BETTORS ACE CAN OVERCOME WIDE BARRIER

Bettors Ace has drawn poorly, out wide at No. 8, but he has the ability to overcome this disadvantage and win the $20,000 Alltools Western Crown Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

A victory would help erase the disappointment felt by Byford trainer Noel Keiley when he prepared the high-priced Aikido Whitby for the 2006 Western Crown and the colt, favourite at 5/4, set the pace before finishing second to Barjohbil.

Keiley has Bettors Ace in top form for this week’s assignment after the gelding started from the inside of the back line, trailed the pacemaker Scot Bay and finished powerfully to beat that smart pacer by 1m in the Champagne Classic at Gloucester Park last Friday week.

Scot Bay again has excellent prospects after his easy victory over Trunkey Galileo in a 1609m event at Bunbury last Saturday night when he set the pace and sprinted the final 400m in 28.6sec.

That took Scot Bay’s record to seven starts for six wins and his close second to Bettors Ace. He will start from barrier five this week and David Young is likely to make a strong bid for the early lead.

However, the polemarker Imali also is a fast beginner and Brad Stampalia is sure to be keen to lead. Stampalia drove Imali to an easy all-the-way win over 1780m at Northam last Saturday week. Imali also led and won four starts before that, at his debut at Gloucester Park in mid-March.

With the early pace likely to be quite hectic, Shannon Suvaljko should have the opportunity to slot Bettors Ace into a favourable trailing position. The gelding is capable of unwinding a spirited finishing burst.

The Bryan Cousins-trained gelding Go West U Terror had no luck in the random barrier draw and will start from No. 9. He went forward from barrier eight in the Champagne Classic and worked hard without cover before wilting to fifth. He has excellent potential and is capable of surprising.

Cousins trained Kissed Flush when he started at 20/1 when he raced in the breeze and fought on to finish third behind Itsallabout Nicole and Indomitable Saab in last year’s Western Crown.

Go West U Terror’s driver Gary Hall jun. won the 2007 Western Crown with the Jesse Moore-trained Quite Loaded, who was eighth at the bell, went six wide on the home turn and charged home to gain a last-stride victory by a nose over Appladay.

The David Thompson-trained gelding Jezalenkoubeauty, who had finished at the rear at his first three starts, gave an improved performance when he finished strongly to win from Arch On Fire over 1750m at Harvey last Tuesday week. He will start from barrier six in this week’s classic.

 TIFFANY TWISTED GETS HER CHANCE TO TAKE THE CROWN

Breeder-owner Colleen Lindsay, Byford trainer Debra Sweet and young reinsman Ryan Bell combined to cause a major upset when 50/1 outsider Centrefold Angel stormed home to win the $100,000 Diamond Classic last June and now this trio has high hopes of repeating the dose when Tiffany Twisted contests the $20,000 Alltools Western Crown Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
   
Tiffany Twisted is a half-sister to Centrefold Angel and she comes into this week’s event with the best credentials --- three wins, a second, third and fifth from six starts.

Tiffany Twisted warmed up for the Western Crown in sound fashion when she raced without cover early and then enjoyed an ideal trail, one-out and one-back, before fighting on to finish third to Artemis Belle and Lucky Drew over 1609m at Bunbury last Saturday night.

That followed her second to Miss Baypoint at Pinjarra 12 days earlier when she raced without a trail for most of the way. She gave a courageous performance at her previous start when she raced three wide for most of the 1730m journey and finished determinedly to win from Jet Arc and Adda Tak at Gloucester Park.

The only other multiple winners in Friday night’s event are Rebecca Amy (two wins from four starts for Serpentine trainer Amanda Suvaljko) and Brush With Courage (two wins from five starts for Byford trainer Noel Keiley). Both fillies are sure to be solidly supported.

Rebecca Amy, who will start from barrier five, is a versatile filly who looks set to fight out the finish. Brush With Courage, the solitary runner off the back line, has had little luck when sixth at each of her past two starts. She was restrained from barrier six and then met with a check when a well-beaten sixth behind Artemis Belle at Bunbury last Saturday night.

Brush With Courage was forced to work hard outside the pacemaker Artemis Belle before wilting to sixth behind that filly at Gloucester Park at her previous outing. She sat behind the pacemaker Forza di Volonta before finishing strongly to win from that filly three starts ago.

