Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
In-form reinsman Mitch Miller has a high opinion of Beatitlikebeca, a winner at only one of his eight starts, but with abundant ability and the promise of bigger and better things to come.
Beatitlikebeca is trained by Kim Prentice and has to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the back line in the $31,000 Garrard’s Here On Track Three-Year-Old Autumn Series final over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
However, Miller is confident that Beatitlikebeca, a colt by former star pacer Soho Tribeca, will make a bold bid for victory, saying: “He’s not quite a racehorse yet but he’s got a fair bit of ability.
“I think he is a winning chance provided he gets a nice run into it. He is definitely as good as the rest of them.”
Beatitlikebeca will be having his third start after a spell. He was a first-up third behind Fakenit at Gloucester Park on March 4 before finishing second to stablemate Lou Lamour over 2242m at Narrogin ten nights later.
“First-up, I sat Beatitlikebeca in the one-out, two-back position before being held up behind a couple of the slower ones, and then he took about 20 metres off Fakenit in the final 400m after losing twenty,” said Miller.
“Then he went to Narrogin (and driven by Corey Peterson) he ruined his chances by flogging the wheels the whole race.”
Peterson trains and drives Manhattan Ruby, one of the main fancies in Friday night’s event. She is a smart filly by Soho Tribeca, who has impressed with easy all-the-way wins at her past two outings, rating 1.56.1 when she beat Pinny Noir by three lengths over 1730m and rating 2.1.9 at Pinjarra and was not extended when she sprinted over the final quarters in 28.5sec. and 27.5sec. to beat Its Crunch Time by more than three lengths over 2190m at Northam.
Martin trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper gives Spyglass a strong winning chance in the final event, the $31,000 Garrard’s Service With Integrity Pace over 2130. The seven-year-old will start from the No. 5 barrier in the small field of seven.
“He looks a good chance,” said Harper. “It would have been nice to have drawn better, but he should still go okay. He had no luck at his latest start (seventh behind Soho Santorini two Fridays ago) when he was tenth at the bell and was inconvenienced in the final circuit before finishing fast, out six wide.