Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Managing owner and trainer Nathan Turvey is planning new tactics for talented six-year-old Chal Patch, who will begin from the No. 1 barrier in the $50,000 The West Australian Nights Of Thunder over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Chal Patch, driven by Kyle Symington, was an impressive heat winner last Friday night when he thundered home from eighth at the 400m to snatch a head victory over All Is Well after being restrained from barrier seven at the start.
“We will try to lead this week,” said Turvey. “We have never tried to use his gate speed, but the New Zealand people who had him said he was quite quick out, and I think he will be able to lead on Friday night.
“I suppose everyone is going to have a crack (for the lead) because no-one has seen Chal Patch do it. His run last week was very good, and he seems to have pulled up very well, so there will be no excuses. All he needs is a bit of luck.”
Chal Patch, a winner at 12 of his 50 starts, has had the luxury of starting from the No. 1 barrier only twice from his 33 appearances in mobile events — at his race debut as a three-year-old over 1980m at Addington on December 18, 2020, and in another 1980m event at Addington on November 11, 2022.
He revealed good gate speed on debut when he set the pace and won by a length from Serg Blanc. He was beaten out clearly at his second appearance from the No. 1 barrier and was shuffled back to the rear before finishing tenth behind Beach Ball.
Chal Patch will have to overcome a hoodoo if he is to win. The frightening fact in the 17-year history of the Nights Of Thunder is that the No. 1 runner has failed in the past eight years, and only two No. 1 runners have been successful — Lombo Navigator (5/2 on in 2011) and Soho Lennon (7/2 in 2015).
Gary Hall Jnr has driven three winners of the Nights Of Thunder — Tealsby Karita (2007), Hokonui Ben (2013) and Benhope Rulz (2019) — and he has given punters a good lead by choosing to handle the Justin Prentice-trained Jawsoflincoln ahead of the Turvey-trained Solesseo Matuca.
Jawsoflincoln is awkwardly drawn at barrier six, but he should prove extremely hard to beat following his outstanding first-up effort in a qualifying heat last Friday night when he began from barrier seven and raced three wide all the way before finishing a close-up sixth behind Rumour Has It.
Jawsoflincoln made a spirited but unsuccessful bid for the lead in the first lap, and he is sure to derive great benefit from that effort at his first appearance for seven months.
“It was a huge run last week,” said Hall. “Barrier six is not ideal, but he is versatile and has good point-to-point speed. I expect him to figure in the finish based on what he did last week.”
Solesseo Matuca will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from the outside barrier in the field of nine, and Turvey expects a strong performance from the former Victorian pacer who finished a splendid third to Chal Patch and All Is Well last Friday night after racing in the one-out, two-back position.
“I was tickled pink with the run, and I can only imagine he will come on from that run,” said Turvey. “We will drive him as a sniper.”
Chris Lewis, who drove the Ross Olivieri-trained Davisons Destiny to victory in the 2009 Nights Of Thunder, is confident that Rumour Has It, the only mare in Friday night’s event, will prove hard to beat.
Rumour Has It, prepared by Debra Lewis, is handily drawn at barrier three. Last week she raced in the breeze before taking the lead 570m from home and holding on to win by a head from the fast-finishing Soho Dow Jones, rating 1.53.7 compared to Chal Patch’s winning rate of 1.53.5 in the other qualifying heat.
Lewis has chosen to drive Rumour Has It ahead of the Katja Warwick-trained trained All Is Well (barrier two). “Her run last week clinched my decision, and she should run a big race,” said Lewis.
Shannon Suvaljko has been engaged to drive All Is Well, who trailed the pacemaker Lamandier and took the lead 300m from home before finishing a head second to Chal Patch last Friday night. That followed wins at Gloucester Park at his two previous outings.
Suvaljko will be seeking his third victory in the Nights Of Thunder, following victories with the Olivieri-trained Queen Shenandoah in 2021, and the Warwick-trained Machnificent in 2022.