Roberts opts for Mighty Conqueror
Star driver Deni Roberts had no hesitation in choosing to handle veteran pacer Mighty Conqueror ahead of in-form stablemates Jett Star and Street Hawk in the $31,000 Westside Auto Fixed Price Servicing Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And she firmly believes that the nine-year-old Mighty Conqueror, owned and trained by Greg and Skye Bond, can overcome the outside barrier in the field of eight and the task of winning at his first appearance for twelve months.
“I’m looking forward to driving Mighty Conqueror very much so,” she said. “I chose to drive him because he’s a Cup winner, and though he’s first-up he is forward enough, without needing the run.
“He is on the comeback trail after recovering from a leg injury. It’s not the strongest Free-For-All, and it’s a winnable race, provided he gets the right run. His recent work at home has been good. We gave Mighty Conqueror a soft trial in a stand at Pinjarra a few weeks ago (over 2116m on June 12).
Mighty Conqueror raced in last position in the field of seven in the trial which was run in Indian file for most of the way. Mighty Conqueror ran home solidly to finish second, six lengths behind Codename Marcus, with the final 400m being run in 27.8sec.
Jett Star, a Gloucester Park winner for Roberts at three of his past five starts, will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green from barrier six. Stuart McDonald will handle Street Hawk, who will begin from the No. 6 barrier. Street Hawk has won at three of his past five starts when driven by Roberts.
Mighty Conqueror will be having his first start since he began from the No. 1 barrier and led all the way to beat stablemate Patronus Star at a 1.54.5 rate over 1730m at Gloucester Park on June 30 last year. That followed seconds to Magnificent Storm and Shockwave over 2536m at his two previous outings.
The New Zealand-bred Mighty Conqueror has earned $691,653 from 22 wins and 17 placings from 62 starts. He showed his class when he won the Four-Year-Old Championship in November 2018 and then finished a nose second to stablemate Ana Malak in the Golden Nugget the following month. And he went on to win the 2019 Easter Cup and the WA Pacing Cup in January 2020 before finishing third to Vultan Tin and Chicago Bull in the WA Pacing Cup in December 2020.
Jett Star and Street Hawk are both capable of stout-hearted efforts on Friday night. Jett Star had a tough run in the breeze before taking a narrow lead 550m from home and fighting on to finish a close-up fourth behind The Code Breaker over 2536m last Friday night. He finished strongly a week earlier to win from Rolling Fire and Magnus Victor.
Street Hawk began from 20m and was last in the middle stages before sustaining a spirited burst to get up and snatch victory from Lucapelo over 2503m last Friday night.
Five-year-old The Miki Taker, a winner at 14 of his 42 starts, is in splendid form and he advances in class in this week’s event, in which he will start from barrier five.
“He goes up to Free-For-All company but should go good,” said trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo. The Miki Taker was an impressive all-the-way winner over Lusaka and Rolling Fire two starts ago and then raced three wide for much of the way when a close second to Lil Happy Fella over 2130m last Friday week.
Trainer Ryan Bell is looking for a strong effort from Hillview Bondi, who will begin from the coveted No. 1 barrier and will be driven by Trent Wheeler.
“We will be doing our best to hold up and lead,” said Bell. “The Code Breaker won a Free-For-All (last Friday), so I can’t see why Hillview Bondi can’t.
Chris Lewis is also expected to make a bold bid to dash straight to the front from the No. 2 barrier with Hampton Banner, who was first out from barrier two and set a brisk pace before wilting to finish fifth behind Wildwest over 2130m last Friday week.
“His off-side sulky tyre was punctured 250m from home, and that contributed to his failure,” said Lewis.
Bell is full of optimism
Astute Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell is not fazed by the unfavourable barrier drawn by Whataretheodds, and he is optimistic that the lightly-raced five-year-old can overcome the distinct disadvantage of the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and win the $30,000 Westside Auto Service Vehicle Detailing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Whataretheodds has resumed racing after a seven-month absence in splendid form, with seconds to Velocipede and Codename Marcus followed by a smart all-the-way victory from the No. 1 barrier over 2130m last Friday night when he began from the prized No. 1 barrier.
