Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Banjup trainer Murray Lindau has begun the 2024 season in great style with his 20 starters producing six wins and five placings, with stable star Hotly Pursued poised to complete a winning hat-trick by proving too speedy for his rivals in the $50,000 Hoist Torque Chandon Four-Year-Old Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Reinsman Kyle Harper was delighted when Hotly Pursued drew favourably at barrier No. 2 in the 2130m group 3 event, saying: “I’m very happy with the draw. Hotly Pursued has good gate speed and if he puts his best foot forward and jumps to the front, he should be hard to beat.
“It’s a good field but if Hotly Pursued is at his best he should take a bit of beating.”
Hotly Pursued has relished his pacemaking role with smart victories over 2130m on the past two Friday nights to improve his record to ten wins, eight seconds and three thirds from 31 starts. The gelding’s past eleven starts have produced seven wins.
The Garry Johnson-trained Dawson Shard, a winner at one of his 26 starts, will start from the No. 1 barrier, and is unlikely to have enough speed to hold out Hotly Pursued in the early stages.
Dawson Shard began from barrier one in a race at Pinjarra on Wednesday when he broke into a fierce gallop in the score-up before settling down to get away on terms with his rivals. He was urged forward by Brock Johnson and led for the first 100m before being overtaken by Beeshebas Shadow.
Johnson moved Dawson Shard to the breeze after 600m and the former New South Wales pacer took the lead at the bell before wilting late to finish fourth behind Lord Titanium.
Rolling Fire, All Is Well and Holy Hecka are likely to be Hotly Pursued’s main dangers. Rolling Fire, prepared at Boyanup by Justin Prentice, is the only runner on the back line in the field of ten, and driver Emily Suvaljko is confident that the gelding will run a big race.
Rolling Fire notched the tenth win from 20 starts when he worked hard in the breeze before winning from Flying Rumour over 2130m at a 1.56.4 rate last Friday week when having his first start for three months.
“I would’ve liked to be off the front line,” said Suvaljko. “But it’s not the worst draw, and without any horses outside of us I should be able to come off the pegs straight away.
“As we saw last start Rolling Fire can do it tough, and he can do it with a sit, as well. He was very unlucky in some of the big three-year-old events last year, coming off the track and running home in really good time. It is going to be an exciting race on Friday night.”
All is Well, to be driven by Chris Lewis for Byford trainer Katja Warwick, is in splendid form with three wins from his past five starts. He is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven and cannot be underestimated. He began from the outside barrier (No. 7) on the front line three Fridays ago when he came from eighth and last at the 1000m with a powerful three-wide burst to win easily from the fast-finishing Lucapelo, rating 1.54.7 over 2130m.
The Mike Reed-trained Holy Hecka will be driven by Shannon Suvaljko from barrier three. He has made two appearances at Pinjarra since resuming from a spell and has been a shade disappointing in finishing on each occasion.
“Holy Hecka has had a couple of fitness runs and is working well,” said Suvaljko. “He is capable and all he needs is the right run.”
An interesting runner is the New Zealand-bred Hale Saint Louie, who has resumed after a spell in fine style for trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green with convincing wins at Pinjarra and Narrogin. He will start from the No. 5 barrier.