Dashing Christian out to make amends tonight

New Zealand-bred five-year-old Dashing Christian has the class to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the back line and win the 1700m Cowden Ltd Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

A victory would make partial amends for his fighting 1m second to brilliant mare Lucie Boshier in the 2100m John Higgins Memorial last Friday night when he set a solid pace and was not caught until the final few strides.

He is certainly overdue for a change of fortune. After winning at his Australian debut in May, Dashing Christian has had five more starts for leading city trainer Gary Hall sen. for four close seconds and a fighting fourth behind Old McDonald when he covered a lot of extra ground.

Hall has an excellent second string in Friday night’s race with Extreme Bromac, who will have admirers after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier over the sprint journey. Extreme Bromac, also a New Zealand-bred five-year-old, has a losing sequence of 12, but cannot be underestimated.

He has finished second five times from his past nine starts. This will be his first attempt over 1700m in WA where his 26 starts have produced four wins and 11 placings. However, he showed good ability as a sprinter with wins over 1670m at Cobram and over 1609m at Menangle (1.57.1) two years ago.

Barmy Army, who will start from the No. 6 barrier, warmed up for the race in good style at Northam on Tuesday night when he worked hard without cover before dead-heating for first with Lombo Air Express over 1780m.

Considerable interest will surround the first appearance in WA of the Hall-trained Whos Mistake, who will start from the outside of the back line in the 1700m Veolia Environmental Services Pathway Pace.

Whos Mistake is an experienced campaigner who has raced 86 times in Victoria for ten wins and 13 placings. He has not appeared since he ran on from sixth at the bell to win a 1720m claimer at a 1.57.1 rate at Melton on June 21. He meets only moderate opposition and should prove hard to beat.

Danieljohn is the youngest and least experienced runner in the Ross North Homes Westbred Pathway Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and the three-year-old should carry too many guns for his 11 rivals and should give reinsman Matt White a successful return to action after completing a term of suspension.

Aiden de Campo drove the WA-bred colt at Pinjarra last Monday week when he sped over the final 800m in 57.1sec. to win convincingly from Sienna and Full Package over 2185m. That was Danieljohn’s third win from his past four starts and took his career record to seven wins and five placings from 18 starts.

The Feather Foot, prepared by in-form trainer-reinsman Chris Brew, looms as Danieljohn’s most serious rival after he raced wide and then worked hard without cover before fighting on doggedly to finish a good second to paramedic over 2100m at Gloucester Park last Friday week.