Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Illawong Mustang has started from the No. 1 barrier seven times at Gloucester Park for two all-the-way wins, two seconds, two thirds and one seventh placing.
And his trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green is confident the seven-year-old will improve his record from barrier one by setting the pace and winning the opening event, the 1730m Vale Geoff Wallis Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It’s a nice draw which will suit him down to the ground,” said Egerton-Green. “I will be looking to make every post a winner.”
Illawong Mustang’s most recent experience from the No. 1 barrier was eight starts ago when he led and beat The Kraken by a length over 2130m. His previous performance from the inside barrier was eleven starts before that run when he led and beat High Price over 1730m. His two previous runs from the No. 1 barrier resulted in seconds to Mr Fantastic and Dardy Boy.
Illawong Mustang’s most serious rival on Friday night is likely to be The Miki Taker, who will be driven by his trainer Aiden De Campo from barrier five.
The Miki Taker, who has had 29 starts for nine wins and twelve placings, began from out wide at barrier nine when he raced at the rear and finished a well beaten eighth behind Franco Ecuador over 2130m last Friday week.
“That was a touch disappointing,” said De Campo. “He got back in the field, and I thought he should have run home better. But he was four wide from the 600m. His two runs before that, after a nine-month absence, were good.”
The Miki Taker raced without cover in those two starts and finished a half-head second to Flying Rumour and third behind Hotly Pursued and Jawsoflincoln.
Egerton-Green also has bright prospects of winning the second event, the 2130m Australian Pacing Gold Pace on Friday night’s program in which he will drive Otis, who has been placed at three of his four starts this year. He is favourably drawn at barrier two.
Otis gave a superb performance last Friday night in a 2503m standing-start event in which he galloped badly, lost about twelve lengths and raced in last position before surging home with a powerful burst to finish a half-length second to Navy Street. His past five starts have been in stands and he now has a losing sequence of twelve.
“He is not really in the right mindset for the stands,” said Egerton-Green. “He is back to the mobile where his gate speed is not his best asset. However, there is no other horse in the race who is much quicker (at the start) than he is.
“This is a nice race for him, and he will be running a solid race. He went to the line very strongly last week, and the time was good (with Otis running the final 400m sections in 27.7sec. and 27.9sec.).”
Looming as the main danger to Otis is the polemarker Lil Happy Fella, who will be driven by Aldo Cortopassi for Busselton owner-trainer Barry Howlett.
Lil Happy Fella, winner of the 2690m Albany Cup four starts ago, began from the outside of the back line at Gloucester Park last Friday week when he was ninth (on the pegs) at the bell before finishing strongly out five wide to be a close-up eighth behind Nevermindthechaos.