Talented but injury-plagued Heez On Fire will break fresh ground when he contests a standing-start event for the first time in a distinguished 45-start career which has produced 19 wins and eight placings.
The West Australian-bred eight-year-old is an M6-class performer who is well handicapped off the back mark of 30m in the 2503m Italian Fireworks Night on December 1 Handicap, the fourth event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Aldo Cortopassi, who drives the Courage Under Fire gelding for 85-year-old trainer Bill Horn, is confident he will prove very hard to beat.
“I have driven him in a stand at trials, just after Bill got him,” Cortopassi said. “He stepped away nice and cleanly. He’s such a good pacer and such a gentleman of a horse that I don’t see any problem for him in a stand.
“He’s got only 30 metres and he’s there on his own. And he should step away pretty well. He’ll be sitting last and as everyone knows he can really roll off a fast-final quarter. If he can get a nice cart into the race at some stage, they’ll know that he’s right there. He runs home in 55sec. every week and I give him a good chance.
“His first-up run (when he faded to 11th behind Jambiani three Fridays ago after racing wide) was a bit average, but he was probably a bit underdone. His run a fortnight ago (when he ran on from sixth in the middle stages to be third behind Shandale and Ideal Tyson) was just spot on.
“I hoppled him at Byford this morning (Tuesday) for Bill and he was spot on. He worked by himself and he felt good. I’ve driven him in most of his trackwork for Bill and this is as good as he’s felt. When he got up and beat Erskine Range and Ohoka Punter in races at Gloucester Park last April and May, he felt just as good then as he felt today. If he takes that into the race on Friday night he’s going to be hard to beat.”
Heez On Fire struck a purple patch in the autumn this year with three fast-finishing victories on the trot beating Erskine Range, Ohoka Punter and Run Oneover. He contested last year’s Interdominion championship series late last year and was unplaced in three heats and the consolation.
Cortopassi hinted strongly that Heez On Fire would not run in this year’s Inters, saying: “Three runs in a week is a bit hard for an old horse with suspect legs. Bill now runs him only every second week and occasionally only every three weeks. I think Bill will be looking at running him in the WA Pacing Cup after the Inters.”
