Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Promising three-year-old Menemsha will be ready for a strong showing at his third start after a spell, according to his trainer-driver Aiden De Campo.
Menemsha, a winner at four of his 15 starts, has drawn perfectly at barrier one in the $21,000 Children’s Medical Research Institute Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He resumed after a three-month absence when he took the lead after about 600m and set the pace before fighting on determinedly to win by a head from Prince Of Pain over 2130m at Gloucester Park three Tuesdays ago when the final 400m was run in 27.9sec.
Then over 2100m at Bunbury a week later Menemsha began from barrier four and raced three wide for the first 500m before racing without cover and battling on doggedly to finish a half-length second to the pacemaker Gully Gum when the final quarters were run in 28.5sec. and 27.8sec.
“It was a pretty good run,” said De Campo. “He took on older horses and they ran good time around a cold track at Bunbury. He sat in the breeze, and that’s not his ideal position. I think there is improvement in him. High speed is his best asset.”
Bet The House, trained by Ron Huston and driven by Chris Voak, has won at five of his nine starts and should be primed to run a strong race at his second appearance after a spell.
Bet The House, who is not favourably drawn on the outside barrier in the field of eight, put up an outstanding first-up performance over 2130m three Fridays ago when he began from the No. 5 barrier and raced without cover all the way. He fought on grandly to finish a neck second to the pacemaker Vegas Strip, with final quarters of 28sec. and 28.1sec.
That was Bet The House’s first run since he covered a lot of extra ground on his way to winning the Group 3 Caduceus Club Classic from Waverider on April 26. Two starts before that Bet The House scored an impressive victory over Grevis and Menemsha in the Gold Bullion final.
Trainer Kim Prentice has Soho Skyfall racing in top form with two smart Gloucester Park wins in the space of four days last month. Soho Skyfall, to be driven by Mitch Miller, is a speedy beginner who is favourably drawn at barrier two.
Artful Miki (Justin Prentice) and Petes Honour (Chris Lewis) are also racing with admirable spirit. Artful Miki was a shade disappointing when he set the pace and faded to third behind Louie Dior over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Monday of last week. That followed easy victories at Pinjarra at his two previous starts.
Oakford trainer Jemma Hayman has Petes Honour racing in wonderful form. The Sweet Lou gelding caught the eye last Friday week when he raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before starting a three-wide move with 700m to travel and sprinting fast to finish second to the frontrunning Soho Skyfall.