Ken Casellas | Photo: HAMILTON CONTENT CREATORS
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Rodasi maintained his steady rate of improvement when he finished a sound fourth behind Luke Attack at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
It was a perfect lead-in for his run in the opening event on Friday night, the 2536m Become A BOTRA Member Pace.
Rodasi began speedily from barrier six in Tuesday night’s 2130m event. But he was unable to wrest the lead off Lord Publisher, and he then worked hard in the breeze.
Rodasi, who is trained by Debra Lewis, will be driven by Chris Lewis from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line on Friday night, and should prove hard to beat.
He is a full-brother to Our Corelli, who won 16 races in Western Australia between April 2018 and January 2020, with the Lewis stable winning two feature events in September 2019 — when he beat El Jacko and Our Jimmy Johnstone in the group 2 Navy Cup and defeated Vampiro and King Of Swing in the group 3 York Cup at Gloucester Park.
Our Corelli left Western Australia in February 2020 and continued his career in the United States where he won another 16 times and retired with a record of 167 starts for 32 wins, 42 placings and stakes of $487,677.
The Lewis stable also has excellent prospects in race two on Friday night, the $25,000 BOTRA Supporting The Industry Pace over 2130m in which My Ultimate Baxter is sure to prove hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier.
My Ultimate Baxter began speedily from barrier five and failed in a bid to get to the front from the polemarker Get Ya Bets On. Chris Lewis then rated My Ultimate Baxter expertly in the breeze, and the five-year-old took the lead on the home turn and won easily from the fast-finishing Lamandier, rating 1.54.6 over 2130m.
My Ultimate Baxter’s chief rivals on Friday night are likely to be Solesseo Matua, State Of Heaven and Loucid Dreams.