American Ideal colt Bletchley Park is poised to record his first Group race win, when he lines up in the Group 1 TABtouch Golden Slipper (2130m) at Gloucester Park tomorrow night.
Bletchley Park stormed into calculations for the $125,000 event by taking out last week’s Prelude in impressive fashion over Franco Edward.
The barrier draw ensured Bletchley Park would likely be given every chance to figure in the finish for the Golden Slipper, where he received barrier 10 on the inside of the second line.
Trainer Mike Reed said the colt was still a work in progress, and had plenty of improvement in him prior to tomorrow night.
“He went huge the other night,” Reed told TABradio’s The Sports Daily.
“I put a murphy blind on him for the first time and I may have had them closed up a bit too much.
“When he got to Franco Edward on the bend, he ran up the track about three-quarters of a cart and it cost him a half-length.
“Once we straightened him up, he hit the line well.”
Reed said Bletchley Park had continued to impress him since the win last week.
“He’s jumping out of skin,” he said.
“He worked well yesterday over 2100m, he went steady early and then worked home well.”
The in-form trainer also has Valbonne in the race, following his fifth placing in the Slipper Prelude last week.
After last week’s run, owner Albert Walmsley said Valbonne would also continue to improve with racing.
Valbonne had no luck at the barrier draw for tomorrow night’s event, where he will start from barrier nine.
Reed said the tempo of the race will determine how Dylan Egerton-Green, who drove Bletchley Park to victory last start, will drive Valbonne tomorrow night.
“It’s a bad draw,” he said.
“He will go back, but if they are walking early he will have to make a move.
“If they are running 32 second quarters there’s no point sitting back in the field.”
Bletchley Park has been steady in betting since markets opened with TABtouch, drifting slightly to $4.60 from his opening quote of $4.
The Kyle Harper-trained pair of Soho Thunderstruck and Franco Edward occupy the top two lines of betting at $2.45 and $2.70 respectively.
Reed said there were plenty of hopes outside of the leading three contenders.
“I think it’s a very even field,” he said.
“Justin Prentice’s horse (Dracarys) is flying, Shockwave has been huge in his last two starts.
“I think Franco Edward is a better horse than Soho Thunderstruck.”
The Gloucester Park program gets underway at 5.24 on Friday night, with the Golden Slipper to get underway at 7.24pm.
