Star reinsman Aiden de Campo, fresh from a treble last Friday night, has given punters a good lead by choosing to drive Parisian Partygirl in preference to Delightfulreaction in the $30,000 Schrader Pace for fillies and mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He admitted that it was tough choice, but said he was swayed in favour of Parisian Partygirl because he was delighted with her fast-finishing third behind Eloquent Mach and Convert Denario in the Group 2 Binshaw Pace last Friday night.
“I was really excited by the way she came home last week,” he said. “We got held up approaching the corner and if she had got clear and gone wide, I think she would have got close to winning.”
Parisian Partygirl, a West Australian-bred six-year-old by Courage Under Fire who is trained at Bindoon by Bernard James, started from barrier six and was eighth at the bell before surging home with a late burst on the inside to finish a close third to Eloquent Mach.
Three starts before that, Parisian Partygirl trailed the pacemaker Bettorgrinanbarit in a 2130m Free-For-All for mares and finished fast to win by two lengths from Maczaffair.
Parisian Partygirl, a sister to former smart Pacers Winter Retreat (33 wins) and Kissed Flush (30 wins), has been a model of consistency, with ten wins, 24 seconds and 15 thirds from 89 starts. She will start from the inside of the back line, immediately behind speedy beginner and good frontrunner Mon Lillies.
Delightfulreaction, the only three-year-old in Friday night’s event, will start from the No. 4 barrier on the front line and will be handled by Mark Johnson. She boasts a good record of 38 starts for seven wins, 11 seconds and three thirds from 38 starts and maintained her excellent form when she started from the outside of the back line and raced in ninth position in the one-wide line before running home strongly to be second to stablemate American Delight.
Delightfulreaction is prepared at Capel by de Campo’s father Andrew and has the ability to upstage her older rivals. Last week Delightfulreaction was driven by Johnson, with Aiden de Campo opting for American Delight.
“It didn’t surprise me at all with the way she finished last week,” said de Campo. “I had a quick look over my shoulder (in the home straight) and I saw her coming and thought for a minute that she might’ve beaten me. She’s taking on older mares this week and I don’t see whey she won’t be able to handle the rise in class.”
The Schrader Pace looks an open affair, with considerable interest surrounding the return to racing of former juvenile star Cott Beach after an absence of three months.
Cott Beach, trained at Coolup by Kristy Elson, has amassed $273,760 in prizemoney from 15 wins and 13 placings from 39 starts. She will start from the outside of the back line with Nathan Turvey in the sulky. She sprinted home strongly with a final quarter in 27.1sec. to finish second to the leader Three Bears in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra last Sunday week. She should be flying home in this week’s race.
Last-start winners Just Rockon Bye and Catastrophic Event will be fancied as will be the consistent four-year-old Infinite Symbol, who is favourably drawn at barrier two on the front line for trainers Greg and Skye Bond and reinsman Ryan Warwick.
Infinite Symbol, a winner of a group three event for mares seven starts ago, covered a lot of extra ground last Friday night when a strong third behind Just Rockon Bye and Crystal Sparkles.
Rockon Bye, trained by Gary Hall Snr and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, began speedily from barrier four and set a solid pace to win in good style at her first appearance for five months. Again, she will have many admirers, even from her wide draw at barrier eight.
