Miss Hepburn gets her chance
Miss Hepburn has won only two races, but ace trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is quietly confident that she will be able to beat the brilliant Water Lou when they clash in the $50,000 Westral Diamond Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Water Lou is the outstanding performer in the group 3 feature, with a superb record of 15 wins from 19 starts, but De Campo is basing his opinion on the fact that Water Lou is awkwardly drawn on the inside of the back line.
Miss Hepburn has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, and De Campo is planning for an all-the-way victory.
“It’s an ideal drawn and Miss Hepburn is flying,” said De Campo. “She should have enough speed to lead, and hopefully we can get the job done.
“Miss Hepburn can lead and if she doesn’t get too much pressure, and Water Lou cops a bit of traffic, I think she can win. She led and won (from Sugar Delight and Lenora Jane over 1730m) two starts ago, and then was a certainty beaten (when fourth behind Sugar Delight in a heat of the Diamond Classic) when I took the short cuts and didn’t get clear.”
Though Miss Hepburn has won only twice from twelve starts, she has been extremely consistent, with five seconds and three third placings.
Water Lou, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, is in dazzling form, having won at her past six starts, taking her career record to 19 starts for 15 wins, two seconds and stakes of $284,303.
“Water Lou has got the only barrier I didn’t want,” said Suvaljko. “But she’s a class filly.”
Reed agreed, saying: “It’s the worst draw she could’ve got. Shannon will drive his own race, whether he decides to come off the inside early or stay on the fence for a while.
“Water Lou is thriving since winning a heat of the Diamond, and I reckon she is getting better and better. She is definitely getting stronger and is capable of doing work in her races. Shannon hasn’t pulled the plugs at her past three starts.
“She has shown that she is capable of doing some work in her races. She showed that when she sat outside the leader Xceptional Arma and beat her home (in the 2130m Sales Classic on March 1 this year).”
Xceptional Arma, trained by Colin Brown and driven by his daughter Maddison, has won at twelve of her 24 starts and is sure to be prominent despite drawing out wide at barrier eight.
Sugar Delight, to be driven by Chris Lewis for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, is the least experienced runner in the field, having had only three starts for two wins and a half-length second to Miss Hepburn. She will begin from the No. 5 barrier.
Reinette can turn the tables
Veteran Coolup trainer Frank Nafranec has smart two-year-old Reinette racing in splendid form and the filly has excellent prospects of turning the tables on Highview Heidi when they clash in the $35,000 Westral Gold Bracelet over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Reinette was gallant in defeat last Friday night when she began smartly from the No. 6 barrier but was forced to work hard in the breeze before getting to the front 400m from home and then finishing second to Highview Heidi, who raced in the one-out, one-back position before dashing to the front with 350m to travel.
This week Reinette is favourably drawn at barrier two, with Highview Heidi at barrier No. 4. Trent Wheeler is expected to take advantage of the draw and Reinette’s good gate speed in a bid to set the pace.
The polemarker Allizee, to be driven by Kyle Harper for trainer Brice Lovett, also has good gate speed but has managed only two third placings from four starts.
Chris Voak, who drives Highview Heidi for Bunbury owner-trainer Paul Strachan, has been impressed with the filly’s strong finishing efforts to win convincingly at her past two starts, both over 1730m at Gloucester Park.
“Highview Heidi went really well last week,” said Voak. “Once again, Reinette looks the biggest danger, and she has the barrier advantage.”
Ryan Warwick, who has won the Gold Bracelet with Spirit Of Navajo in 2005, Apache Sunrise in 2007 and Dodolicious in 2015, will handle Diamondsareforever for trainer Luke Edwards.
Diamondsareforever finished solidly from sixth at the bell when third behind Highview Heidi and Reinette last Friday night. That followed a fast-finishing four-length victory over 1684m at Pinjarra at her previous start. Diamondasareforever will begin from the No. 6 barrier.
Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green will be looking for improvement from Purely Pandemic, who has finished second at her first two starts. She trailed the pacemaker Como El Viento and ran home solidly along the sprint lane when second to that talented colt at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
Milestone looms for Padberg
Seven-year-old Sweet Lou gelding Classic Choice drops significantly in class when he begins from the No. 2 barrier in the 1730m Westral Meshlock Security Doors Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night --- and star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko is confident of victory with the pacer who has been unplaced at his past eight starts.
A win would give part-owner Debbie Padberg her 600TH training success in an outstanding career.
Suvaljko and Padberg have enjoyed a long and successful association, with Padberg’s most successful pacer Salliwood having had 88 starts for her for 13 wins, 30 placings and stakes of $220,430. Suvaljko drove Salliwood to ten of those victories.
