Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr will drive in the first eleven events on the 12-race program at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he considers his best winning prosects will be in events late in the evening, Nevermindthechaos in race nine, the APG Perth Yearling Sale Pace over 2130m and Miki Jet in race eleven, the 2130m APG The Industry Owned Sales Company Pace.
Hall trains two runners in race nine, Solesseo Matuca and Regal Cheval, and he has been granted permission from the stewards to drive the Michael Young-trained Nevermindthechaos, who is ideally drawn at the No. 1 barrier.
Solesseo Matuca, who has just recently joined Hall’s team, will be handled by Stuart McDonald from the outside barrier in the field of nine, while Maddison Brown will drive the speedy nine-year-old Regal Cheval from barrier five.
Hall said that he would be keen to set the pace with Nevermindthechaos, but Regal Cheval, who possesses sparkling gate speed, could be a hindrance.
“Solesseo Matuca should sit up and run home,” said Hall, who said he was not particularly concerned that Nevermindthechaos was crossed after 80m by the fast-starting Cooper in a race over 2130m last Friday week. Nevermindthechaos dashed past Cooper 200m later and went on to win by a head from the strong-finishing Tiger Royal, rating 1.55.6 after final quarters of 27.7sec. and 28.3sec.
Miki Jet, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old, will be having his fifth start in Australia when he begins out wide at barrier eight in Friday night’s race, and he should carry too many guns for his nine rivals.
Miki Jet warmed up in fine style for this event when he began from barrier five, dashed to the front after 550m and went on to score an effortless victory, beating Alta Rhett by two lengths at a 1.57.9 rate after sprinting over the final 400m in 27.7sec.
“I will monitor him over the next couple of days,” said Hall. “He backs up well and I’m sure he will be fine. I will roll forward. He’s got a lot of learning to do, but he has a good moto and I’m happy with him.”
Deni Roberts, fresh from a double at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening, declared that her best drive on Friday night was the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Ten To The Dozen, who has drawn perfectly at barrier No. 1 in the $50,000 APG Sales Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings.
Ten To The Dozen notched his seventh win from 15 starts when he set the pace and sped over the final quarters in 27.6sec. and 27.2sec. and beat stablemate Thenu Came Along last Friday week.
Capel trainer Aiden De Campo’s two runners, Grevis (barrier four) and Menemsha (barrier six) should be prominent.
“I’ll drive Menemsha, because he is the better horse and has got a bit more brilliance than Grevis at this stage, and Trent Wheeler will drive Grevis,” said De Campo. Menemsha is sure to improve on his first-up fourth behind Ten To The Dozen last Friday week, while Grevis, at his second run after a spell, set the pace and was untroubled to win on Tuesday of last week.