Mitchell Miller. Photo by Scott Hamilton Media
Eight-time WA premier trainer Ross Olivieri has engaged in-form young reinsman Mitch Miller to handle Costa Del Magnifico in the $20,000 TABtouch Inter Dominion Italian Fireworks Night Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and he is confident the New Zealand-bred six-year-old will prove too good for his seven rivals.
Olivieri engaged Miller to take advantage of Miller’s concession which has made Costa Del Magnifico, an M3-class performer, eligible to contest an event restricted to pacers assessed no better than M2. Miller has started the 2017-18 season in splendid form and is the State’s leading concession driver with 13 wins. He is also in ninth place on the State-wide premiership table.
Costa Del Magnifico has drawn perfectly at barrier one and should prove one of the best bets on the ten-event card.
“He has the gate speed to hold up and lead and he should win,” said Olivieri. “We’ve had feet problems with him, and we’ve overcome them. He’s done really well since finishing fourth behind Tommy Be Good and The Bucket List in a 2631m stand at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.”
Costa Del Magnifico was driven by Chris Voak at his WA debut three starts ago when he began from the 20m mark, raced wide early and then without cover before winning from Perfect Mach and El Comacho over 2503m at Gloucester Park. Deni Roberts then drove him when he raced outside the pacemaker Tanaka Eagle and finished a close second to that pacer in a 2130m mobile at Gloucester Park. Shannon Suvaljko was in the sulky when the handsome horse led and finished fourth at Pinjarra.
Toughest for Costa Del Magnifico to beat are likely to be Lets Chase The Dream and Zach Maguire, who are prepared by Gary Hall Snr.
Lets Chase The Dream, a winner of $483,161 from 15 wins and 11 placings from 39 starts, is favourably drawn at barrier two. He will be driven by teenager Corey Peterson, whose concession has enabled the six-year-old to contest this event.
Lets Chase The Dream led from barrier two and scored an impressive victory from Superfecta and Our Zak Whitby at a 1.55.4 rate over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
“He will be hard to beat,” said Hall. “He seems to have turned his form around a bit and he went really good at Pinjarra. He’s got lots of stamina and is starting to please me at home. He is still on target to contest the Inters.”
Zach Maguire made an excellent return to racing last Friday night when he raced in sixth position in the one-wide line and ran home strongly to be second to the pacemaker Johnny Disco over 2130m, with final quarters of 28sec. and 27.8sec.
