Outstanding juvenile Cott Beach looks set to notch her 14th win when she starts from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the $25,000 Princi Smallgoods Gourmet Range Westsired Three-Year-Old Fillies Pace.
She has sparkling gate speed and Nathan Turvey is sure to attempt an all-the-way win with the filly who is trained at Coolup by Kristy Elson.
Leading will be in stark contrast to her excellent efforts when third in both the WA Derby and WA Oaks in the past two months.
Cott Beach started from the outside barrier (No. 9) and charged home from tenth at the bell to finish third behind King of Swing and Bechers Brook in the 2536m WA Derby, with the margins a head and a nose. Then she started from the outside of the back line in the Oaks and settled in 11th position before sustaining a strong run from ninth at the bell to finish third, less than a length behind the winner Our Major Mama.
After her grand effort in the Oaks Cott Beach has won at Narrogin and Bunbury and she looks to have the measure of smart in-form fillies Infinite Symbol and Veiled Secret in Friday night’s race.
One of the best bets on the ten-event program should be Better Scoot, a standing-start specialist who has resumed racing after an absence of 19 months in fine fettle.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old in the stables of Greg and Skye Bond, will start from barrier five on the front line in the Princi Smallgoods Handicap, a stand over 2503m, and Ryan Warwick is expected to make a spirited bid to send the gelding to an early lead and then dictate terms in front.
Better Scoot took an early lead and went on to win in fine style from Lord Willoughby in a 2503m stand last Friday week when he sped over the final quarters of the last mile in 27.8sec. and 28.3sec.
His chief rival looms as the Ross Olivieri-trained Lord Willoughby whose 21 starts this season have produced eight wins, nine seconds and four thirds.
