Libertybelle Midfrew
Star four-year-old Libertybelle Midfrew, the youngest runner in the 2130m McInerney Ford Pace at Gloucester Park tonight, is on trial for the $50,000 Mount Eden Sprint the following week.
Hazlemere trainer Mike Reed declared that the New Zealand-bred mare was in splendid shape for her first assignment for six weeks and said he was confident of success.
Libertybelle Midfrew, a winner at eight of her past nine starts, has drawn awkwardly on the inside of the back line and will clash with the brilliant Soho Jackman (outside of the back line), his stablemate Soho Highroller (a winner at three of his past four starts) and New Zealand-bred geldings Galactic Galleon and Tuapeka Kahu, who will occupy the inside two barriers on the front line for Forrestdale trainers Greg and Skye Bond (fresh from a treble in successive races at Northam on Tuesday night).
Libertybelle Midfrew has been highly impressive in winning at Byford trials over 2150m on the past two Sunday mornings. In neither trial did reinsman Mark Reed pull the ear plugs.
Reed restrained Libertybelle Midfrew to last in a four-horse trial last Sunday week before the mare started a three-wide move 400m from home and won easily from the pacemaker Mister Jadore and Polak after sprinting over the final 400m in 27.9sec. She began speedily, set the pace and dashed over the final 800m in 56.7sec. to win from Heez On Fire at a 1.57.3 rate on Sunday morning.
Reed sen. had nominated Libertybelle Midfrew for the Navy Cup this week, but opted to start her in a M1 to M3 mobile against weaker opposition.
“She hasn’t had that much racing, so I thought I’d pick out an easier race first instead of going up against the big boys straight away,” he explained. “Sooner or later she will race against the best. Maybe we’ll head for the big one, the Mount Eden Sprint, the following week. That will depend on how she goes on Friday night.
“I couldn’t be more happy with her the way she’s going. It’s not the best of draws, the inside of the back line. But we’re there and we’ve got to do the best we can. We’ve got the option of staying on the back of the polemarker Galactic Galleon, hoping that he can hold up.
“It’s up to what Mark wants to do. If she gets beaten, she gets beaten and it won’t be the end of the world. It’s a good field, but I think that she can come from last and win. I reckon we’ll be coming off the fence as soon as we can.
“Her trial on Sunday was very good and she’ll improve on that run. We chased out of the mobile in the trial. We were hoping to draw the front line on Friday night when the plan would have been to come out fast and lead. Unfortunately we haven’t. We need luck, but good horses make their own luck.”
Libertybelle Midfrew certainly has exciting potential, but she is likely to be tested by Soho Jackman, who has raced only 22 times for 11 wins and seven placings. He is in superb form for Serpentine trainer Gary Hall sen., with his first four starts after a spell producing three wins and a second after covering a lot of extra ground.
Mista Rush poised for a hat-trick
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice has brought the lightly-raced Mista Rush back as a four-year-old in tremendous shape and the gelding looks set to complete a hat-trick by overcoming the wide No. 6 barrier and beating his 11 rivals in the 2130m third heart of the Melbourne Cup Luncheon Westbred Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Mista Rush resumed at Pinjarra on September 29 and he set a solid pace and sprinted the final quarter in 27.6sec. before winning by almost five lengths from Hugh Victor at a 1.58.4 rate over 2185m.
Then he appeared at Pinjarra last Monday week when he started from barrier six and raced three wide early before working in the breeze and dashing away to win by three lengths from last season’s WA Derby winner Three Blind Mice. Is 14 starts have produced seven wins and five placings.
