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Sneakyn Down Under thriving on weekly racing programme
29 August 2012
by Ken Casellas
Sneakyn Down Under.
Veteran pacer Sneakyn Down Under will appear at Gloucester Park this week for the fifth consecutive Friday night for the first time in his career and he has bright prospects of maintaining his wonderful patch of form by winning the $21,000 Racing Radio Pace over 2100m.
For most of his career Sneakyn Down Under’s races have been well spaced, but he is now thriving on a far heavier schedule.
The New Zealand-bred nine-year-old was gallant in defeat in the August Cup last Friday night when he raced three wide over the final 1300m and finished a close third behind Dasher VC and Cromac Johnny. He was beaten by less than a length, with the final 800m of the 2506m event being covered in 56.9sec.
That splendid effort followed superb victories over 2506m on each of the two previous Friday nights.
Sneakyn Down Under, again to be driven by Chris Brew for part-owner and trainer Darren Duffy, will start out wide from barrier six on the front line in a small field of eight. Brew appears certain to weigh up his options soon after the start.
There is a strong chance that he will restrain Sneakyn Down Under in the early stages before making a pre-emptive strike after 600m or 700m. However, he could use the gelding’s early speed in a bid to get to the front soon after the start.
Brew had his first drive behind Sneakyn Down Under two starts ago when he fired the gelding out from barrier three to burst straight to the front. Sneakyn Down Under then relished the pacemaking role and scored by three and a half lengths from Lombo Navigator, rating 1.57.4 over 2506m.
Mares Easton Swift and Elite Angel will start from the two inside barriers on the front line. Each mare is blessed with good gate speed and Aldo Cortopassi (Easton Swift) and Shannon Suvaljko (Elite Angel) could well make a bid to set the pace, providing there is not too much early pressure.
Even though Grinjaro has a losing sequence of ten (enabling him to be downgraded from an M6 classification to an M5 mark), the five-year-old looks to have excellent prospects. He has been racing without luck and makes good appeal from the No. 4 barrier.
Grinjaro was trapped wide early in Dasher VC’s race last Friday night before Gary Hall jun. restrained him back to last in a field of ten. He moved forward to be eighth (three wide) at the bell and finished strongly and was hampered for room in the closing stages when fourth, just over a length from the winner.
He was last in the middle stages and eighth at the bell before finishing fast on the inside to be fourth behind Sneakyn Down Under the previous week.
