Carana set to star in the Marathon
New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Carana has a remarkable record in standing-start events, and his driver Deni Roberts is confident the Bettors Delight gelding can overcome the 30m handicap and win the 3309m Hoist Solutions Marathon Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He has come back (after a five-week absence) in really good order and the long trip won’t bother him at all,” she said. “It will probably suit him.”
Carana, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, made a rare appearance in a mobile event last Friday night when he raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before sprinting home fast to finish an eye-catching second, a half-length behind his brilliant stablemate Aardiebytheseaside.
He has contested 28 standing-start events in his 32-start career for 13 wins and eight placings. In WA his 20 stands have resulted in eleven wins and five placings.
Carana began off the 30m mark two starts ago when he scored an excellent victory in the 2503m BOTRA Cup. His two New Zealand stand wins were over 2600m, and he also showed his liking for a long distance when he finished second to Sam’s Town in a field of 14 over 3000m on the grass track at Methven in April 2022.
The Bonds and Roberts will be looking to go one better in the Marathon than they did last year when Steel The Show began from 30m and finished second to the $1.90 favourite and frontmarker Youre So Fine.
The Bond stable was successful in the 2022 Marathon when Ryan Warwick set the pace with frontmarker and $1.30 favourite Fizzing, who defeated Cooper by a length after that pacer trailed Fizzing and was blocked for a clear run until the late stages.
Carana will share the 30m back mark with Otis, Twobob Cracker and Good Times Ahead, with trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green saying: “As long as he has a safe getaway, Otis is good enough to win.”
Otis started off 20m when he won a 2503m stand three starts ago, and he impressed last Friday week when he started from the outside of the back line in a 1730m sprint and charged home from ninth at the bell to win from the pacemaker Acuto.
Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall snr has won the Marathon a record five times --- with Im Themightyquinn (2010), Code Red (2012), Runrunjimmydunn (2018), Eloquent Mach (2019) and Youre So Fine (2023) --- and he will be looking for a strong performance from New Zealand-bred four-year-old Coney Island Lou, who will start from the 10m line with Gary Hall jnr in the sulky.
Coney Island Lou, a last-start winner in a 2130m mobile event in which he beat Crowd Control and Whataretheodds, impressed with an easy win in a 2116m standing-start trial at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago when he began safely and trailed the pacemaker Duty Bound before finishing powerfully and was not extended in beating that pacer and Serious Moonlite after final quarters of 28.9sec. and 27.5sec.
Trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is confident that his four-year-old frontmarker Rock Artist will prove hard to beat. Rock Artist, who won a stand at Pinjarra four starts ago, set a solid pace when a splendid second to Carana in the 2503m BOTRA Cup two starts ago.
Rock Artist completed his preparation for the Marathon when he set the pace and dashed over the final 400m sections in 27sec. and 28sec. to beat La Vista by four and a half lengths in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra last Monday week.
Trainer Michael Brennan, who won the 2020 Marathon with Rebel With A Grin, will be looking for a solid effort from frontmarker Bellissimo Acquisto, who was placed twice in stands in May before finishing an encouraging second to Vegas Strip in a mobile event at Narrogin two starts ago.
Draw favours Sebastian James
“When you’re on to a good thing, stick to it,” declared Byford trainer Katja Warwick when Sebastian James drew the coveted No. 1 barrier in the $100,000 Hoist Torque Australia Pearl Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Sebastian James has started from the No. 1 barrier twice and the No. 2 barrier once from his past three starts --- for all-the-way wins at Gloucester Park, and Warwick and leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko will be looking to repeat the dose in the final of the classic.
“It’s obvious that the plan will be to lead,” said Warwick. “That’s what he has been doing, and he does it pretty well. His work since his heat win (on Tuesday of last week) has been super. Shannon was really happy with him in the heat, and he said that the colt had plenty left.
“Sebastian James was that far in front in the (home) straight (two lengths clear at the 100m) that he lost concentration. He was confused, not knowing where the others were. But as soon as he heard them coming he switched on.”
Sebastian James beat the fast-finishing Captain Stirling by a half-length, with the final three 400m sections being run in 28.5sec., 29.1sec. and 29.4sec.
