Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Astute Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed faces a busy time at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he starts five runners, Hoppys Way, Blitzembye, Holy Hecka, Ragazzo Mach and Flying Rumour, in the eight-event program.
All five should be prominent, with Reed declaring the best of his runners is Ragazzo Mach in race five, the $31,000 Vale Glenyse Landquist Pace over 2130m.
Seven-year-old Ragazzo Mach, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven in the eight-horse field. This will be his fifth start in his current campaign, following a 22-month absence from racing.
He was an excellent first-up second to Jawsoflincoln before a fifth placing and two sixths from unfavourable draws.
“He will go a lot better than he did at his latest start (when sixth behind Rockandrollartist three Fridays ago when he raced wide early and then in the breeze),” said Reed. “He has had a few issues which we’ve worked on, and I have increased his work.”
Ragazzo Mach’s chief rivals are likely to be Franco Ecuador (barrier five) and Dalvey Robyn (barrier six). Eight-year-old Franco Ecuador looks hard to beat, following his impressive win at a 1.54.6 rate over 1730m last Friday night when he finished powerfully from eighth at the 550m to beat the pacemaker Skylord by more than four lengths.
Dalvey Robyn caught the eye last Friday night when he was fourth at the bell before running home fast to finish a close second to Ventura over 2536m.
Reed will be represented with Hoppys Way (barrier one) and Blitzembye (barrier three) in the $31,000 Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace over 2130m. Suvaljko will be in the sulky behind Hoppys Way, while Gary Hall Jnr will drive Blitzembye.
Suvaljko has driven Blitzembye at his past 46 starts, while Hall has handled the New Zealand-bred gelding only once, when he began from the No. 2 barrier and trailed the pacemaker Ragazzo Mach before finishing strongly to beat that pacer by a neck, rating 1.57.8 over 2130m on June 24, 2022.
“Hoppys Way is a good beginner and is a better horse when he leads,” said Reed. “Much depends on what sort of pressure Hoppys Way gets early, and I will leave the tactics up to Shannon. Brickies Dream wouldn’t be a bad horse to sit on, while Blitzembye will be ducking straight for cover.”
Brickies Dream, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2, and he showed excellent gate speed three weeks ago when he led from barrier four, set the pace and won from Ventura.
Hoppys Way and Brickies Dream are sure to make life difficult for star pacer Lavra Joe, who drops in class but has to overcome a testing draw at barrier No. 8 in the field of nine.
Maddison Brown has driven the Ray Jones-trained Lavra Joe aggressively for excellent wins over 2130m on the past two Friday nights.
Alongside Lavra Joe this week at barrier seven is the Debra Lewis-trained Goodfellaz, who is in top form, with two wins and three seconds from his past five starts.