“Regardless of the draw, I think Whataretheodds has a very good chance,” said Bell. “The draw hurts but he will go well. It’s a good field and it looks like there will be a bit of pace on, which will suit him.
Whataretheodds, whose 22 starts have produced seven wins, seven seconds and one third, will be driven for the first time by Trent Wheeler, who replaces Aiden De Campo, who was successful with the gelding last week. De Campo will handle Magnus Victor, a speedy four-year-old he trains at Capel.
Magnus Victor has won at 12 of his 41 starts and will have many admirers, despite drawing out wide at barrier eight. “He is going well, but has drawn poorly,” said De Campo.
All Is Well, trained by Katja Warwick and to be driven by Chris Lewis, is a smart four-year-old who looks set to run a big race after starting from the outside (barrier three) on the back line at his second appearance after a let-up.
All Is Well impressed first-up last Friday week when he began from the No. 8 barrier and was ninth and last at the bell before surging home to finish third behind Lusaka and Machs Bettor. That was his first appearance since finishing second to the brilliant Never Ending in the $100,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-olds on April 12.
Paul Edward, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, should prove to be hard to beat after drawing the favourable No. 2 barrier. The five-year-old ran on from sixth at the bell to finish a sound fourth behind Lusaka last Friday week. He is generally recognised as a sit-sprinter, with only three of his ten wins coming after setting the pace.
Banjup trainer Colin Brown has two runners --- the polemarker Loucid Dreams and Arma Xfactor, who will begin from out wide at barrier seven. Brown’s daughter Maddison has elected to drive Arma Xfactor, a winner at 13 of his 49 starts, and Deni Roberts has been engaged for Loucid Dreams, who ran home strongly to win from Major Jay over 2190m at Northam last Tuesday week.
Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed said he expected a strong showing from Dardy Boy, who will begin from barrier five with leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko in the sulky.
Dardy Boy reappeared after a seven-month absence when he finished an unlucky fifth behind Loucid Dreams at Northam. “Shannon reckoned that if Dardy Boy had got clear he would have won,” said Reed. “If he can slot in somewhere on Friday night, they’ll know he’s there.”
Beyond Bling set to repeat
Five-year-old Beyond Bling was a runaway last-to-first winner at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, and his owner-trainer Lang Inwood is confident that the gelding can repeat the dose when he contests the 2130m Westside Auto Service Vehicle Detailing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He usually goes better with a quick back-up,” said Inwood. “He is pretty much spot on and should go close to winning on Friday. He can go forward from barrier six and can probably sit in the breeze and go to sleep there. He has a good kick and is also quite dour.”
Joey Suvaljko, who drove Beyond Bling with great confidence on Tuesday night, will again be in the sulky.
Beyond Bling also began from barrier six in Tuesday night’s 2536m event. He was restrained at the start and settled down in last position in the field of eleven before moving forward to be ninth at the bell, following the three-wide run of Cavalry Call.
Beyond Bling, a $10.30 chance, sustained his run and got to the front on the home turn before dashing away to win by six lengths from My Little Big Man, running the final 400m sections in 29.9sec. and 29.6sec.
That win was the first leg of a training double for the 44-year-old Inwood, who was also successful with $7 chance Lets Rock Tonight later in the program. That was Inwood’s 31st win for the season and took him into seventh place on the WA trainers’ premiership table.
Looming large as Beyond Bling’s main danger is Elwaddell, a smart four-year-old trained and driven by Lindsay Harper. Elwaddell made an impressive return to racing after a six-month absence when he finished a close fourth behind Dark Eyes over 1730m last Friday night.
Elwaddell began from barrier six and settled down in ninth position before he surged forward with a strong three-wide burst. He was unable to get past The Wand Waver in the breeze and remained out three wide for the rest of the race.
Four of Elwaddell’s five wins from 34 starts have been at Gloucester Park and he looks destined for a successful campaign.