Warwick also has a good second-string runner on Friday night in Hold The Ammo, who set a modest pace from the No. 1 barrier before sprinting over the final 400m in 27.3sec. to win a heat by a half neck from Fillmypocket.
Fillmypocket, to be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Justin Prentice, began from the outside barrier in the heat and fought on grandly after working in the breeze. He will start from barrier five in the final.
Prentice also has another smart youngster in Im Massimo, who started from the back line and enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing strongly with a 27.6sec. final quarter to win a qualifying heat by a neck from the pacemaker Xpress Party.
Im Massimo will be driven by Gary Hall and will start from the back line, immediately behind Sebastian James. He looks set to fight out the finish.
Lake Pichola, trained by Ron Huston, will start from barrier No. 4 in the final and will be handled by Chris Voak. The gelding put up an excellent performance when third behind Im Massimo in a heat.
Lake Pichola began from the outside of the front line (barrier No. 9) and was pushed wide soon after the start before Voak eased him back to the rear. He was ninth at the bell and got off the pegs with 650m to travel before running home powerfully.
“He had no luck early and I didn’t think he would qualify for the final when he was at the rear on the pegs,” said Huston.
Captain Stirling, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, ran home strongly to finish second to Sebastian James in a qualifying heat. However, he has fared poorly in the draw and faces a stiff test from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
Captain Stirling has raced keenly for a Pinjarra win and four seconds and a third placing from six starts. “The draw is a blow,” said Egerton-Green. “He is racing well and is versatile, and if the race is run to suit, he could be doing his best work at the finish.”
Chivalry loves to lead
Four-year-old Chivalry is the youngest and least experienced runner in the $23,000 HTA Reaching For The Top Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper is looking for a strong effort from the New Zealand-bred gelding.
Harper was disappointed with Chivalry’s wilting ninth placing behind Carana in the BOTRA Cup two starts ago before he improved with a fighting third behind Crowd Control in a 2130m mobile event last Friday night.
“I think I flattened him in a Byford trial I gave him to qualify for the standing-start BOTRA Cup in which he was very ordinary,” said Harper.
“I freshened him up for his run last week when he faced the breeze and ran third, running his final sectionals in 29.2sec., 27.6sec. and 28.1sec. I was happy with that, and I expect him to acquit himself well this week. He loves to lead.”
Chivalry led and won from Cut And Run over 2185m at Pinjarra four starts ago. There is plenty of gate speed among Chivalry’s rivals on Friday night, with Infinite Sign (barrier two) having set the pace and winning at two of his past four starts; Soho Dow Jones (barrier four) having led when fourth behind Never Ending two starts ago; and Navy Street (five), Sugar Street (three) and Whose The Dad (seven) all blessed with excellent early speed.
Soho Dow Jones, to be driven by Mitch Miller for trainer Kim Prentice, drops considerably in class after having raced in Free-For-All company at his past seven starts. He was a $23 chance from barrier three when he was eighth and last at the bell before finishing solidly to be fourth behind Tenzing Bromac over 2130m last Friday night.
Deni Roberts, who celebrated her 500TH drive this year by guiding Doctor Steve to an overdue victory in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, will be in action in eight events on Friday night, with her brightest prospect being Carana in the Marathon Handicap.
She also is looking forward to strong showings from Carana’s stablemates Sista Sammy and Vegas Strip (trained by Greg and Skye Bond).
Sista Sammy will start out wide at barrier eight in the Happy 98TH Birthday Hubert Tucker Pace in which the lightly-raced six-year-old mare has the ability to overcome this distinct disadvantage.
Sista Sammy raced four back on the pegs in a field of six before finishing solidly to be second to her outstanding stablemate Aardiebytheseaside last Friday week. That followed her excellent second to Rascal over 2130m four days earlier when she ran home powerfully from eighth at the bell.
“Her two runs back (after a spell) have been really good,” said Roberts. “She probably does her best work up on speed, so those runs show how good they have been when coming from behind. She will appreciate not racing against Aardiebytheseaside this week and will cop the bad draw.”
Sista Sammy’s toughest rivals are likely to be last-start winners Medieval Man and Lamandier, with seven-year-old Medieval Man favourably drawn at barrier No. 2.
Medieval Man, to be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Kiara Davies, has struck a purple patch. He had a good sit in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to gain a last-stride victory over Name In Lights over 2536m on Monday July 29. And then, over 2130m on Tuesday of last week he was eighth at the bell and raced three wide for the final lap to snatch victory from the pacemaker Little Bitof Fun.
