Spicey Major set to lead
Newley-crowned Australian drivers’ champion Gary Hall is planning an all-the-way success with Spicey Major in the $30,000 Warwick Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night after the former Victorian pacer drew the coveted No. 1 barrier.
“I’d like to think Spicey Major will not get crossed at the 2130m start,” said Hall, who trains the five-year-old. “Last Friday night he began from the inside barrier and was crossed at the start (by Soho Santorini in a 2536m event).
“And once he got crossed, he was in all sorts of bother when he pulled hard (when trailing the leader and then when being shuffled back to three back on the pegs before running home gamely to finish fifth behind Ventura).
“This week I think he should hold up and then make every post a winner. At his first start in WA (over 2130m on November 15) Spicey Major began from barrier six and crossed to the front, beating out Rockandrollartist, who began from barrier one and is one of the fastest beginners in the State.”
Spicey Major overraced in the lead before winning by three lengths from Rockandrollartist, rating 1.55.4. Spicey Major has led at each of his four wins from seven starts in WA after leading at four of his six wins in Victoria.
Spicey Major is owned by prominent Riverina (New South Wales) businessman Mick Boots, who also races the Lindsay Harper-trained and driven Chivalry, who is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier in Friday night’s race.
Boots, who races more than one hundred pacers and trotters in Australia and New Zealand, is the proud owner of Betterzippit, who won the inaugural $1 million Nullarbor slot race at Gloucester Park in April 2023.
He also owns four other runners who should be prominent on Friday night --- Blaze On (race one), Unlucky (race two), Dalvey Robyn (race five) and the outstanding square gaiter Hold That Gold (race seven).
Hold That Gold, driven by Deni Roberts for Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop, has won at his past five starts and looks outstanding from barrier three in the You’ve Got The Touch With Mobile Trot.
Roberts will drive consistent five-year-old Gully Gum from barrier six in Friday night’s Warwick Pace. Gully Gum had a tough run in the breeze when a fighting third behind Spicey Major and Torpedo Rock over 1684m at Pinjarra on Tuesday of last week. That followed convincing wins at Bunbury at his two previous appearances.
Holy Hecka and Insta Gator have drawn out wide but are capable of figuring in the finish. Holy Hecka, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for trainer Mike Reed, will start from the No. 8 barrier, with the Jocelyn Young-trained and driven Insta Gator on the outside at No. 9.
The lightly raced Holy Hecka resumed after a spell last Friday night when he began from barrier nine in a 2130m event. He was tenth and last at the bell before running home solidly to finish fourth behind Navy Street.
“I wasn’t disappointed with his run last week, and he will only improve,” said Reed. “Holy Hecka will be driven the same way again. He will go back early before running home, and he will improve on last week’s performance.”
Insta Gator has been freshened up since he raced without cover and finished fourth behind Golden Lode over 2130m four Fridays ago. That followed three excellent runs in November --- a win over The Beaudster, and seconds to Waverider and Penny Black.
Benji, trained by Nathan Turvey, is the only runner on the back line. He reappeared after a spell at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night when he set a solid pace before wilting to finish ninth behind veteran pacer Rock Me Over over 2536m.
Benji will be driven by Emily Suvaljko, and Turvey said that the six-year-old should appreciate being driven with a sit and should perform well over 2130m.
Hillview Bondi’s big drop in class
Trainer Ryan Bell’s dependable pacer Hillview Bondi should appreciate a considerable drop in class and prove hard to beat when he lines up at barrier four in the $21,000 Smooth FM On Digital Radio Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Bell engaged 21-year-old Joey Suvaljko to drive Hillview Bondi to make use of his novice concession to enable the gelding to contest this event.
A victory would give Suvaljko a notable milestone --- his 50TH winner. He has handled Hillview Bondi only once in the gelding’s 87-start career --- 34 starts ago, on August 6, 2021, when Hillview Bondi was the $1.85 favourite from barrier six. Unfortunately, Hillview Bondi hit the arm of the mobile barrier in the score-up and broke into a bad gallop. He then was tailed off and finished last, 119m from the winner Joey James.
Hillview Bondi gave an outstanding display last Friday night when he led from the No. 1 barrier and defied an early challenge from the odds-on favourite Lusaka before setting a brisk pace and fighting on with grim determination to finish second, a half-length behind star pacer Lavra Joe, with Lusaka in third place.
Hillview Bondi’s main rivals this week appear to be Regal Cheval (barrier six) and Cordero, who will start from the outside in the field of seven.
Trainer Gary Hall jnr will drive ten-year-old Regal Cheval, who possesses excellent gate speed and could well challenge Hillview Bondi for the early lead.
Evergreen pacer Rock Me Over continues to race with youthful enthusiasm for part-owner and trainer Matt Scott, and the ten-year-old will have many admirers when Chris Voak drives him from barrier seven in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace over 2130m.
Rock Me Over improved his remarkable record to 28 wins, 73 placings and $451,564 in prizemoney from 238 starts when he enjoyed a perfect trip, one-out and one-back, before Aiden De Campo dashed him to the front 100m from the post. He went on to win by a half-length from Gee Smith.
Rock Me Over’s toughest rivals appear to be Navy Street and My Ultimate Chevron.
Emily Suvaljko will drive Navy Street from barrier three for owner-trainer Karen Thompson, and the gelding has bright prospects of repeating his performance of last week when he burst to the front from barrier five, set a solid pace and won in good style from Lets Get Rockin, rating 1.57.3 over 2130m.
My Ultimate Chevron, to be driven by Maddison Brown for trainer Michael Young, will start from the No. 6 barrier. He began from barrier seven last Friday night when he was sixth at the bell before finishing strongly, out wide, to be third behind Mandown and Mister Montblanc.
