Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Four-year-old Mister Smartee, the youngest and least experienced runner in the field of eight to contest the $31,000 Past President’s Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, is on target to notch his sixth win in a row when he lines up at the No. 4 barrier.
Mister Smartee resumed after a 20-week absence last Friday night when he surged home from tenth and last at the bell to win at a 1.55.3 rate over 2130m.
He won by only a half-length from Star Casino, but reinsman Gary Hall Jnr said the lightly-raced New Zealand-bred gelding impressed him greatly and that he would prove to be hard to beat this week.
“Mister Smartee was awesome last week when he won so easily,” said Hall. “It was like he had just joined in on the (home) bend. I was swinging on him.”
Mister Smartee is trained by Gary Hall Snr, and he and his son have won the Past President’s Cup with The Falcon Strike (2006), Beaudiene Boaz (2017) and Chicago Bull (2020).
Mister Smartee, who has won at ten of his 12 starts, rises in class this week when his clash with Sangue Reale and Tricky Miki should be a highlight of the 12-event program.
Sangue Reale, trained and driven by Chris Voak, has resumed after a spell in excellent form. He followed thirds behind Aardiebytheseaside and Talks Up A Storm with a stylish all-the-way victory over Talks Up A Storm last Friday week.
Sangue Reale will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight, and Voak declared: “We’re in with a good shot. I’ll drive him according to the pace of the race. If they are going slow, I’ll put him into it, for sure.
“He will make a run at them early if the pace is slow, or if it is a fast pace he will make a run late. I give him a good chance.”
Tricky Miki will be making his first appearance for five months and he will be driven by his trainer Justin Prentice for only the third time in his career of 31 starts which has produced twelve wins and ten placings.
Prentice drove Tricky Miki when he won the Golden Slipper in July 2021 and when he finished a fast-finishing close-up third behind Swingband and The Miki Taker on August 5, 2022.
Tricky Miki, who is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2, has not been produced in recent trials, but is capable of a bold first-up showing.
Part-owner and trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper is hoping to set the pace with Eldaytona, who gave a smart frontrunning performance for Lauren Harper to score a narrow victory over Rockmyster, rating 1.55.5 over 2130m last Friday night.
“Eldaytona likes it in front, so I’ll be aiming to lead,” said Lindsay Harper.
Harper is confident of success with four-year-old Chivalry, who will begin from the No. 1 barrier in the 1730m Sunrise Pace, in which he will clash with several in-form pacers, including Skylou, Goodfellaz and Sugar Street.
Chivalry began from barrier three last Friday night when he made an unsuccessful challenge for the lead and then worked hard outside the pacemaker Loucid Dreams before fighting on determinedly to dead-heat for second with Regal Cheval, a head behind the winner Hillview Bondi.
“He rarely runs a poor race, and his run last week was very good,” said Harper. “He will lead on Friday night and will be very hard to beat. He will go 1.53, no problem.”
Gary Hall Jnr will drive Skylou, who is awkwardly drawn at barrier six. “It looks a tough race, and I’ll probably drive Skylou conservatively early,” said Hall.
Goodfellaz has resumed racing in top form for trainer Debra Lewis, with his four runs in this campaign resulting in three wins and a fighting third behind Skylord. He is the only runner on the back line and looks set to fight out the finish.
Dominus Factum will begin from barrier eight for trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo at his first start after a spell. “The mile suits him and he tends to go good, fresh,” said De Campo. “He will roll forward.”