Outstanding young reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has given punters an important lead by choosing to drive Pocket The Cash in preference to Lawrence in the opening event, the 2536m Direct Trades Supply Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
In what must have been an extremely difficult decision, Egerton-Green ostensibly opted for the Stephen Reed-trained four-year-old Pocket the Cash because he had drawn a slightly better barrier, No. 7 compared to Lawrence’s outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
He has driven Lawrence twice at the New Zealand-bred five-year-old’s past two outings for fighting victories at Gloucester Park and Pinjarra after racing wide and then working hard in the breeze.
Lawrence, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, won at five of his 28 starts in New Zealand before impressing with three wins and two seconds at his first five starts in Western Australia. Lawrence will be handled for the first time in a race by Deni Roberts, who is driving in splendid form.
Egerton-Green has driven Pocket The Cash seven times for one win, three seconds, one third, one fourth and one fifth placing. Pocket The Cash was handled by Trent Wheeler when he scored a convincing victory over Carramar Arapaho over 2100m at Bunbury on New Year’s Eve.
He was beaten for early speed and raced without cover for the first 400m before surging to the front after 400m and then dictating terms in front.
Egerton-Green also has sound prospects in the second event on Friday night, the 2130m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace, in which he will drive the Bond-trained Kilowatt Kid, who has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of his wide draw at barrier eight.
Kilowatt Kid covered extra ground when an encouraging last-start third behind stablemates Justasec and Taroona Bromac over 2130m, and two starts before that he finished determinedly to be second to Yes Hes A Ladies Man in a 2631m stand at Pinjarra.
Kilowatt Kid’s main opposition is likely to come from Forgotten Highway, Jack William and Bettor Be Oscar.
Forgotten Highway, a recent addition to Ross Olivieri’s Oakford stable, adds considerable interest to the race at his first start for eleven weeks. He has a good record when racing first-up. He won on debut in New Zealand and also was a first-up winner there. Racing first-up in WA, in September 2019, Forgotten Highway raced in the breeze and finished second to Saleahs Comand, and later he was a first-up winner at Pinjarra last April when he defeated Vivere Damore.
Forgotten Highway, a big Bettors delight seven-year-old, won six races in New Zealand and has had 21 starts in WA for six wins and eight placings. He will be driven for the first time by Chris Voak and will be attempting to break a losing sequence of eight.
The Nathan Turvey-trained Jack William has a losing sequence of 14 but is likely to start favourite after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier. He has covered extra ground from unfavourable barriers at his past two starts.
The most recent time Jack William has started from the No. 1 barrier was ten starts ago when he led and finished a close third to Patronus Star over 2130m on September 11. The only other time he has started from the inside barrier at Gloucester park was on October 22, 2019 when he finished a close third behind Robbie Easton and Sangue Reale.
Trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo’s five-year-old Bettor Be Oscar has drawn somewhat awkwardly at barrier five but is capable of bouncing back to his best form and ending a losing sequence of 11.