My Royal Doreen underlined her prospects when she gave a bold frontrunning display to win from Catfish and Jet Arc at Gloucester Park last Monday when having her third start in a race. The Sam Torre filly will again be handled by Chris Voak.

 AWESOME ACHIEVER OVERDUE FOR A CHANGE OF LUCK

Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred four-year-old Awesome Achiever is poised to give punters a flying start to Friday night’s meeting at Gloucester Park by winning the opening event, the Alltools Pathway Pace.

He gave an outstanding performance over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Monday week when he started from the outside barrier and raced three wide until he finally got to the front on the home turn and was beaten into second place in the final couple of strides by the flying Flossie.

This was Awesome Achiever’s fourth minor placings from his past four starts and he is overdue for a change of luck. Trainer Gary Hall sen. took him to the Byford trials last Sunday when he finished second to the speedy five-year-old The Cavalier in a 2550m stand when the final 800m was covered in 58.1sec.

Awesome Achiever, who has had only 15 starts for seven wins and four placings, will start from the No. 7 barrier and again is likely to have to cover a good deal of extra ground. But he has the courage and strength to overcome the disadvantage of a wide draw and the distinct possibility of having to work hard.

He is one of three pacers in the race who are prepared by leading trainer Gary Hall sen. The others are Rigatoni, who will be fancied from barrier one, and Coalmine Creek, who will start from the No. 4 barrier and faces a stern test after five placings from his past 15 starts.

Looming as one of the hardest for Awesome Achiever to beat is another New Zealand-bred four-year-old Dontmakemeangry, who will be fancied from barrier two. Trained at Byford by Ron Huston, Dontmakemeangry will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko.

Dontmakemeangry raced three wide in the middle stages and then without cover before finishing a sound third behind Eyes On Armbro and Death Adda over 2190m at Northam last Saturday week.

 HAS THE ANSWERS READY FOR PRECIOUS DYLAN

Superstar Has The Answers is in peak fitness and should make amends for his shock defeat at the hands of Precious Dylan by beating that brilliant pacer in the $17,500 Bosch Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Tony Svilicich-trained seven-year-old warmed up for his return match with Precious Dylan with a dazzling victory over Bullets And Bluff and Mr Clancy at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park last Saturday night when he began with sizzling speed from the No. 8 barrier, burst straight to the front and then set the pace and went to the line completely unextended.

He dashed over the final 800m in 56.4sec. and the last 400m in 27.2sec. and covered the 1609m at a 1.55.9 rate.

He has been susceptible over 2536m, and it was over this trip that Precious Dylan sat behind Has The Answers before flashing home to hit the front in the final 50m and beat the champion by almost a length in the Anzac Day Memorial at Gloucester Park a month ago.  

Trainer-driver Grant Williams has spaced Precious Dylan’s runs in the eight-year-old’s comeback campaign. Precious Dylan has been off the scene since his victory over Has The Answers. He is unbeaten at three starts since resuming after an absence of 19 months.

In contrast, Svilicich has started Has The Answers 32 times this season, which is now in its 36th week. Those 32 starts have produced 16 wins and eight placings.

 LEWIS LANDS A LONGSHOT

Most horses driven by Chris Lewis start at short odds, but punters who follow the star reinsman were in a for a bonanza at Northam on Tuesday night when the 54-year-old horseman brought nine-year-old Tyler Durden home with a sparkling late burst from fifth at the bell to snatch a last-stride victory over the pacemaker Duncan Finn in the Jeff Bull Pace over 2150m.

Trained by Amanda Penno, Tyler Durden was having his first start for just over four months and he returned odds of 43/1 on the tote.

The gelding, by former brilliant pacer Classic Garry out of former top-flight mare Leibchen Lady, had been unplaced at his previous 13 starts and had a losing sequence of 23, stretching back to his previous win at Kellerberrin in September 2008.

Later in Tuesday night’s meeting Lewis drove Jordangarry, unbeaten at his first four WA starts, in the York Club Pace. Jordangarry began badly and then raced three back on the pegs before finishing gamely to be a 13m second to the pacemaker Franco Endure, who was making his Australian debut after winning at five of his 18 starts in New Zealand.