Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Smart New Zealand-bred five-year-old Eighteen Carat will begin her spring campaign aimed at next month’s Norms Daughter Classic and the $150,000 Mares Classic when she begins from barrier two on the back line in the group 2 $50,000 Schrader Free-For-All for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be Eighteen Carat’s first appearance after an eight-week absence, and she will need to be at her top when she clashes with several smart performers, including Bettor Get It On, Miss Limelight, Platinum Sparkle, Booraa, Vivere Damore and Fifty Five Reborn.
Eighteen Carat will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, who is confident of a strong showing, saying: “She’ll go good. She probably stamped herself as the best mare here the last time in (when she won three races in a row in the space of four weeks in the winter),” said Hall.
“Michael (trainer Michael Young) has planned this race for a long time, and he reckons she is spot on.”
Eighteen Carat’s chief rivals are expected to be Bettor Get It On and Miss Limelight, with Hall having plenty of respect for the Justin Prentice-trained Bettor Get It On, who is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 and will be handled by Aiden De Campo. Hall has driven Bettor Get It On to all of her six WA wins. He has driven the mare 19 times for six wins, ten seconds and four thirds.
Miss Limelight, will start from the outside of the back line and will be driven by Kyle Symington for trainer Ryan Bell. Miss Limelight led when she won from Bettor Get It On and Booraa three starts ago. She has had no luck when unplaced from the No. 7 barrier at her past two starts.
“Miss Limelight has had no respect shown to her in her past two runs, especially at her latest run a fortnight ago,” said Bell. “She has had no luck at all.”
Hall, fresh from five winners last Friday night, will be in the sulky for all ten events on Friday night’s program. All ten are sure to be popular with punters.
Hall considers his brightest prospects will be Kimble (race one), Tricky Miki (race five), Eighteen Carat (race six), Firerockfireroll (race seven) and The Mustang (race nine).
“Kimble should be better for his two runs here, and he should lead or breeze and win,” said Hall. “The Mustang should also lead and win, and I’m pretty keen on Firerockfireroll, who has put the writing on the wall at his two runs in the State. His stand form over east was pretty good and he is one of my better drives on the night.”
Firerockfireroll ran home solidly from sixth at the bell to be an excellent fourth over 2536m last Friday night when he finished a half-length behind the winner Rascal in a blanket finish. He was badly blocked for a clear passage when a most unlucky fourth behind The Code Breaker the previous week.
Hall is confident that The Mustang will improve his WA record to three starts for three wins by scoring an all-the-way victory in the $23,775 Aylmore Classic Pace over 2130m.
The Mustang, trained by Michael Young, should carry too many guns for his five rivals, including Ideal Agent and Boom Time, who maintained their excellent form last Friday night when they filled the minor placings behind Machnificent and Ideal Agent.