Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Outstanding pacer Lavra Joe faces an acid test at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he attempts to end a harrowing hoodoo when he contests the $125,000 Nova 93.7 Four-Year-Old Classic.
Owner-trainer Ray Jones is not superstitious, but he would dearly love Lavra Joe to break through for his first success in a group 1 feature event.
The striking-looking gelding has won five group 2 races and four group 3 events. But he has been unable to break through for a group 1 victory, with his four attempts resulting in a second to Jett Star in the Two-Year-Old Pearl, a ninth behind Give Us A Wave in the Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings, an eighth behind Mighty Ronaldo in the Golden Slipper and his fourth behind Mighty Ronaldo in the WA Derby in April last year.
Lavra Joe is in top form, having won the group 3 Pinjarra Four-Year-Old Classic and the group 2 Four-Year-Old Championship at Gloucester Park at his past two starts, in which he set the pace after drawing favourably at barriers three and one.
He faces a more difficult task this week when he starts from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line in the field of twelve. But he has the speed, strength and will to win to overcome this disadvantage.
Lavra Joe will be handled by Chris Lewis, who shares the record with another champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, with each having won this event five times in its 44-year history.
Lewis has been successful with Village Kid (1984), Tamai Boy (1985), Vero Prince (1986), Flashing Star (1994) and Saab (1998). Hall has won the Classic with The Falcon Strike (2001), Im Themightyquinn (2008), Waylade (2014), Beaudiene Boaz (2015) and Chicago Bull (2016).
Hall has given punters an important lead by choosing to drive the Justin Prentice-trained Mighty Ronaldo in preference to star pacer Jumpingjackmac, who is prepared by Gary Hall Snr, who has trained a record of six winners of the rich feature event – Love Of Glory (1990), The Falcon Strike, Im Themightyquinn, Waylade, Beaudiene Boaz and Chicago Bull. He drove Love Of Glory, and also won the race as a driver with Valley Champ (1993) and Slick Vance (1995).
Mighty Ronaldo is awkwardly drawn at barrier six on the front line. But he cannot be underestimated, having won nine times and being placed 12 times in his 30-start career, with his wins including the group 1 2020 Golden Slipper, the group 1 2021 WA Derby and the group 2 Sales Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings.
Jumpingjackmac, who finished second in last year’s WA Derby, is in excellent form, and placings behind Lavra Joe at his past two starts have been full of merit. He will be handled by Stuart McDonald and is handily drawn at barrier two on the back line.
Hall Snr will also be represented by the speedy Finvarra, a winner of 11 races who will be driven by Maddison Brown from out wide at barrier No. 8. Prentice has an excellent second-string runner in the free-legged pacer El Chema, an impressive winner over Stamford last Friday night.
El Chema will be driven by Emily Suvaljko, who will be keen to take advantage of the prized No. 1 barrier. El Chema possesses good gate speed, but there is also a great deal of gate speed to his outside, with Tenzing Bromac, Blitzembye and Stamford all speedy beginners.
If Lavra Joe wins, he will become only the third pacer to notch the double of the Four-Year-Old Championship and the Four-Year-Old Classic, a feat achieved by Waylade in 2014 and Magnificent Storm in January of last year.
Ravenswood trainer-driver Jocelyn Young is hoping that The Amber Hare will buck the odds and become only the third mare to win the Four-Year-Old Classic, following the wins of Whitbys Miss Penny in 1991 and Lombo La Fe Fe in 2004.
The Amber Hare has won at ten of her 20 starts but will need all the breaks after starting out wide at barrier seven. She finished strongly from ninth at the bell to be a splendid fourth behind Miss Limelight in the group 1 2536m Westral Mares Classic last Friday night.
Greg and Skye Bond, who prepared Ana Malak for his victory in the 2018 Four-Year-Old Classic, will be pinning their faith on Tenzing Bromac (Ryan Warwick) and Himself (Colin Brown).
Tenzing Bromac is comparatively inexperienced, with eleven wins and two seconds from 15 starts. He is ideally drawn at barrier two. Colin Brown will drive Himself for the first time, with the son of Sportswriter drawn at No. 5. He faces a rise in class but has the ability to make a bold bid for victory.