news room
Elite Angel can get punters off to a good start
20 September 2012
by Ken Casellas
Aiden De Campo and connections of Elite Angel after a Gloucester Park win in June this year.
Byford trainer Ron Huston, fresh from a double last Friday night, should get punters off on the right leg by winning the opening event, the McInerney Ford Car Raffle Mares Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, with speedy six-year-old Elite Angel.
Elite Angel will start from the outside of the back line and will relish a drop back to mares company after finishing third behind smart pacers Sneakyn Down Under and Son of Fergie at her past two outings.
She is the tightest-assessed runner in the field as an M3-class performer and Huston was able to qualify her for a start in the race restricted to mares with an M0 to an M2 assessment by using the claim of a junior driver, Aiden de Campo.
The previous time de Campo drove Elite Angel was five starts ago when she began from the No. 1 barrier, set the pace and won easily from Bakerandthefatman and Shoab, rating 1.56.7.
While she is a noted frontrunner, Elite Angel can also unwind a powerful finishing burst and she should be storming home in Friday night’s race.
Darling Downs trainer Aldo Cortopassi has engaged claiming driver Chris Voak to handle Easton Swift, who is nicely drawn at barrier three on the front line. The five-year-old who has won at 11 of her 43 starts, will; have many admirers.
Easton Swift started from the outside of the back line and was restrained to the rear before fighting on gamely, out three and four wide in the final circuit, to finish fifth behind Millwood Kansas over 1700m last Friday week. She is much better suited here.
Impressive last-start winners Eliza Grace and Western Jade cannot be left out of calculations. Eliza Grace (barrier five) led and won from Three Quarter Driver at a 1.55.7 rate over 1684m at Pinjarra last Monday week and eight-year-old Western Jade finished powerfully from sixth at the bell and fourth on the home turn to beat Im Jasper The Ghost at a 1.57.8 rate over 1700m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
Resuming after spells are Corza Commotion and Tara Village. Corza Commotion faces a stern first-up test from the outside of the front line, but has a class advantage over many of her rivals. Eight-year-old Tara Village is a capable frontrunner who is favourably drawn at No. 2 on the front line.
