Ideal draw for Motu Premier
Talented New Zealand-bred pacer Motu Premier has not made all the running in any of his 28 starts in Western Australia, but eight-time premier trainer Ross Olivieri is planning a bold change of tactics with the seven-year-old in the $25,000 Fred Doy Memorial Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Motu Premier, who boasts a winning record of 33 per cent (18 wins, 14 seconds, six thirds and $361,258 in prizemoney from 55 starts), has drawn ideally at barrier No. 2 on the front line and will be handled by Chris Voak, who replaces Chris Lewis, who has opted to drive Our Corelli from the wide barrier at No. 8.
“I think we’ll probably have a crack at trying to lead,” said Olivieri. “Motu Premier gets out pretty good and you saw that at his first-up run two starts ago.”
Speed Man, one of the three runners from the stables of champion trainer Gary Hall snr, has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier, but Olivieri gives Motu Premier a strong chance of being able to beat Speed Man in the battle for the role of pacemaker.
Star reinsman Gary Hall jnr has given punters a strong lead by choosing to drive Speed Man in preference to better-performed stablemate King of Swing, who will start from barrier six with Stuart McDonald in the sulky. The other runner from the Hall camp is relatively inexperienced four-year-old Robbie Easton, who will be driven by Maddison Brown from the No. 3 barrier.
Speed Man has led and won from barrier one and also has been crossed on other occasions from the inside barrier. He has been unplaced from unfavourable barriers at his past four starts since he finished solidly from the one-out, one-back position to win from Walkinshaw and Carter Micheal over 2130m on August 30.
Motu Premier revealed excellent gate speed from barrier five but had to race in the breeze before finishing determinedly to snatch a last-stride victory over the pacemaker King of Swing in the 2536m Media Guild Cup three starts ago, in September of last year. He then went for a spell and has made two appearances in his current campaign.
Voak has driven the gelding only once and that was at his first-up outing in the 2536m Brennan Memorial four Fridays ago when he was given a soft run, three back on the pegs, before being hampered for room in the home straight and finishing fifth behind Our Jimmy Johnstone.
Motu Premier’s second run in this campaign was in the 2019 Media Guild Cup last Friday week when he enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, but was blocked for a run and finished full of running when fifth behind Waylade.
Motu Premier’s 28 starts in WA have produced eight wins, six seconds and three thirds, with Lewis in the sulky for seven of those victories. However, Lewis has stuck with the vastly-improved Our Corelli, a five-year-old who is prepared by his wife Debra.
Our Corelli has won at eight of his 12 starts for Debra Lewis, with Lewis the successful driver in seven of those wins. Our Corelli is a speedy beginner and smart frontrunner. But he is versatile and is capable of unwinding a spirited finishing burst.
El Jacko, prepared by Greg and Skye Bond, is handily drawn at barrier four and will be driven by Ryan Warwick. The seven-year-old has been placed at each of his past three starts --- behind Handsandwheels, Our Jimmy Johnstone and Our Corelli. He has excellent winning prospects.
The Bond camp will also be represented by in-form 11-year-old Our Jimmy Johnstone (Bailey McDonough) who will need plenty of luck from the outside of the back line.
Ten-year-old The Bucket List will start from barrier two on the back line and trainer Michael Brennan is happy with the draw and expects the gelding to be running home strongly, particularly if the race is run at a strong tempo.
The Caris Hamilton-Smith-trained Waylade (Kyle Harper) impressed with his all-the-way victory in the 2536m Media Guild Cup last Friday week when he defeated The Bucket List and King of Swing. But his prospects this week diminished when he drew awkwardly at barrier No. 7.
Morgan Woodley, who drove the Rob MacDonald-trained Argyle Red to an all-the-way victory over 2130m last Friday week, is happy with the gelding’s draw on the inside of the back line and said that the eight-year-old was capable of figuring in the finish.
However, reinsman Aldo Cortopassi was bitterly disappointed when the Ray Williams-trained Walkinshaw drew the outside barrier (No. 9). Williams’s wife Dot is the daughter of the late trainer-reinsman Fred Doy and Cortopassi said he would have dearly loved to land Walkinshaw a winner this week in the event dedicated to the memory of Fred Doy.
