Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Star pacer Mister Smartee has ticked all the boxes and is on target to be at his peak for the $1.25 million Nullarbor slot race on Friday week.
“I’m happy with where he’s at now,” said the five-year-old’s reinsman Gary Hall Jnr who will give him his final hoppled run before the 2536m Nullarbor when he drives him from out wide at barrier No. 8 in the $31,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound @ Albion Park Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“This run means that we won’t have to go back to the track with him, and he will have next week off, apart from just jogging. He will run a good race on Friday night.”
Mister Smartee, the least experienced runner in Friday night’s event, notched his 16TH win from only 20 starts when he began from barrier four, settled down in seventh position and dashed forward, three wide, after 500m to hit the front 400m later and coast to victory, beating Otis by two lengths, rating 1.54 over 2130m with final 400m sections of 278sec. and 27.2sec.
Catch A Wave, winner of the Nullarbor twelve months ago, arrived in Perth by air from Sydney on Monday, and will warm up for the big race when he clashes with Mister Smartee on Friday night when he will begin from the No. 5 barrier.
He possesses excellent gate speed and has scored all-the-way wins at ten of his 25 victories from 51 starts. He also can unwind a brilliant finishing burst.
He is a last-start winner, scoring a neck victory over the pacemaker Rocknroll Hammer in 1.51.9 in a $20,000 Free-For-All over 1609m at Geelong three Fridays ago. The quarters were run in 27.3sec., 30.2sec., 27.5sec. and 26.9sec.
That followed his last placing behind Don Pedro in the Miracle Mile at Menangle three weeks earlier. He had little chance when he began from the outside barrier in the field of eight and was restrained to the rear.
Noted speedy beginner and successful frontrunner Hoppys Way is favourably drawn at barrier one. He began from the outside of the back line and raced four back on the pegs before running home strongly along the inside to finish fourth behind Mister Smartee last Friday night.
Trainer Mike Reed said that Hoppys Way, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, was returning to his best form. “This is a good field, and we have the speed to lead if we want to,” he said.
Hoppys Way led from barrier four and won from stablemate Ragazzo Mach over 2130m last Friday week.