Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Brilliant young pacer Skylord has responded to treatment and has recovered from sore front feet, enabling part-owner and trainer-driver Jocelyn Young to start the two-year-old in the Team Bond Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Skylord, a Fly Like An Eagle colt who has not appeared since running home strongly to finish second to Never Ending in the group 1 Golden Slipper on September 30, is favourably drawn at barrier three and should prove too good for his six rivals.
He was due to resume racing last Friday week, but had to be scratched, suffering from sore feet.
“Now, everything seems to be on track,” said Young. “I have been wrapping his feet with sole pack hoof dressings and soaking them in warm water with Epsom Salts. It would be nice to finish the year with a win, and this is a winnable race.
“The problem with his feet was a setback, but we got on top of that as quickly as we could. He worked well today (Tuesday) with Valentines Brook (at Pinjarra).”
Skylord has raced six times for two wins and three placings, and one of his opponents is his promising stablemate Ronald Scott, a winner at three of his past four starts. He will be driven by Kyle Harper and will start from the outside in the field of seven.
Ronald Scott has not raced since July 1 when he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park and sprinted over the final 400m in 27.7sec. and won by just under two lengths from Reddy To Fly, despite breaking into a gallop in the final 50 metres.
Our Sandy Shore, trained and driven by Colin Brown, warmed up for Friday’s event with a second placing to Cabsav at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night. She took the lead after 400m, following a fast lead time of 35.4sec.
Our Sandy Shore then relaxed with opening quarters of 31.6sec. and 31.8sec. before the final sections were run in 29.4secnd 28.8sec. Her past seven starts have produced a win at Northam, three seconds and three thirds.
Pinjarra trainer Darren Schofield has engaged Shane Young to drive his Follow The Stars colt Imperium, whose three runs after an eight-month absence have produced wins at Pinjarra and Narrogin and a strong-finishing second to Colorado Banner at Pinjarra.
Jocelyn Young is looking for a strong effort from Valentines Brook, who is favourably drawn at barrier two in the $18,5000 Retravision NYE Pace over 1730m.
Valentines Brook, to be driven by Kyle Symington (fresh from a double at Pinjarra on Wednesday), is a consistent five-year-old who has had 60 starts for eleven wins, 15 seconds and seven thirds. He has finished strongly for Pinjarra seconds behind Wait For The Bell and Lucky Galleon at his two appearances after a seven-month absence.