“Walkinshaw drew barrier one last week, but the meeting was abandoned,” Cortopassi said. “We were hoping for the same draw this week because I would love to win the race for the family. However, from out wide a lot of things would have to go in Walkinshaw’s favour and a lot of things would have to go against all the others.”
Sprint trip suits Major Pocket
Six-year-old Major Pocket is a model of consistency and reinsman Aldo Cortopassi is confident that he will end a losing sequence of 11 by proving the master of his 11 rivals in the opening event, the 1730m Better Your bet With TABtouch Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Major Pocket is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2 on the front line and should prove one of the star bets on the ten-event program.
“Major Pocket loves the mile; it’s his best distance,” said Cortopassi. “You don’t hold on to him, you don’t fight him, you drop the reins and just let him run. Some of his runs over 1730m from wide gates have been massive.”
Drawn the pole on Major Pocket’s inside is veteran performer Mattjestic Star, who has been unplaced at his past 15 starts since he started from barrier one, overraced in the breeze and won from Vincenzo Peruggia over 1730m last March.
Cortopassi said that he would make a strong bid for the early lead. “Overwise, if we can’t cross Mattjestic Star, I’ll be happy to sit outside him and crunch him,” he said.
Major Pocket, trained at Mt Helena by Ray Williams, has a splendid record of 51 starts for 11 wins, 20 seconds and seven thirds for stakes of $146,960. Since his most recent success (when he led from barrier two and beat All Jokes Aside over 2130m on May 24 this year) his 11 starts have produced seven seconds and one third.
“He just keeps on earning and averages about $10,000 a month,” Cortopassi said.
Clarenden Hustler, a brilliant beginner and a smart frontrunner, will start from barrier five with Shannon Suvaljko in the sulky. However, trainer Matt Scott is pessimistic about the chestnut’s ability to burst to an early lead.
Adding considerable interest to the race will be the appearance of Commander Chapel, who will be having his first start for 32 months. The eight-year-old to be driven by Jocelyn Young for trainer Debra Lewis, is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven. But the gelding, a winner at 13 and placed at 12 of his 40 starts, is capable of a bold first-up showing.
There is plenty of good exposed form in the race, including Carter Micheal, Livura, Vincenzo Peruggia, Courage Tells and Smoldering Ashes, but Major Pocket should reign supreme.
Cortopassi is hoping for a good slice of luck when he drives Roman Aviator from the outside in a field of nine in the 2130m Book Your NYE Packages Now Pace. The five-year-old has performed solidly with 13 wins and ten seconds from 50 starts.
“It’s not a bad race for him,” Cortopassi said. “You’d think there will be a bit of speed on, coming from horses like Mad Robber and Bettor Reward --- and that will suit Roman Aviator, who I think will develop into a really nice sit-sprinter.
“Hopefully, there’s a good genuine speed and that he said home at $81 like he did two starts ago.”
Favourite for the race will be the Justin Prentice-trained Warfare, who is poorly drawn at barrier eight and will be having his first start for just over two months.
Our Perkins is Dylan’s best
Outstanding young reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green will have a big and faithful following when he drives in six of the ten events at Gloucester Park on Friday night and he declares that Our Perkins is his best winning prospect.
Our Perkins, a six-year-old prepared at Byford by Karen Thompson, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier in the third event, the 2130m Book Your Melbourne Cup Lunch at GP Pace, and Egerton-Green is planning an all-the-way victory.
Our Perkins has been driven at his past four starts by Deni Roberts, but she is on the sidelines, recovering from a fractured big toe. She took full advantage of the No. 1 barrier when she guided Our Perkins to an all-the-way success in 1.56.7 over 2130m three Fridays ago.
Egerton-Green also has a wonderful association with Our Perkins, having driven him to victory on six occasions.
“He definitely gets his chance from gate one this week,” said Egerton-Green. “Franco Joaquin, from gate seven, has a fair bit of gate speed and there looks to be a bit of speed from Midnight Man and Sergeant Oats on the inside of Franco Joaquin. So, hopefully, they come out and hold out Franco Joaquin which should enable me to hold up.