Three-year-old Vegas Strip will line up at barrier four against older and more experienced rivals in the 1730m Vale Laurie Robinson Pace. His twelve starts have produced eight wins and two seconds, and he has excellent winning prospects, with his main danger being the polemarker and last-start winner Crowd Control.
Vegas Strip, a noted frontrunner, had won six in a row before he began out wide at barrier seven and raced without cover before wilting to finish fourth behind Sorridere in the Higgins Memorial last Friday week.
“I wasn’t disappointed with the run,” said Roberts. “This was the first time in his career that Vegas Strip had raced in the breeze, and it takes a bit for horses to get used to that. I think he is a more of a high-speed horse, and we might consider sitting him up this week.”
Blaze Away out to test Water Lou
Friday night’s meeting at Gloucester Park will get under way full of intrigue, with high profile trainer Michael Young planning for a first-up victory with Blaze Away in the opening event, the $21,000 HTA Taking You To New Heights Pace for three-year-old pacers.
Blaze Away, an inexperienced novice performer with only four starts under his belt, will begin from the prized No. 1 barrier at his first appearance for eleven months when he will clash with seven more experienced and better credentialled rivals, including the only filly in the race, Water Lou.
Blaze Away will be driven by Gary Hall jnr, who will be hoping to resume on a winning note after serving a term of suspension. It is significant that Blaze Away shone as an early two-year-old when he won on debut, beating Ten To The Dozen, Wideawake and Menemsha in a heat of the Sales Classic for colts and geldings in February last year before finishing second to Waverider in the final.
It is anticipated that Blaze Away, a winner of one race and with earnings of $25,979, will vie for favouritism with Water Lou, who has amassed $345,376 in prizemoney from 18 wins and two seconds from 23 starts.
Water Lou, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, has won at nine of her past ten starts, with the only blemish coming two starts ago when she suffered an atrial fibrillation and was retired from an event at Gloucester Park.
Young’s team of pacers is performing grandly, and his past seven starters have notched three wins, three seconds and one third placing. He is gaining a reputation as a first-up specialist, with first-up wins earlier in the season with Penny Black and Chillin, and then with six-year-old Serious Moonlite, who made his first appearance after an eight-month absence with a notable win over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening.
Serious Moonlite set the pace and fought off a serious challenge from Benji after a lap on his way to winning by a length from Cloud Nine.
Blaze Away, who will be having his first start for Young, showed that he would be extremely hard to beat first-up by scoring an easy victory at a 1.58.6 rate in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra three Wednesdays ago.
He led in the four-horse trial and beat outstanding filly Lion Queen after dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.2sec. and 28.1sec.
Lion Queen then gave an example of her wonderful ability at her first appearance for 18 months when she set the pace and won by just over nine lengths from Joeys On A Roll over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
Lion Queen is a stablemate of Water Lou, who will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight in Friday night’s race. This will be her first appearance for 32 days as Reed prepares her for the $100,000 Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies on September 6. The qualifying heats for the classic will be held at Pinjarra next Monday week.
“Water Lou hasn’t raced for a month, and she needed a run to get ready for the classic,” said Reed. “This was the only suitable race for her this week, even though I don’t like racing fillies against the colts. I think she can win. Put it this way, I wouldn’t swap her with any other runner in the race. They’ll know she’s there, and she will improve on whatever she does.”
Suvaljko said that this week’s race represented a good test for Water Lou. “She works with the boys on the track, and she beats them pretty easily,” he said.
Adding spice to Friday night’s race will be the appearance of quality three-year-olds Waverider, Menemsha, Artful Major and Ideal Muscle.
Waverider, trained by Ryan Bell, will be having his first start since winning the group 3 Pearl Classic on May 24. He will be driven for the first time by Deni Roberts, who said: “It’s cool to get the opportunity on him. I’ve done a lot of my racing against him. He hasn’t got the best draw in what is a very nice field.”
Waverider, whose 11 starts have produced six wins and three seconds, will start out wide at barrier seven, with Menemsha (Aiden De Campo) at barrier six, Ideal Muscle (Trent Wheeler at five), and Artful Major (Maddison Brown at four).
