Maddison Brown, fresh from driving Highly Flammable to an easy victory at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, is looking forward to handling stablemate Ideal One in the 2536m TABtouch Pace on Friday night.
Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr declared that the No. 1 barrier would suit the eight-year-old Ideal One, saying: “He hasn’t had much luck with barriers, and I think that this is definitely a winnable race. Maddison will try to lead with him, with the only problem being whether the horse gets too much pressure.
“Ideal One overraced outside the leader (Runaway Three) when fifth behind Son of a Tiger over 2130m last week. The 2536m will not be a concern for Ideal One. All my horses go better over the longer distances; the further they go, the better they go.”
Ideal One showed his liking for 2536m five starts ago when he set the pace from barrier two and won from Waimac Attack and Beltane at a 1.58.5 rate.
This will be the first time in 27 starts at Gloucester Park that Ideal One will begin from the No. 1 barrier. He has won at six of his 36 starts in WA and he set the pace in four of his six wins in New South Wales.
Ideal One’s main dangers this week appear certain to be the three horses drawn at barriers two, three and four The Trilogy, Pierre Whitby and Carter Micheal.
Another good drive for Brown will be Just Rockon Bye, who will start from the outside barrier in a field of eight in the 2536m Garrard’s Horse and Hound Pace. Trainer Gary Hall Snr engaged Brown in order to use her concession as a novice driver and become eligible for the $20,000 event for mares.
Gary Hall Jnr drove Just Rockon Bye last Friday night when she gave a superb performance to race without cover before finishing with tremendous determination to win by a nose from the odds-on favourite and pacemaker Hit It Rich in a 2130m event for mares, with the final quarters whizzing by in 27.4sec. and 28.3sec.
Just Rockon Bye will clash with several in-form mares, including the lightly-raced Mike Reed-trained Arma Indie, Hit It Rich and Delightfulreaction. Arma Indie, who will start from the No. 1 barrier, has resumed after a spell in fine form with three effortless victories from three outings against considerably weaker opposition.
Hall Jnr has given punters a significant lead by choosing to drive the Justin Prentice-trained Warfare in preference to nine-year-old Mad Robber, an all-the-way winner at his past two starts, in the third event, the 2130m Simmonds Steel Pace. Warfare, a winner at 15 of his 56 starts, is a strong frontrunner who looks the winner from the prized No. 1 barrier.
