TSUNAMI LOMBO POISED TO COMPLETE A HAT-TRICK

Tsunami Lombo has not yet reached his full potential, according to Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri, but he makes strong appeal as the winner of the $17,500 Past Presidents Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Olivieri is quietly confident that the five-year-old will notch a hat-trick of wins since arriving in WA from Victoria about five weeks ago.

“He’s a big, strong horse and he’s fast,” said Olivieri. “He is a slow-maturing horse and I think we might not see the best of him until next season. I reckon he’ll come back a better horse after a spell. Having said that, he’s still racing in very good form.”

Tsunami Lombo has been most impressive since returning to his home State, scoring easy victories over 2130m and 2503m at Gloucester Park.

He will start from barrier six in the Cup and will again be driven by Chris Lewis. The speedy Bakerandthefatman looks the likely leader from the No. 4 barrier and Tsunami Lombo is capable of working hard in the breeze before dashing away from his rivals in the closing stages.

His most serious rival appears to be Money Twitch, who is racing in tremendous form. Money Twitch will start out wide from barrier eight, but, like Tsunami Lombo, is capable of covering extra ground before producing a strong finishing effort.

Four-year-old Money Twitch is the youngest runner in the race and his nine wins from 26 starts this season have boosted his career record to 18 wins and 13 placings from 55 starts for owners Greg and Skye Bond and Ian Davie.

Money Twitch worked hard without cover when a fighting third behind Has The Answers over 2536m three Fridays ago. He also had a tough run without cover before winning from Pablito over 2536m the previous week.

Hy Royale has a losing sequence of 12, but he showed that he was getting close to his top last Friday night when he started from 20m and ran home strongly from seventh at the bell to finish third behind Im Themightyquinn over 2503m last Friday night. Hy Royale will start from the No. 7 barrier.

 HALLS CONFIDENT ABOUT ROCKET REIGN’S PROSPECTS

New Zealand-bred six-year-old Rocket Reign has recovered from feet problems and is cherry ripe to make a successful return to racing when he contests the Easy For Me With DBC Pace over 2503m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“He just wins,” declared reinsman Gary Hall jun., who gave punters an important lead when he chose to drive Rocket Reign in preference to talented stablemate Alzona.

“I think he’s probably right,” said trainer Gary Hall sen. “Rocket Reign is pretty smart and he’s a good standing-start horse.”

Rocket Reign, who will be making his first appearance for six months, worked in dashing style when he scored an effortless victory in a 2550m Byford trial last Sunday.

“He got away very well from 10m and had no trouble in leading and winning the trial against moderate opposition,” said Hall jun.

“Gary didn’t pull the ear plugs and Rocket Reign just bolted in,” Hall sen. said. “He ran home in 57sec. and now has won both his trials from stands in preparation for his return to racing.

“I like the horse; he’s going good and has a bit of depth to him. He’s had a few little hoof problems, but they seem to be over now. He’s a high-class horse, not a second-stringer. He’s shown ability in both stands and mobiles and if he stays sound he’ll be a good horse in the big races at Christmas time.”

While upbeat about Rocket Reign’s prospects, Hall said it would be unwise to dismiss the winning prospects of stablemate Alzona, who has resumed after a spell in fine style with a second to Tsunami Lombo and a fourth behind Ima Rocket Star, Has The Answers and Precious Dylan.

Alzona, who finished second to Im Themightyquinn in the Fremantle Cup last December and third behind Has The Answers and Im Themightyquinn in the Australian Pacing Championship last January, will be driven by Kim Prentice.

Rocket Reign will start from 20m and Alzona from 30m, with Has The Answers off the back mark of 60m and Total Defiance off 40m.

Aldo Cortopassi, who trains and drives Total Defiance, is confident that the New Zealand-bred five-year-old will prove hard to beat, despite the 40m handicap.

“He started from 40m and won over 2503m two weeks ago,” Cortopassi said. “He has trained on really well and is a good standing-start horse. Has The Answers is not the best at getting away. He put up a big run when he finished fifth behind Total Defiance two weeks ago after losing so much ground at the start. His biggest hurdle is the start.

“I think the main danger is Alzona. He’s a proven standing-start horse who has run some very good races in big events.”

