Smart five-year-old Rolling Fire bounced back to his best last week when he overcame starting from the outside of the back line to score a thrilling last-stride victory over Sorridere in the WA Pacing Cup Consolation.
He is much more favourably drawn at barrier No. 1 in the $31,000 Book Your NYE Party Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he could be seen in the role of pacemaker.
“He is going good enough to win again,” said his driver Trent Wheeler. “He has good gate speed, but there are a few others with a lot of gate speed, horses like Hoppys Way and Murray Lindau’s pair of Talks Up A Storm and Hotly Pursued.
“I’m not sure what tactics we will use; I’ll have to discuss plans with Justin (trainer Justin Prentice). Maybe Rolling Fire might get his chance in front.”
Last Friday night Rolling Fire raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs before getting into the clear on the home turn and charging home to gain a last-stride verdict.
While Wheeler is confident of victory, so is Deni Roberts, who will drive the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Golden Lode, who will begin from the No. 6 barrier and will be fancied following his splendid fourth placing behind stablemate Minstrel in the 2536m WA Pacing Cup when he raced three back on the pegs and finished strongly.
“I’m excited to get back behind Golden Lode,” said Roberts. “He went really well last week.”
Adding plenty of interest to the race will be seven-year-old Better Eclipse, who is favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier. He will be driven by his trainer Gary Hall jnr, who said that an interrupted preparation had left the gelding a bit below peak fitness for the WA Pacing Cup last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Magnificent Storm before wilting to finish seventh behind Minstrel.
“Maddy (driver Maddison Brown) said that Better Eclipse pulled hard, which didn’t help him,” said Hall. “We will come out (at the start) and try to hold a forward spot.”
Golden Lode’s stablemate Gee Heza Sport cannot be left out of calculations on Friday night when he will begin out wide at barrier eight with Stuart McDonald in the sulky. He had no luck when tenth in the Pacing Cup last week when he was trapped wide early and had to be restrained back to last before finishing tenth.
Trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo said that Magnus Victor (the sole runner on the back line) was an each-way hope after having no luck when eighth behind Rolling Fire last week.