“I believe I have enough speed to hold the lead with Our Perkins, whose latest run was full of merit when he led and ran a good time.”
The Ross Olivieri-trained Carrera Mach (Chris Lewis) and Sergeant Oats (Shannon Suvaljko) appeal as the toughest for Our Perkins to beat. Carrera Mach impressed when he charged home from the rear to finish third Bletchley Park and Dennis over 2130m last Friday week. “He has finally drawn a gate inside seven and this gives him a chance,” said Olivieri.
Sergeant Oats, trained at Byford by Courtney Burch, is in good form and he finished strongly from the rear when a well-beaten second behind the flying Maras Ace Man over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. That followed a strong-finishing win over Budd Sidewinder over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
Egerton-Green also expects a strong performance from six-year-old Wesley, who is prepared in Bunbury by Sarah Wall. Wesley, a noted frontrunner with blistering gate speed, is favourably drawn at barrier four. Egerton-Green has driven the horse ten times for four wins, two seconds and a third placing.
He was in the sulky for Wesley’s most recent outing, over 2130m at Gloucester Park three Fridays ago when the horse began speedily from barrier five and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before sprinting home strongly with final quarters of 28.4sec. and 28.8sec. to win from Smoldering Ashes and Ardens Concord.
“Wesley is not purely a frontrunner,” said Egerton-Green. “He’s probably lost a bit of his early toe and it is to his credit and that of his trainer that he now races well with a sit.
“In this week’s race I’ll probably roll forward and I give him a good each-way chance. If he shows his good gate speed, I give him a good chance of crossing, but if we don’t get to the front the ambition will be to slot into a nice position.”
Egerton-Green has been booked by the powerful Greg and Skye Bond stable to drive Infinite Symbol (barrier one in the $22,000 Christmas Sundowner Packages Pace) and Twilight Saga (barrier three off the front in the eighth event, a 2503m stand). He will also drive Lord Lexus in the sixth event and Whitbys Gamble in race nine.
Five-year-old Infinite Symbol is a consistent performer and a smart frontrunner who was an all-the-way 2130m winner over Parisian Partygirl and Delightfulreaction at her most recent outing. However, she meets stronger opposition this week, including brilliant stablemate Our Alfie Romeo, who has enjoyed a beneficial winter spell since she finished strongly to win from Maczaffair on May 24.
Our Alfie Romeo has led and won five times in Western Australia where she boasts an enviable record of 20 starts for 12 wins, four seconds, three seconds and one third placing.
Our Alfie Romeo is unlikely to have a comfortable time, first-up, when she meets several in-form mares, including Crystal Sparkles, Just Rockon Bye, Cott Beach and Parisian Partygirl.
Twilight Saga is a capable standing-start performer, but she will be at handsome odds against horses of the calibre of her stablemate Mighty Conqueror, the lone backmarker off 30m, and the up-and-coming Ross Olivieri-trained Space Junk (20m).
Five-year-old Mighty Conqueror’s past eight starts have all been in stands for six wins, one second and one fourth. He reappeared after a five-month absence when he gave a superb display to win, unextended, from Forgotten Highway when he began off 40m and settled in eighth position before moving forward to race without cover and then take the lead 520m from home and coast to victory with final sectionals of 28.9sec., 27.3sec. and 29sec.
That was Mighty Conqueror’s first outing since he won the 2902m Easter Cup in April. Late last year he won the Four-Year-Old Championship and was a half-head second to Ana Malak in the Golden Nugget and third to Ana Malak in the group 1 Four-Year-Old Classic.
Space Junk will have a 10m advantage over Mighty Conqueror and certainly is capable of testing his younger rival. Space Junk has returned to form with a vengeance, scoring decisive wins in stands at his past three starts.
“At least Space Junk has a 10-metre head start n Mighty Conqueror,” said Olivieri. “But we’ve also got a lot of traffic in front of us. However, I expect Space Junk to fight out the finish. Mighty Conqueror is a very good horse and if you said I could have any horse in the Bond stable, I would take Mighty Conqueror. A year or two ago, it was El Jacko.”
