World champion James MacDonald has sound prospects of making a flying start to the International Drivers series at Gloucester Park by guiding the tough, consistent and in-form Your Excused to victory in the Sky Racing opening heat on Friday night.
Your Excused, trained at Waroona by Bob Mellsop, is handily drawn at the No. 4 barrier on the front line and should be prominent. The seven-year-old is a good frontrunner, but can also perform strongly when in the breeze.
He faces a hard task to get to an early lead, with speedy beginners Bad Round (barrier one) and Abraxas Blues (three) on his inside. He has performed well in his current campaign after being forced to race without cover. He could be seen in a similar role on Friday night.
MacDonald, a 31-year-old Canadian, drove six winners and won the world drivers championship in Canada in August this year. Up-and-coming American reinsman Marcus Miller, who finished third, will also compete in the Gloucester Park series. He will handle eight-year-old Ona Happy Note, who will start from barrier five. Ona Happy Note has a losing sequence of 26 and has been unplaced at his past ten starts.
Todd McCarthy, a brilliant young reinsman from New South Wales, will drive the Debbie Padberg-trained Bad Round, who excels as a frontrunner and is sure to take plenty of catching.
In Friday night’s second heat, sponsored by Slater Gartrell Sports, local champion Chris Lewis will drive the favourite Eden Franco, a Colin Brown-trained mare blessed with sparkling gate speed. Eden Franco is a brilliant frontrunner who has won at six of her past seven starts and looks hard to beat.
Victorian star Chris Alford will be in the sulky behind Madame Meilland, who is in top form for trainer Ross Olivieri and is sure to be prominent from the No. 2 barrier on the front line. MacDonald will drive A Boy Named Rosie from barrier five and Miller will handle Extreme Prince, who will start from the outside of the back line.
