Trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is seriously considering setting seven-year-old Northview Dance for the annual Nights Of Thunder feature event after driving the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old to a runaway victory in the $21,000 Barn Babes Animal Farm Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Northview Dance revealed sparkling gate speed to charge straight to the front from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the 1730m event in which he set a brisk pace and romped away to win by just over five lengths from Jaxon Morgan and Rockstar Quality, rating a slick 1.55.
At his previous start, a week earlier, also over 1730m, Northview Dance began from the inside of the second line and trailed the pacemaker Henty before finishing second to Lincoln River despite being inconvenienced by a flat sulky tyre over the final 700m.
His past two performances over 1730m showed that Northview Dance would be a realistic chance in the $48,500 final of the Nights Of Thunder next Friday week.
Voak said that he would nominate Northview Dance for the Nights Of Thunder qualifying heats next Friday night. “Whether he runs in a heat will depend on how he pulls up after tonight’s win,” he said.
“Originally, I was planning to set Northview Dance for next month’s standing-start Northam Cup, but after his past two runs over 1730m I’m looking at the Nights Of Thunder.”
Voak has taken over the preparation of Northview Dance for the gelding’s past four starts, with his previous trainer Giles Inwood concentrating on his full-time job of driving water trucks for Shane Topgnolini.
“I didn’t really want to run the gate tonight, but he sort of took off and got a flying start, and he was going so fast that I had difficulty in getting down to the marker pegs,” Voak said. “I wasn’t sure he could gas out and still finish it off. But he did, and I think he will get better.”
Northview Dance raced 20 times in New Zealand for one win and seven placings, and his 29 starts in WA have produced eight wins and 13 placings. Friday night’s win was his first in a metro-class event. He is by American sire A Rocknroll Dance and is the ninth foal out of unraced Badlands Hanover mare Galleons Respect.