Ragazzo Mach is Reed’s best
Astute Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed faces a busy time at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he starts five runners --- Hoppys Way, Blitzembye, Holy Hecka, Ragazzo Mach and Flying Rumour --- in the eight-event program.
All five should be prominent, with Reed declaring the best of his runners is Ragazzo Mach in race five, the $31,000 Vale Glenyse Landquist Pace over 2130m.
Seven-year-old Ragazzo Mach, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven in the eight-horse field. This will be his fifth start in his current campaign, following a 22-month absence from racing.
He was an excellent first-up second to Jawsoflincoln before a fifth placing and two sixths from unfavourable draws.
“He will go a lot better than he did at his latest start (when sixth behind Rockandrollartist three Fridays ago when he raced wide early and then in the breeze),” said Reed. “He has had a few issues which we’ve worked on, and I have increased his work.”
Ragazzo Mach’s chief rivals are likely to be Franco Ecuador (barrier five) and Dalvey Robyn (barrier six). Eight-year-old Franco Ecuador looks hard to beat, following his impressive win at a 1.54.6 rate over 1730m last Friday night when he finished powerfully from eighth at the 550m to beat the pacemaker Skylord by more than four lengths.
Dalvey Robyn caught the eye last Friday night when he was fourth at the bell before running home fast to finish a close second to Ventura over 2536m.
Reed will be represented with Hoppys Way (barrier one) and Blitzembye (barrier three) in the $31,000 Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace over 2130m. Suvaljko will be in the sulky behind Hoppys Way, while Gary Hall jnr will drive Blitzembye.
Suvaljko has driven Blitzembye at his past 46 starts, while Hall has handled the New Zealand-bred gelding only once --- when he began from the No. 2 barrier and trailed the pacemaker Ragazzo Mach before finishing strongly to beat that pacer by a neck, rating 1.57.8 over 2130m on June 24, 2022.
“Hoppys Way is a good beginner and is a better horse when he leads,” said Reed. “Much depends on what sort of pressure Hoppys Way gets early, and I will leave the tactics up to Shannon. Brickies Dream wouldn’t be a bad horse to sit on, while Blitzembye will be ducking straight for cover.”
Brickies Dream, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2, and he showed excellent gate speed three weeks ago when he led from barrier four, set the pace and won from Ventura.
Hoppys Way and Brickies Dream are sure to make life difficult for star pacer Lavra Joe, who drops in class but has to overcome a testing draw at barrier No. 8 in the field of nine.
Maddison Brown has driven the Ray Jones-trained Lavra Joe aggressively for excellent wins over 2130m on the past two Friday nights.
Alongside Lavra Joe this week at barrier seven is the Debra Lewis-trained Goodfellaz, who is in top form, with two wins and three seconds from his past five starts.
Hall to drive Our Lady Jen
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green was bitterly disappointed last Friday night when Our Lady Jen, the $2.15 favourite in the $30,000 Coulson Pace, was hopelessly blocked for a clear passage throughout the final circuit and finished ninth behind Secret Reaction.
He is now hoping for better fortune when Our Lady Jen starts from the No. 5 barrier in the $21,000 ADC Winner Gary Hall Junior Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But Egerton-Green will not be in the sulky this week because he will be attending the wedding of fellow trainer-driver Kaiden Hayter in Bunbury on Friday night, and he has engaged star reinsman Gary Hall jnr to drive the five-year-old mare for the first time.
Eleven days before last week’s unlucky run, Our Lady Jen gave an excellent performance to run home strongly from eighth at the bell to finish third behind Freyja over 2185m at Bunbury.
One of Our Lady Jen’s main rivals this week is sure to be the Mike Howie-trained Secret Reaction, who maintained her splendid form at Pinjarra on Monday when she raced in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to be second to Heavenly Wage over 1177m.
That effort by Secret Reaction came three days after Aiden De Campo had driven her to a smart all-the-way victory over Unlucky and Pocket The Change in the Coulson Pace. With De Campo also attending Hayter’s wedding on Friday night, Trent Wheeler has been engaged to drive Secret Reaction this week.
Hall also has bright prospects in the opening event, the $21,000 Welcome to 2025 Pace, in which he will drive Blaze On for Mardella trainer Michael Young.
Hall gave punters a lead by choosing to drive Blaze On in preference to the Nathan Turvey-trained Mister Macedon, who worked hard before finishing second to Showpony over 2130m three Fridays ago. Mister Macedon, who won at his two previous starts at Gloucester Park, will be handled by Deni Roberts.
Young also will be looking for a powerful performance from four-year-old Heez A Vibe, who is the likely favourite after winning easily in Albany at his first three appearances after a four-month absence.
Emily Suvaljko will be in the sulky behind Heez A Vibe after having driven the gelding for his past three wins, the latest of which was last Saturday when he charged home from seventh at the bell to win by four lengths from his stablemate Princess Katie, setting a track record rate of 1.55.3 over 1832m.
Heez A Vibe has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on Friday night, while his stablemate Blaze On will start from barrier two on the back line.
“Barrier eleven is a good draw for Blaze On,” said Hall, who drove the five-year-old to victory over Major Jay over 2130m four starts ago after having worked hard in the breeze.
Blaze On finished a distant last in the 2265m Christmas Cup in Albany last Friday week when he settled down in second last position before going forward after 500m to move to the breeze at the 1400m mark. He then took the lead with 450m to travel before breaking into a bad gallop 150m later.
He then contested a 2150m trial at Byford last Sunday when he was not extended in winning by 19m from Little Bitof Fun, rating 1.56.4, with quarters of 29.7sec., 29.5sec. 29.5sec. and 28.8sec. He took the lead in the six-horse field after 500m.