 McGINTYSGOAT IS WORTH ANOTHER CHANCE

Punters who burnt their fingers when 5/4 favourite McGintysgoat galloped badly at the start and finished seventh behind Christopher Three at his WA debut last week, should retrieve their losses by supporting him in the Jim Leahy Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

McGintysgoat should appreciate switching from a stand back to a mobile and he should carry too many guns for his rivals in the 2536m event in which he will start from the outside of the back line.

The five-year-old was in a cantankerous mood behind the barrier strand last week when he broke into a fierce gallop and settled down at the rear. He then gave a sample of his class when he got off the pegs in 11th position 1200m from home and moved into seventh place, four wide, at the bell.

He sustained that strong effort to be third, four wide, at the 600m mark before wilting over the final stages.

McGintysgoat is expected to receive strong opposition from smart pacers Pacific Idol, Rigatoni, Dontmakemeangry and Pedal To The Metal.

Pacific Idol caught the eye when he finished powerfully to snatch victory from Pandemic at Narrogin last Tuesday week, Rigatoni has won at two of his past four starts, Dontmakemeangry has been performing in good style on country tracks and Pedal To The Metal has run encouraging fourths at each of his two starts on his comeback trail.

 CHICA BONITA MAKES APPEAL FROM No. 1 BARRIER

Chica Bonita has managed only two placings from her past nine starts, but trainer-reinsman Aldo Cortopassi predicts the four-year-old mare will fight out the finish of the DBC Valley Spring Lamb Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Cortopassi said that punters should completely disregard Chica Bonita’s last-start seventh placing behind Tuapeka Tiz last Friday week.

“She was unlucky,” he explained. “She sat behind the pacemaker Denzel Washington, and turning for home he has fallen back in our lap and we’ve gone across the line climbing all over their wheels.

“From barrier one this week I might try to lead.” Chica Bonita’s most recent success was ten starts ago when she started from the No. 1 barrier, set the pace and held on to win from Nuclear Rose and Magiclittlepartner over 2130m.

Two starts ago Chica Bonita raced three back on the pegs before finishing solidly into third place behind Ima Spicey Lombo and Nullabor Song.

Last-start winners Another One For Me and Barachias and the speedy Mattnamaras Band will have many admirers in an open event.

Another One For Me sat behind the pacemaker Denzel Washington before finish fast to win easily from Inthe Barrack over 2536m last Friday night. The Chelsey Harding-trained mare should be capable of unwinding a powerful finish again.

Mattnamaras Band possesses good early speed and is ready to improve on his two unplaced efforts after resuming from a spell.

Barachias, trained at Waroona by Bob Mellsop, has won impressively at three of his past four starts and should again fight out the finish.

 SYDNEY TRIP UNLIKELY FOR JUMBO OPERATOR

Star WA-bred four-year-old Jumbo Operator extended his winning sequence to seven when he finished brilliantly to beat Pablito by a head in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.

But Byford trainer Ron Huston said that it was most unlikely that he would take Jumbo Operator to Sydney to contest the $200,000 Chariots of Fire at Menangle next month.

“I am rapt with his run tonight, but he is still a long way from his top,” Huston said. “A foot abscess has put his preparation back by a few weeks and he’s still very big in condition.

“To go to Sydney to run in such a big race, you need your horse to be spot on. He needs to do some hard racing to reach his peak. It is more than likely that I will set him for feature events in Perth in the summer and I’d like to get him ready for the interdomininion championship series in Perth in 2012.”
        
Jumbo Operator started from the back line in Tuesday night’s event and Shannon Suvaljko was content to let the gelding settle at the rear while Mark Reed set the pace with veteran Aussie Attack.

Reed cleverly eased the tempo and allowed Aussie Attack to stroll through the first 400m of the final mile in a leisurely 31.9sec., with Jumbo Operator in 11th position.

The next three 400m sections were covered in 29.8sec., 28.6sec. and 29.1sec. and Jumbo Operator, who had moved to sixth, three wide, at the bell, charged home over the final 200m to win by a head from Pablito, who had raced in the breeze. Aussie Attack held on to finish third.

“Some might say that Jumbo Operator just fell in,” Huston said. “But he has a history of winning by smallish margins. It was a super run tonight.”