Shannon Suvaljko continues to be a shining light on the track and he is supremely confident that his golden run will be sustained at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he drives Golden State in the $22,000 Power Tools At DTS WA Derby Prelude.
Golden State, trained at Henley Brook by Mike Reed, set the pace and finished second to stablemate Bechers Brook in the Battle of Bunbury at Donaldson Park last Saturday night.
But Suvaljko is convinced that Golden State will turn the tables on Bechers Brook and move a step closer to winning the WA Derby on April 6.
The 49-year-old Suvaljko, who notched his 100th winner for the season when he was successful with Lord Willoughby at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, leads the Statewide drivers’ premiership table with 100 winners, 95 seconds and 63 thirds from 681 starters. He is showing the way from Chris Lewis (89 wins), Gary Hall jun. (89) and Chris Voak (84).
The New Zealand-bred Golden State and the Victorian-bred Bechers Brook are owned by Albert Walmsley and look set to be leading contenders in the rich WA Derby.
Suvaljko has driven Bechers Brook in eight of his nine starts and the colt impressed in the Battle of Bunbury when Dylan Egerton-Green had him handily-placed in the one-out, one-back position before he went three wide 250m from home and finished powerfully to hit the front 30m from the post. The final quarters were run in 27.6sec. and 28.2sec.
Egerton-Green has retained the drive on Bechers Brook on Friday night. At his previous start, in the Caduceus Club Classic, Suvaljko drove Bechers Brook, who raced without cover early and then in the one-out, one-back position before finishing gamely to be third behind the pacemaker Golden State (Chris Lewis) and Speed Man.
Golden State will be a warm favourite on Friday night after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier in the 2130m event. Bechers Brook’s prospects slumped when he drew the outside barrier in the field of nine.
Suvaljko said that he wasn’t disappointed at Golden State’s loss in the Battle of Bunbury, explaining that the colt overraced. “We changed the cart to a shorter one than normal --- and he smashed a wheel all the way,” he said. “That was his undoing. He wanted to run up the track and hit the wheel all the way.
“That was his problem; he fired up and made himself run down the back (with a 27.6sec. quarter) when he didn’t have to. I think that if he hadn’t been hitting the wheel he would have won pretty easily.
“I don’t think there’s much between Golden State and Bechers Brook, who is a relaxed horse who has a really high sprint at the end.”
Lewis will drive the inexperienced New Zealand-bred gelding Shadow Magic, who is unfavourably drawn at No. 7 on Friday night. But the Barry Howlett-trained three-year-old was most impressive in a low-class R0 event at Bunbury on Saturday night when he raced wide early and then in the breeze before winning by five lengths from Kata Noi Beach. That was his first appearance for nine months. He finished second to Rosies Ideal at his only other start, at Bunbury last June.
Shadow Magic will be making his first appearance at Gloucester Park and Howlett is hoping that he will emulate the performances of his half-brothers VC Manoeuvre and El Jacko who were successful at their first outing at Gloucester Park.
Gary Hall jun. has chosen to drive Speed Man (trained by Gary Hall sen.) in preference to the Katja Warwick-trained Rock Me Over, who finished determinedly from fifth at the bell to win the Sales Classic for colts and geldings last Friday night, with Hall in the sulky. Aiden de Campo will handle the colt this week.
Rock Me Over, a winner at four of his 15 starts, will begin from barrier No. 3, with Speed Man (four wins from nine starts) at No. 4.
Bettor B Abeliever, trained by Paula Petricevich, is handily drawn at barrier two and Kyle Harper should have the colt in a prominent position throughout. Bettor B Abeliever set the pace and won easily from Captured Delight and Our Angel of Harlem over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