Inwood, who will also run nine-year-old Cracka Tinny from barrier nine in Friday night’s event in which he will be a rank outsider. However, Inwood is looking for a strong showing from Eye Better from barrier five in the $27,000 Westside Auto Wholesale Pace.
Eye Better, who will be driven by Stuart McDonald, is in good form, with wins in the Kellerberrin Cup and at Northam last month before finishing from twelfth and last at the bell to be a good sixth behind Soho Seraphine over 2130m last Friday night.
The Nathan Turvey-trained Three Rumours is in grand form and should take a power of beating despite starting from the outside (barrier three) on the back line. Three Rumours will be driven for the first time by Emily Suvaljko.
Three Rumours gave an outstanding performance when a half-head second to Acharne Girl in the $50,000 Kerry Clake Pace last Friday week. After settling down in seventh position she dashed forward and applied considerable pressure on the pacemaker Soho Seraphine before taking a clear lead 250m from home. She raced without cover when a four-length winner from Brulee over 2130m a fortnight earlier.
“I can’t see whey she can’t produce the same effort as she did at her latest start,” said Turvey. “She is in the same order.”
Beyond The Sea, Little Darling, Sovrana, Lady Prima Donna and Wall Street Girl will all have admirers, with Deni Roberts saying: “This is not the strongest Free-For-All race for mares, and this is a good draw for Lady Prima Donna, whose work has been good at home.”
Turvey trains and drives Benji, who should be hard to beat in the Westside Auto Service Paint And Panel Pace in which the five-year-old will start from barrier five.
“It’s a tricky draw, but he hit the line very good last week, coming off a soft trip. He won’t have such a soft trip this week but fitness-wise he should be improved.”
Benji began from out wide at barrier eight in last week’s event in which he was restrained to the rear and was in tenth place with 250m to travel before finishing fast with an inside run and being hampered for room in the final stages to finish a close second to Youre So Fine.
One of Benji’s main rivals is likely to be the Karen Thompson-trained Navy Street, who will start from the No. 3 barrier and will be driven by Emily Suvaljko.
“We had a crack for the lead and were unsuccessful last week (before finishing tenth behind Youre So Fine),” said Suvaljko. “There don’t appear to be many fast beginners in this week’s race, and hopefully we can have a crack for the lead and get to the fence and then decide whether to lead or take a sit.”
Wicked Lover returns to action
Well-bred two-year-old filly Wicked Lover will resume racing after a spell when she begins from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the 1730m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And trainer Ryan Bell is planning to get reinsman Aiden De Campo to use the filly’s good gate speed in a bid for an all-the-way win.
“She is a nice big filly and I think the mile will suit, and we will give her a chance and let her run the gate and see whether she is up to them or not,” said Bell. “She is quite forward, having been in work for a while, and we have been waiting for the right race, and I think we might have found it.
“We aim to use barrier one over a mile to our advantage and see whether we’re good enough.”
Wicked Lover raced three times in her first campaign in February and early March this year, with her best performance being when she worked hard to get to the front and then set the pace and finished second to Diamondsareforever over 1684m at Pinjarra.
Wicked Lover will need to be close to her best to defeat smart fillies Ruby Lovera, Iseeubaby and Ruby Lou.
Emily Suvaljko, who will drive the John Graham-trained Iseeubaby from the outside barrier in the field of six, said she expected the filly to improve on what she did when she set the pace from barrier one and won by a half-length from Ruby Lovera over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday week.
“She then sprinted her final quarter in 27.9sec.,” she said. “She has really good gate speed and has led in all of her three starts. I don’t know at this stage whether I’ll make a bid for the lead or whether to decide to sit her.”
Trainer Justin Prentice will drive Ruby Lovera, who impressed at her only appearance when she enjoyed the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to be a close second to Iseeubaby. Ruby Lovera is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2.
Ruby Lou, trained by Mike Reed and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, has won twice from eight starts, and she impressed at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night when she raced in sixth position before gaining an inside run in the final circuit and finished solidly to be a neck second to speedy colt Noble Thorondor.