Suvaljko also drove Bad Round to nine of his 12 wins for Padberg and won at four of Bracken Sky’s nine wins for Padberg.
Classic Choice was slightly disappointing when he dashed to the front after 250m and set a solid pace before fading to finish sixth behind Dominus Factum over 2130m last Friday night.
“He drops in class this week and 1730m is his favourite distance,” said Suvaljko. “And from barrier two Classic Choice should lead and prove hard to beat.”
Toughest for Classic Choice to beat appears certain to be Arma Xfactor, who will start from the No. 5 barrier for Maddison Brown, who will drive the five-year-old for her father Colin. Arma Xfactor has managed one placing from six starts in his current campaign, but he should appreciate a drop in class.
Suvaljko will drive veteran pacer Feeling Aces in the opening event, the 2130m Go One Better With Westral Pace, on Friday night, but said that the seven-year-old faced a tough assignment from the No. 6 barrier despite causing a major upset as a $101 outsider when he trailed the pacemaker Pinny Tiger and finished strongly to fail by a head to beat that brilliant open-class performer in the Narrogin Cup last Saturday night.
“It is a tricky draw for Feeling Aces but he should be able to run a good race,” said Suvaljko. “He can sit on speed and still have a kick. I’ll be looking for a spot with him, and the faster they go, the better he will go.”
Hall’s powerful hand
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr looks set to dominate the $31,000 Westral Shadetrack Outdoor Blinds Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He has five of the seven runners engaged in the 2130m Free-For-All, with Jumpingjackmac his leading candidate after setting the pace and finishing a neck second to Catch A Wave in the Fremantle Cup and then scoring an emphatic victory over the pacemaker Steel The Show over 2536m at his past two appearances.
Jumpingjackmac will begin out wide at barrier six and will be handled by his regular driver Stuart McDonald, while Gary Hall jnr will drive Youre So Fine from barrier four.
Maddison Brown will drive Diego (barrier seven), Trent Wheeler has been engaged for Finvarra (barrier two), and Mitch Miller will drive Wildwest from barrier No. 5.
Hall jnr said that Finvarra and Youre So Fine had been working together in fine style but conceded that Jumpingjackmac would prove hard to beat.
Hall said that he considered his best winning prospect in the ten-event program was the 2023 WA Derby winner Skylou, who will start from 10m in the 2503m Westral Window Blinds Handicap.
Skylou is in good form and his four starts as a four-year-old have included two in stands for an easy victory in the 2503m Easter Cup and a close second to stablemate Im The Black Flash when he raced wide early and then without cover.
“Skylou probably will have to sit outside the pacemaker and do the job from there,” he said. Dourado (barrier one off the front) and Jill Mach (barrier two) are successful standing-start performers, and each excels as a frontrunner.
Trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo said that he was pleased with Dourado’s strong finishing effort when third behind Colorado Banner and Suga Rush at Pinjarra on Monday.
“Hopefully Dourado will be able to lead and play a part in the finish,” said De Campo. The Karen Young-trained Jill Mach will be driven by Trent Wheeler, who was in the sulky when the eight-year-old mare set the pace and finished second to Carana in a stand last Friday week.
Carana, to be driven by Deni Roberts for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will begin from the 20m mark and he appeals as the greatest danger to Skylou.
Hall also considers New Zealand-bred four-year-old Captain Bligh a good winning prospect in the Go One Better With Westral Pace in which the gelding will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line.
Captain Bligh raced wide early and then in the breeze when a fighting third behind Brickies Dream and Magnus Victor last Friday night. That followed two wins at Bunbury and an all-the-way success at Pinjarra at his three previous outings.
“He battled on well last week and he is a winning chance this week,” said Hall. “He has been hanging badly and will be better when that is sorted out.”
Leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko said that his best winning chance was the Matt Scott-trained Barbados, who is perfectly drawn at barrier one in the 2130m Westral Quality Since 1973 Pace.
Barbados has finished second at three of his five starts after resuming from a spell. “He has raced well since his first-up second to Travelban at Narrogin last month,” said Suvaljko. “He led in that race, and he has enough speed to lead and go on and win on Friday night.”
Chris Voak said that his best drive was the lightly-raced Storm The Beach, who will start from the No. 1 barrier in the final event, the 2130m Westral Verishade Curtains Race.
“Hopefully he will be able to lead all the way,” said Voak, who set the pace with the four-year-old when he scored an easy victory over Courage Of Lombo last Friday night.
