strongly in this event restricted
to metropolitan maiden performers. Richard Henry was a three-year-old when he won this race by a nose over the pacemaker Bank The Money in 2005. Mister Odds On also was three when he finished second to five-year-old Sneakyn Down Under.
Leading trainer Gary Hall sen. has sound prospects of winning the event for the second year in a row. He trained Our Toto when the New Zealand-bred four-year-old, driven by Kim Prentice, flew home from sixth at the 100m mark to win narrowly from Hurricane Anvil and Bronzwhaler Whitby last year.
Hall will be represented by experienced five-year-old Partywiththedevil, who has shown promise with two wins and two placings at his first four WA starts. Partywiththedevil, ideally drawn at barrier two, will be driven by Gary Hall jun.
Partywiththedevil warmed up for the Higgins Memorial with a strong effort at Gloucester Park last Saturday night when he came from the rear with a three-wide run in the middle stages to race without cover before winning a 2536m event by a length from Laser Edge.
TRUCKERS RUFFNUT ON SONG FOR MELBOURNE TRIP
Smart four-year-old Truckers Ruffnut should make amends for placings at his first three starts after a spell by proving too good for his rivals in The West Australian Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Oakford trainer Murray Hansen is happy with the way the horse is performing and is keen to test him against some of the country’s best young pacers in the rich Breeders Crown for four-year-old horses and geldings in Victoria.
Truckers Ruffnut, a winner of $185,397 from his 14 wins and 11 placings from 38 starts, will leave by air on Sunday for Melbourne and will contest a semi-final of the Breeders Crown at Melton the following Sunday. The final will be decided a week later.
Hansen said that he was not disappointed at Truckers Ruffnut’s effort when second to the pacemaker Pablito last Friday night. Truckers Ruffnut had a tough run without cover before fighting on gamely. He rated 1.57.9 and dashed over the final 800m in 57.2sec.
“He overraced in the breeze, but still did a fine job,” Hansen said.
Hansen also took Truckers Ruffnut to Melbourne for the three-year-old leg of the Breeders Crown last year when he finished third to Emjayem Grand and Fantasy Rocks in a repechage of the Crown and eighth behind Captain Joy in a semi-final.
Gavin Lang drove Truckers Ruffnut when he scored an easy win in the consolation of the Crown, in which he beat Our White Knight and Fantasy Rocks. The final was won by Tintin In America, who beat Bonavista Bay and Garnet River.
Hansen said that Gary Hall jun. would drive Truckers Ruffnut in his races in Victoria. Hall has driven Truckers Ruffnut in eight of his 14 wins, including the Battle of Bunbury in February of last year and the $100,000 State Sires Series at Gloucester Park 14 months ago.
Truckers Ruffnut will start out wide at barrier eight on Friday night, but should carry too many guns for his rivals, including last Friday night’s brilliant all-the-way winner Sheer Royalty, who rated a scorching 1.55.7 over 1730m.
Sheer Royalty will start from the outside barrier after breaking in the score-up and causing a false start last week.
SVILICICH HAS A RECORD EIGHT RUNNERS IN ONE RACE
Unconventional, but highly successful Byford trainer Tony Svilicich will create history at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he will be represented by eight runners in the $20,500 Colin Hamersley Memorial Pace over 2536.
No trainer has had as many runners in a metropolitan-class event in the history of WA harness racing.
The 64-year-old Svilicich will start champion Has The Answers and stablemates Surfin Superstar, Roman Trickster, Aussie Attack, Rostrievier Ornum, Mysta Magical Mach, Key Question and The Final Word.
His only opposition will come from the Andrew de Campo-trained mare Nowuseeme and the Peter Hemsley-trained gelding Pandemic.
In a highly unusual situation, the remarkable seven-year-old Has The Answers will be competing against his full-sister, the three-year-old filly Key Question.
Key Question, who has won at three of her 17 starts for modest earnings of $15,864, is sure to be outclassed by her illustrious brother who has amassed $676,779 in prizemoney from his 44 wins and 40 placings from 133 starts.
Has The Answers will start from barrier eight and he possesses such sparkling early speed that Chris Lewis should be able to send the hard gelding straight to the front and dictate the terms of the race.
Has The Answers won for the 22nd time from his past 38 starts when he was untroubled to set the pace and win by just under 17m from Alzona over 2130m last Friday night.
Nowuseeme will be favoured to finish second. She is perfectly drawn at the No. 1 barrier and Matt White should have her travelling well behind the pacemaking Has The Answers throughout.
She is in sound form and caught the eye when she started from the outside barrier and ran home strongly from tenth at the bell to finish fifth behind Pablito last Friday night. She also fought on gamely when third behind Has The Answers and Tuakepa Tiz at her previous outing.
NEW EXPERIENCE FOR LASER EDGE
Victorian-bred five-year-old Laser Edge will have a new experience when he starts in the Cyril Lilleyman Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
It will be his first appearance in a stand after his 65 starts in mobiles have netted $76,318 from 12 wins and 17 placings.
He has impressed at his first two starts in WA for leading trainer Gary Hall sen. and will be strongly fancied from barrier two this week. He qualified to contest a standing-start race when he began smoothly in a stand trial at Byford three Sundays ago.
Driven by Chris Butt, Laser Edge was not extended in finishing fourth behind Long Shot Lou in the trial. Butt drove the gelding at Gloucester Park last Saturday night when he was trapped four wide early and then raced three wide in the middle stages before getting to the front and then finishing a game second to stablemate Partywiththedevil.
Laser Edge gave a splendid performance at his WA debut at Gloucester Park two Fridays ago when he worked hard without cover before surging to the front 470m from home and winning very easily from Supreme Courage and V O Two in a 2130m mobile event, rating 1.58.3.
Danny Roberts and Susan Beven, part-owners of Laser Edge, have excellent prospects of landing a quinella result. They are also part-owners of Jazz Musician, who will start from the No. 1 barrier.
Jazz Musician, trained at Capel by Andrew de Campo, gave a strong performance when second to the Hall-trained Im Grant Lea in a 2503m stand last Friday night. Jazz Musician ran home solidly from eighth at the bell to finish just a half-length behind the pacemaking Im Grant Lea.
Other runners who will be fancied to beat Laser Edge and Jazz Musician will be standing-start specialist Jordangarry, Aldebaran Swannee, Haagen Das, Pacific Black and Mister Odds On.
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