Gary Hall - trained six winners at Gloucester Park last Friday night
Redoubtable stayer Northview Punter has burst back to top form in the past two weeks with splendid placings in the Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup and he will get an ideal opportunity to end a losing sequence of six when he contests the $22,500 Sully’s Painting Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But it will not be a stroll in the park for the talented New Zealand-bred five-year-old who will certainly appreciate a significant drop in class, but will have to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 7) on the front line in the field of eight.
His chief adversaries are three smart stablemates, Some Kinda Tactics, Dashing Christian and Bettor Reason, all last-start winners and all drawn on his inside. The four pacers are prepared by leading trainer Gary Hall sen., who landed six winners at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
Northview Punter started from the No. 1 barrier in the 2936m WA Pacing Cup last Friday night and raced three back on the pegs for the first 2000m before Justin Prentice eased him off the pegs at the bell. He moved to second 550m from home and gained a narrow lead from David Hercules at the 150m mark before finishing third behind My Hard Copy and David Hercules. The race was run at a cracking pace and My Hard Copy rated 1.57.4 to smash the track record of 1.58.3 held by Dasher VC.
A week earlier, Northview Punter raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before he finished determinedly to be second to David Hercules.
Some Kinda Tactics looms as a definite danger to Northview Punter. He notched his fourth win this season last Friday night when he started from 20m and came from last to work hard outside the pacemaker Our Calvados after a lap had been covered. He took the lead 250m from home and won by a neck from Rockyourbaby, with the final 800m being covered in 56.5sec.
Dashing Christian raced without cover before winning from Bettor Reason and Rocky Marciano over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week and then Bettor Reason finished boldly from seventh (and last) at the bell to win from the pacemaker Shardons Rocket in a 2185m claimer at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.
Ten-year-old Shardons Rocket, trained by Tony Svilicich, is likely to set the pace from the No. 1 barrier, but it is difficult to holding out Northview Punter and Some Kinda Tactics at the end of 2536m.
Veteran Ballas Arockstar is the only runner on the back line and he should obtain an ideal passage behind Shardons Rocket. He can produce a strong finish, similar to the burst which carrier him from fifth on the pegs at the bell to a head second to Soho Lennon over 2130m last Friday night.
Veteran Rocket Reign should be prominent from barrier two. The 11-year-old showed a welcome return to form when he finished strongly from four back on the pegs to be a close third behind The Phantom and Dundee Three in the 2970m Northam Cup last Saturday night.