Trainers Greg and Skye Bond with driver Colin Brown
New Zealand-bred eight-year-old False Promise has managed just one win from his past 32 starts, but he has sound prospects of ending a losing sequence of nine when he starts from the coveted No. 1 barrier in the $19,500 Del Basso Fresh Meats Italian Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on tonight.
False Promise is prepared by Greg and Skye Bond, who have enjoyed great success this week, with five wins, two seconds and one fourth from eight starters. Their runners at Pinjarra on Monday were winners Ima Tragedy and Ohoka Assassin, Ohoka Squire (a head second to Typhoon Tan) and Bounty Eyre in the same event. Their runners at Northam on Tuesday night were Assassinator (second) and winners My Good Deed (in the $30,000 York Cup) and Carlos Santana.
Their previous runner was Simply Susational, who scored an impressive victory in the final event at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
False Promise is a capable frontrunner and Ryan Warwick will be keen to jump in front and bowl along in the lead. His most recent victory was ten starts ago when he set the pace and defeated Bet Your Life in a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park on August 29. He has been placed at two of his past four starts, in 2503m stands.
His chief rival looms large as Soho Highroller, an M5-class pacer who became eligible for this event with trainer Gary Hall sen. using the junior claim of Lauren Jones.
Soho Highroller, a winner at four of his past eight starts, is capable of overcoming the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the back line. He ran home with great determination from sixth at the bell to be a half-head second to Polak over 1730m at his most recent outing, last Friday week. His victory over Libertybelle Midfrew three starts before that was an outstanding effort.
The Italian Cup, formerly the Italian Sprint, has been a favourite event for the Bonds, who were successful with Motu Treasure in 2010 and 2011 and Kamwood Laughter in 2012 before their runner Midnight Dylan started favourite at 10/9, set the pace and finished a close second to the fast-finishing Danieljohn last year.
The Bonds have ten runners on Friday night and have strong winning chances in Bounty Eyre (race one), Four Grinners and Jumbo Jet (race two), Simply Susational (race three), Tuapeka Kahu (race eight) and Bettor Party (race nine).
Simply Susational looks one of the bets of the night in the 2130m Spud Shed Golden Nugget Prelude, in which he will start from the prized No. 1 barrier and Colin Brown will be all out to set the pace. Simply Susational won for the fourth time from seven starts this season when he began speedily from a wide barrier last Friday night and raced three and four wide early before bursting to the front, surviving a spirited early challenge and going on to win by more than two lengths from Bettor Pack A Pistol at a 1.56 rate over 1730m.
A popular quinella will be Simply Susational and Bettor Rules, an up-and-coming gelding in the stables of Bob Mellsop who will start from the inside of the back line and looks set to trail the frontrunning Simply Susational. Bettor Rules raced in the one-out, one-back position for much of the journey before finishing strongly to win by two lengths from Blacknsweet Adda over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday of last week.
Medley Moose can make amends
Ultra-consistent five-year-old Medley Moose should appreciate a return to mobile racing when he contests the $25,000 Sealanes Kersley final over 2130m at Gloucester Park after a bungled start wrecked his chances in the $30,000 York Cup at Northam’s Burswood Park on Tuesday night.
The prospects of the burly New Zealand-bred gelding, trained at Bickley by Peter Anderson, were greatly enhanced when he drew favourably at barrier two on the front line in Friday night’s race.
He possesses excellent gate speed, as indicated when he drew barrier two, burst to the front, set a strong pace and sprinted over the final 800m in 57.1sec. to win easily from Im A Peregrine over 2569m at Bunbury four starts ago.
Polemarker Cyclone Mitch is a fast beginner and a sound frontrunner, but he will be at liberal odds after racing in the breeze and wilting badly to finish last, 172 metres behind the winner Batavia Jack over 2190m at Northam last Sunday week.
Medley Moose, a winner at six of his past 11 starts, was favourite in the 2970m York Cup on Tuesday night, but he ruined his chances by galloping badly at the standing start and settling down in ninth position, a long way behind the pacemaker My Good Deed. Morgan Woodley sent him forward, three wide, with about 1200m to travel. He finished with admirable determination to be third behind My Good Deed and Bronze Seeker.
At his previous outing, in a heat of the Kersley, Medley Moose revealed typical fighting qualities when he raced wide early and then worked hard outside the pacemaker Bettors Ace before taking a narrow lead 440m from home and winning by a half-length from Shifting Sand.
Looming large as a major player in Friday night’s final is West Australian-bred Heez On Fire, who is sure to prove very hard to beat, despite starting from the outside of the front line.
Heez On Fire, trained by Rod Oliver, is being aimed at feature events at the summer carnival and has bright prospects of notching his fourth win in a row for Chris Lewis, who is in dazzling form in the sulky.
Heez On Fire won his qualifying heat in brilliant fashion last Friday night. He started from barrier three on the back line and thundered home, three and four wide from ninth at the bell to coast to victory over the pacemaker the Black Lord and Courage Tells, dashing over the final 800m in a sizzling 56.8sec.
Vapour, trained by Gary Hall sen., came strongly into calculation when he drew barrier two on the back line. Gary Hall jun. should have him in a prominent position throughout and he possesses a sparkling late sprint.
