Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Shannon Suvaljko has begun the 2023 season in fine form, and after six weeks he has chalked up 21 winners to head the WA drivers’ premiership table, leading by four from Chris Voak and Kyle Symington.
And he is now hoping to increase his lead when he drives in seven of the nine events at Gloucester Park on Friday night when one of his best winning prospects is James Butt, who is favourably drawn at barrier No. 2 in the $25,000 Barbagallo Leaders In Motoring Excellence Pace.
Voak trains James Butt, but was unable to take the drive as he is serving a 12-day suspension for causing interference in a race. Voak, who has driven James Butt in all of his 26 WA starts for seven wins, is confident the New Zealand-bred eight-year-old will prove hard to beat following his all-the-way victory over 1730m, followed by his eye-catching head second to Handsandwheels over 2536m last Friday night.
James Butt raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, and was badly blocked for a clear run until he got off the pegs 400m from home and went four wide on the turn before flying home to just fail.
James Butt has good gate speed but it is problematic whether he can beat out the polemarker Pradason, a splendid frontrunner who is racing with great enthusiasm for Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo.
Pradason maintained his excellent form last Friday night when he trailed the pacemaker Jack Farthing and fought on gamely to finish second to that pacer over the 1730m journey in which the final 400m sections were covered in 27.9sec. and 27.1sec.
Suvaljko will also replace Voak behind the Jemma Hayman-trained Onesmartfella in the 1730m Barbagallo Lamborghini Pace in which the seven-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding faces a tough assignment against Valentines Brook.
Onesmartfella, an all-the-way winner over 2130m five starts ago and a close second to Walsh two starts ago, will start from barrier five, with Valentines Brook drawing much better at barrier No. 2.
Valentines Brook, to be driven by Kyle Symington for Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young, has scored effortless wins at each of his past three starts, following a sequence of five second placings.
Valentines Brook revealed excellent gate speed when he started from barrier six and burst to the front after 70m before relishing his pacemaking role and beating Pradason by eight lengths at a 1.55.7 rate over 2130m.