The Bettors Delight gelding will be driven by Chris Lewis from barrier five on the front line.
Former Victorian pacer Flaming Flutter has won only once from his past 29 starts, but he looks set to end a 12-month losing drought by proving the master of his eleven rivals in the $23,000 Ray Duffy Memorial Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred seven-year-old has chalked up a losing sequence of 18 since his most recent success, when he scored a narrow victory over Hotashel in the South Australian Cup at Globe Derby Park on January 9, 2016.
Prepared at Oakford by eight-time WA premiership trainer Ross Olivieri, the Bettors Delight gelding will be driven by Chris Lewis from barrier five on the front line in Friday night’s 2536m feature event.
He will have an army of admirers after spirited performances at Gloucester Park on the past two Friday nights, starting with a fighting second to Cyamach over 2130m after he started out wide at barrier eight and settled down in ninth position before moving into fourth place at the bell and sustaining his powerful three-wide burst.
The final quarters of that event were run in 27.8saec. and 28.1sec. and he failed by a half-length to overhaul the pacemaking Cyamach.
Flaming Flutter followed that performance with another fighting display last Friday night when he worked hard in the breeze before finishing with great determination to be a half-length second to the pacemaker Ideal Alice over 2130m, with good final sections of 27.5sec. and 28.2sec.
There is no doubting Flaming Flutter’s ability. He won the South Australian Derby, beating superstar Lennytheshark, in January 2013 and he has been placed twice in the final of the Interdominion championship, finishing second to Beautide at Menangle in March 2015 and third behind Lennythshark at Gloucester Park in December 2015.
Ten-year-old David Hercules looms large as a serious rival to Flaming Flutter. The West Australian-bred equine millionaire has drawn ideally on the inside of the back line and he should be prominent throughout. He gave an encouraging display at his third start in his comeback when a close-up third behind Ideal Alice and Flaming Flutter last Friday night. He trailed the pacemaker Ideal Alice and ran home doggedly.
David Hercules again will be driven by Morgan Woodley for Byford trainer David Thompson.
Bronze Seeker maintained his excellent form with a stylish victory over 2536m last Friday night. He raced three back on the pegs in fifth position before Michael Grantham got him into the clear 650m from home and the eight-year-old sprinted fast to burst to the front at the 250m mark. He is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven on the front line on Friday night, but if he gets an ideal trail in the first lap he is capable of a strong finishing effort.
He is prepared at Byford by Peter Anderson, who will also be represented by nine-year-old Lisharry, who enjoyed the one-out, one-back trail before unwinding a powerful late burst to win convincingly from the pacemaker Three Bears over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. Lisharry will start from the No. 2 barrier on the back line on Friday night, with Grantham in the sulky. Nathan Turvey will drive Bronze Seeker.
Gary Hall jun. will handle evergreen This Time Dylan for Pinjarra trainer Michael Brennan. The 11-year-old, who will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line, notched his 20th win two starts ago when he started off 30m and finished boldly to beat Ultimate Major and Waltzing With Cullen over 2503m last Friday week.
