Ruby Lovera aiming to enhance family tradition
New Zealand-bred pacer Lovera did not race, but she has proved to be an outstanding brood mare, having produced group 1 two-year-old filly winners Artemis Belle and Eagle Rox.
And now her latest filly foal Ruby Lovera has bright prospects of upholding a wonderful family tradition by winning the $215,000 group 1 Allwood Stud Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Artemis Belle, trained and driven by Aldo Cortopassi, led all the way and won the group 1 Sales Classic by two lengths from Mazeltov in April 2010, and trainer Kim Prentice drove Eagle Rox to an easy all-the-way victory over stablemate Bettor Dreams in the group 1 Diamond Classic in June 2012.
Ruby Lovera, trained by Justin Prentice and part-owned by nine members of the syndicate which races champion four-year-old Never Ending, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, with champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr giving the Sweet Lou filly an excellent winning chance.
“She has the gate speed to lead, and without talking to Justin, I’d say we will be trying to lead, and then take it from there,” said Hall. “She is a real chance in an even field.”
Ruby Lovera has won at two of her seven starts, including her victory two starts ago when she raced three back on the pegs before finishing strongly to beat the pacemaker Bettagetonpip by a half-neck.
She then scraped into the final of the Westbred Classic on Tuesday of last week when she raced without cover in a qualifying heat for much of the way and lost valuable ground when she was inconvenienced approaching the home turn and then recovering to fight on and finish a well-beaten fourth behind the frontrunner Bettagetonpip.
Looming large as Ruby Lovera’s toughest rival is Iseeubaby, trained in Bunbury by John Graham and driven by Emily Suvaljko.
Iseeubaby, who will start from the No. 5 barrier in the 2130m classic, was most impressive in winning a qualifying heat, rating 1.57.7 --- which was faster than rates recorded by the other heat winners Bettagetonpip (1.59.7) and Copper Head Lady (1.58).
Iseeubaby began from barrier five and raced in the breeze before Suvaljko sent her to the front at the bell. The final three quarters were run in 28.9sec., 28.6sec. and 28.9sec. and Iseeubaby careered away from her rivals and won by five lengths from Shes All Go.
“She has gate speed, but I didn’t use it in the heat,” said Suvaljko. “She is a very nice filly.”
Ryan Bell trains Copper Head Lady, who will be driven by Aiden De Campo from a somewhat awkward draw at barrier six. She began speedily from barrier five and set the pace when she won by a length from Reinette in a qualifying heat.
“She was really switched on and felt the best she ever has,” said De Campo.
Reinette, driven by Trent Wheeler for Coolup trainer Frank Nafranec, trailed Copper Head Lady throughout and fought on solidly. “She should fight out the finish on Friday night,” declared Wheeler.
The Ryan Bell-trained Bettagetonpip goes into the final with the best record (nine starts for five wins, three seconds and $85,224 in prizemoney) but faces a stern test from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line. She will be driven by Kyle Symington, who returned to Perth this week after a three-month holiday in America.
Bettagetonpip and Copper Head Lady will be joined in the final by stablemate Wicked Lover, who gained a start when Delulu was scratched. Wicked Lover, who will start from barrier eight, has been placed once from six starts. She will be driven by Ryan Warwick.
Leading suits Noble Thorondor
With twelve starts and four wins and three placings Noble Thorondor is the most successful and experienced runner in the $215,000 Allwood Stud Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And his winning prospects improved substantially when he drew the prized No. 1 barrier in the 2130m classic.
“Plan A will be to hold up, and I think he has the speed to lead,” said reinsman Kyle Harper. “We haven’t seen the best of him yet. He has had a couple of behavioural issues, but, touch wood, they now seem to be solved.
“He has never been beaten when leading (setting the pace at Pinjarra, Wagin and Gloucester Park).” Noble Thorondor revealed his versatility when he began from barrier five and raced in the one-out, one-back position before finishing powerfully to win a qualifying heat by a half-head from Paint the Palette on Tuesday of last week.
Noble Thorondor, trained at Brunswick by Bruce Lovett, rated 1.58.1 and was the fastest of the three heat winners, the others being Captain Stirling (1.58.7) and Last Hard Copy (1.59).
Captain Stirling, trained and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, will start from the inside of the back line, and should enjoy a favourable trip, particularly if Noble Thorondor sets the pace. He mustered good speed from barrier five in his heat in which he took the lead after 500m and dashed over the final 400m in 28sec. on his way to winning by two lengths from Seaside Magic.
Last Hard Copy, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, impressed when he surged home from fifth at the bell to win his qualifying heat by a head from Control The Room when the final 400m was covered in 28.2sec.
“Barrier seven is not the best, but if things go our way, hopefully, he will get into the money,” said De Campo. “He is only a little horse, and I don’t work him too hard. However, every time he has gone to the races he has stepped up and had a crack.”
Paint The Palette, an inexperienced Vincent colt trained by Justin Prentice and raced by the Trotsynd No. 23 syndicate, will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from barrier No. 3. He worked hard in the breeze when a fighting second to Noble Thorondor.
“He will be there for a long way,” said Hall. “If he had drawn to lead, I’d say he would win.”
Symington is back in action
Outstanding young reinsman Kyle Symington returned to Perth on Wednesday after a three-month holiday in America, and he is looking forward to resuming his association with the brilliant colt Waverider, who looks the winner of the group 2 $100,000 Allwood Stud Westbred Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The 22-year-old Symington has driven Waverider to six victories at Gloucester Park and he is expected to take full advantage of the favourable No. 2 barrier by using his sparkling gate speed in a bid to lead all the way in the 2130m classic.
