Colin Brown
Promising four-year-old Harriet Elisabeth has overcome problems with cross-firing and is racing with commendable zest for Byford trainer David Thompson.
Ace reinsman Colin Brown drove the mare in a trial at Byford on Sunday morning and was fully satisfied with her winning effort which left him confident of success in the $25,000 Preux Chevalier final at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Harriet Elisabeth, bred and owned by Steve Johnson, has drawn favourably at No. 3 on the front line in the 2130m event for mares.
Brown conceded that the opposition was formidable, but he has high hopes that he will win Preux Chevalier final for the second time after his narrow victory with 14/1 chance Mein Guy, who sustained a powerful three-wide burst to defeat 5/1 on favourite Northview Punter 12 months ago when the race was open to both sexes.
“Harriet Elisabeth trialled very well on Sunday,” Brown said. “She did only just what I wanted her to do and topped her off nicely without doing too much. She sat in the breeze and did her own thing. She went to the front in the closing stages and won from Jungleface Jake and the pacemaker Bhagwan.”
After dawdling early sectionals, Harriet Elisabeth ran the final quarters in 30.3sec. and 28.6sec. and rated a modest 2.4.3 over 2150m.
“All her runs this time in have been good,” Brown said. “She’s now pacing a lot better. Earlier, she had trouble getting around the last bend. I twigged not long back that she was actually cross-firing, even though she wasn’t taking pieces out of herself. But she was worrying about coming through on herself. Thommo, a while back now, has re-shod her and she’s going considerably better.
Harriet Elisabeth last raced three Fridays ago when she started from the back line and dashed forward in the first lap to work in the breeze before finishing strongly to win convincingly from the fast-finishing Robyns C C and the pacemaker Adda Rising Star, rating 1.57.7 over the 2130m trip.
There are many chances in Friday night’s 2130m event, in which the Clive Dalton-trained Diamonds A Blaze will have many admirers from barrier two on the front line. Diamonds A Blaze started from the outside of the front line and impressed when she finished determinedly from last to be fifth behind Harriet Elisabeth three Fridays ago. Since then she has ran home solidly for her third to Kiralin and her fourth behind Ti Amo Franco last Friday night.
Leading trainer Gary Hall sen. holds a strong hand in the race with the richly-talented Majorly Foxy Styx and Dontdoubtme and young Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice has two capable runners in Where Dreams Grow and Kiralin.
Majorly Foxy Styx fared badly in the random draw and will start from the outside of the front line for Gary Hall jun., while Clint Hall will drive Dontdoubtme from the inside of the back line.
Majorly Foxy Styx resumed after an eight-month absence last Friday night when she set a fast pace and was a close second to Dontdoubtme, who thundered home from the rear with a spirited burst.
Kiralin has sparkled with runaway victories at her first two outings for Prentice and should be prominent from barrier two on the back line. However, Where Dreams Grow faces a sterner test from the No. 5 barrier on the front line.
