Connections of The Odd Lover
Oldbury trainer-reinsman Kim Prentice has a high opinion of classy four-year-old The Odd Lover, who should return to the winning list when he contests the Westside Auto Wholesale Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred stallion has finished a close second at each of his three starts since resuming from a spell and punters will be keen to support him this week when he starts out wide at barrier eight in an event which should develop into a match between him and promising three-year-old Gaz Wannabet.
The Odd Lover was gallant in defeat last Friday night when a neck second to the pacemaker American Boy. The Odd Lover started from the outside of the back line and Prentice sent him forward, three wide, in the early stages. He met with a check on the turn into the home straight in the first lap, but was quickly able to move to the outside of American Boy.
After slow opening quarters of the final mile in 32.2sec. and 31sec., the final sections whizzed by in 28.4sec. and 27.2sec., with American Boy winning by a neck.
That followed The Odd Lover’s first-up half-length second to Sky Art over 2569m at Bunbury and his neck second to the pacemaker Galactic Star in a 2096m stand at Gloucester Park when he had a tough run in the breeze.
“He was a little bit underdone when beaten by Galactic Star,” Prentice said. “However, it was a very good run, considering that the leader ran home in 55sec. flat, with a 26.9sec. final quarter.
”The Odd Lover is in the early stages of a long campaign. I’d like him to be an interdominion runner at the end of next year. In the short term I’ll see if we can pick some good races for him during the summer carnival.”
The Odd Lover has already earned $98,560 from ten wins and seven seconds from just 19 starts. Gaz Wannabet, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, has raced 15 times for four wins and four placings. He had a tough run, three wide early and then in the breeze, when second to Rocknroll Whitby over 2130m last Friday week.
