Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
“It was back to the old Waverider,” declared reinsman Kyle Symington when assessing the four-year-old’s prospects in the $23,000 Christopher Dance Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Waverider, trained by Ryan Bell, is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven in the field of eight, but he should prove hard to beat, considering his eye-catching performance last Friday night when he was fifth with 200m to travel and then went four wide on the final bend as he flew home to finish a head second to the talented Im Lightning Banner over 2130m, with the final quarters being covered in 28.4sec. and 27.8sec.
“He hit the line really well and made up a lot of ground,” said Symington. “It won’t be easy this week from out wide, but I think he’s up for it. I’d say he is my best drive for the night.”
Waverider, a winner at nine of his 22 starts, will need to be at his best to beat smart rivals in Magnus Victor (barrier eight), Heez A Vibe (three) and Thelittle Master (six).
Trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo said he was delighted with Magnus Victor’s outstanding effort to finish an extremely close third behind Im Lightning Banner and Waverider last week after the five-year-old raced in the breeze all the way.
“He is racing super, and I thought he was near on career best last start,” said De Campo. “The wide barrier is a huge leveller, and he will need a bit of luck.”
Considerable interest will surround the return to racing of outstanding filly Captainshavtime in the final event, the $21,000 Aardiebytheseaside Pace over 2536m.
The three-year-old filly trained by Greg and Skye Bond and to be handled by star driver Deni Roberts, has won at six of her nine starts and will be meeting seven far more experienced and older rivals who have had a combined tally of 705 starts for 88 wins and 190 placings. But she should prove far too smart for them.
Captainshavtime has not raced since she began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, dashed forward three wide early and then raced in the breeze before finishing third behind Cyclone Jordy in the group 1 Golden Slipper late last September. She won at her five previous starts after winning once from three outings in New Zealand.
Captainshavtime will begin from barrier four on Friday night, and Roberts is keeping her options open. “She has good gate speed, and I could also sit her up,” she said. “I’ll see how she feels.
“She is up against older horses, but she is pretty talented. She has matured a lot during her time off, and she is looking nice and strong. The 2536m won’t bother her; she is very tough.”
The Bond stable and Roberts are also hoping to begin the meeting on a winning note with the enigmatic Greatgreat Boulder starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line.
Greatgreat Boulder, a four-year-old who has raced eleven times for four wins and three seconds, finished ninth behind My Ultimate Chevron in the 2560m Northam Cup at Burwood Park last Saturday week. He swung sideways and galloped badly at the start, losing almost 80 metres. He made up a lot of lost ground and fought on, out wide, in the final lap.
“That was his first run in a stand, and his effort was very good,” said Roberts. “He will be fitter from that run.”
Greatgreat Boulder’s chief rivals are likely to be Mister Macedon and Vanderbilt. The Nathan Turvey-trained Mister Macedon will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from out wide at barrier eight. He has worked hard in the breeze at his past two outings and has performed extremely well to finish seconds to Lord Titanium and Thelittle Master.
Vanderbilt (barrier five) is trained by Ray Williams and will be driven by Dylan Egerton-Green. The New Zealand-bred five-year-old has excellent potential and he is overdue for a change of luck.