Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Aiden De Campo is in dazzling form, both as a trainer and driver, and he declares Sound Wave, the polemarker in the 2130m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace, as his best winning chance at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Six-year-old Sound Wave has a losing sequence of 17, and he caught the eye at Bunbury last Saturday night when racing first-up for four months and having his first start for the De Campo stable.
Driven by Liam Elliott, he raced without cover for the first 500m and then enjoyed a sit in the one-out, one-back position before being shuffled back to the one-out, two-back position. He was hampered for room in the home straight when a sound fourth behind Gregarmy.
“Sound Wave was a little bit underdone at Bunbury, and now I’m hoping he leads and wins on Friday night,” said De Campo.
Sound Wave has been out of the winning list for 21 months — since the previous time he began from the No. 1 barrier — and led and defeated Moonlite Drive and Master Publisher at Gloucester Park on June 3, 2022.
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Ira Poole, trained by Gary Hall Snr, is expected to be a warm favourite from the No. 6 barrier. He let his supporters down at Gloucester Park last Friday week when, as the $1.34 favourite, he made a spirited but unsuccessful bid for the early lead and then raced in the breeze before fading to finish 11TH behind Mighthavtime.
That followed convincing victories at his two previous starts. “I was disappointed with his last-start performance,” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. “It wasn’t a good drive. I thought that the leader would be happy to hand up. But he didn’t.
“Ira Poole has got gate speed, but probably not enough to get across them (to lead), so I’ll probably sit him up and hope that he will be able to get over them at the finish.”
A new drive for Hall will be behind experienced seven-year-old Skippys Delight, a frontmarker in the 2503m Private Functions at Gloucester Park Handicap.
Skippys Delight and co-frontmarker Burghley Shard are prepared by Byford trainer-reinsman Callan Suvaljko, who gave Hall the choice between the two pacers.
Suvaljko will handle Burghley Shard, who returned to form on Tuesday night when he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to beat the fast-finishing Gee Smith and the pacemaker Alta Rhett, who dead-heated for second.
Main rivals to the Suvaljko pair are expected to be Cheddar Is Better and Lucca.
Shannon Suvaljko will drive the Shane Quadrio-trained Cheddar Is Better, who finished second to Lucca in a stand three starts ago, two starts after winning a stand at Pinjarra.
“Cheddar Is Better should give a lot of cheek in front,” said Suvaljko. “He ran the fastest final 400m (27.6sec.) when sixth and last behind Ardens Horizon last Friday night. He hit the line charging.”
Hall is hoping that former Victorian pacer Solesseo Matuca will break through for his first win in WA at his sixth appearance in the State when the five-year-old begins from the No. 1 barrier in the Perth Now Pace over 2130m.
Solesseo Matuca has managed two third placings from his five WA starts, and Hall said: “This week we will get an idea where he is at. I think he will lead, pretty easily, and I think he is good enough to win.”
His chief rival looks to be Aiden De Campo’s smart five-year-old The Miki Taker, who raced in the breeze before winning at a 1.53.9 rate over 1730m last Friday night. The Miki Taker will start from the inside of the back line, with De Campo saying: “Hopefully he can do enough to hold the leader’s back, and if he does, he will be a good each-way chance.”
Hall will drive Rolling Fire for trainer Justin Prentice in the 2130m Trotsynd Pace in which the talented four-year-old is ideally drawn at barrier No. 2, with the likely pacemaker Franco Ecuador drawn the inside barrier. What ensues should be an enthralling battle.