Waderider, trained by Ryan Bell, should be close to his peak after two runs following a spell for a close first-up third behind Water Lou at Gloucester Park followed by a dashing all-the-way victory over Rox The World in a qualifying heat at Pinjarra on Monday of last week when he rated 1.57.4 over 2185m, with final quarters of 27.7sec. and 27.5sec.
The Ron Huston-trained Bet The House looks set to pose the most serious threat to Waverider. He notched his sixth win from 12 starts when he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier and won the other qualifying heat, rating 1.57.1, with final 400m sections of 28.8sec. and 27.5sec.
He will begin from barrier four and will be driven by Chris Voak, who said: “He will go really well. Waverider looks hard to beat from barrier two. Reverse the draws and I’d say it would be our race to lose. On paper, it now looks Waverider’s race to lose.
“Bet The House ran a faster time in the heats than Waverider, and he was probably more impressive to the eye. But given the barrier draws Bet The House is realistically a place chance.”
The Mike Reed-trained Water Lou dominates betting on the $100,000 Allwood Stud Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies. A winner of $362,589 from 20 wins and two seconds from 25 starts, Water Lou will begin from the No. 4 barrier.
“Water Lou is spot on,” said leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko. “Barrier four is a good draw, and we will have options. But we can come out hard and I’ll drive her like the best horse in the race.
“When she led and won a qualifying heat at Pinjarra (rating 1.57.3 over 2185m) she was a bit underdone but still hit the line in 27.5sec. So, we worked her hard on the track at Gloucester Park last Saturday when she went quick time.”
Capel trainer Aiden De Campo prepared the other two heat winners at Pinjarra --- with Copy Cat Queen rating 1.58.5 and Miss Hepburn rating 2.0.1.
He will drive Copy Cat Queen from the No. 1 barrier, and Trent Wheeler will handle Miss Hepburn from out wide at barrier No. 8.
“Copy Cat Queen has been very good since resuming after a spell and she has won at three of her past four starts,” said De Campo. “She is not blessed with great gate speed but barrier one helps, and we will come out as hard as we can and hold a forward position.”
Chris Lewis had the choice of drives between World Secret and Sugar Delight, who both finished second in qualifying heats at Pinjarra. He has opted for the Katja Warwick-trained World Secret, who will start from the No. 2 barrier, with the Barry Howlett-trained Sugar Delight to be handled by Emily Suvaljko from the outside of the back line.
Lewis has been the regular driver of both fillies, and he said that each had run home strongly with fast last 800 metres. “However, the overall time set by World Secret was better,” he said.
Lewis sees silver lining for Little Darling
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis has handled Little Darling in all of her seven wins, and he is suggesting that the WA-bred five-year-old mare is close to ending a 21-month drought.
Little Darling, bred and trained by Barry Howlett and owned by members of his family, has shown flashes of good form at her seven runs since resuming racing after 18 months off the scene.
Little Darling has drawn favourably at barrier three in the $27,000 Bookings@Allwoodstud.com.au Westbred Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and Lewis is looking forward for a strong performance at the mare’s first outing for a month.
“This is a good draw for her,” said Lewis. “She has been going very good and has been running honest races, and she has also been unlucky.”
Little Darling has been placed twice behind smart mare Penny Black from her past four starts, and there is a strong possibility that Lewis will make a strong bid to take the early lead and then set the pace on Friday night.
Her chief rivals are expected to be Wonderful To Fly and Rattlin Lilly.
Wonderful To Fly, trained and driven by Shane Young, has won at 30 of her 55 starts and should resume after a six-month absence close to her best following a splendid win in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week.
She was out of position at the start of the mobile trial and settled down about 40 metres from the pacemaker Mriya Dream before she sustained a strong burst which took her to the front 300m from home before she was not extended in winning by just under a length from My Silver Spoon, rating 1.58.5.
Wonderful To Fly will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line on Friday night but has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
Rattlin Lilly, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is in brilliant form with four Gloucester Park wins from her past five starts. She is the sole runner on the back line and Deni Roberts will have many options. There is a strong possibility that she will use Rattlin Lilly’s remarkable stamina to the best advantage by going forward to race in the breeze in the middle stages.
Lewis also will have a strong following when he drives Lombo Mitchinson for trainer Michael Blakemore in the opening event, the Breed To Ultimate Sniper Pace.
Lombo Mitchinson, who will start from barrier six, is racing keenly and was an unlucky fourth behind Sugar Street last Friday night when he was forced to work hard in the breeze.
Last-start winners Skylord, Crowd Control and Goodfellaz will clash in the $27,000 Allwood Stud Supporting WA Breeders Pace over 2130m.
Skylord, trained and driven by Jocelyn Young, gave a spectacular first-up performance last Friday night when he flew home from last to snatch a last-stride victory from Louie Dior.
“He is thriving, and I worked him over 3000 metres on the Pinjarra track today (Tuesday),” said Young. “It’s a small but very handy field. I have no set plan as I like to play things by ear.”
Mitch Miller, who has driven Crowd Control assertively to win at two of his past three starts, said that from barrier two he had plenty of options. “I’ll play things by ear, he said.
Aiden De Campo, who will drive the polemarker Infinite Sign for trainer David Young, intends to test his rivals by setting the pace, saying: “You would think he will be leading. He does his best work out in front, so we will run the gate as hard as we can and try to lead, and hopefully hang on.”
Trent Wheeler, who was nominated as the driver of four runners in the opening event, has chosen to handle the polemarker Longreach Bay ahead of Follow Rocknroll, Maddy Maddy and Ya Bettor Followme.
“It’s hard to give up barrier one,” said Wheeler who drove Follow Rocknroll to a brilliant last-to-first victory at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. “Follow Rocknroll is flying, but he has to start from out wide at barrier nine which is a good leveller.”
