Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Wonnerup trainer Terry Ferguson has Chumani in top form, and star reinsman Chris Voak is bubbling with enthusiasm about the six-year-old’s prospects in the $50,000 Trotsynd Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He has drawn the ace (barrier No. 1 off the front line in the 2503m standing-start Group 2 event) and he can lead and win,” said Voak.
At his most recent appearance Chumani began off the front in a 2503m stand last Friday week. He trailed the pacemaker Papa Razzi and fought on tenaciously to finish second, a neck behind Patched, who started from the 10m mark, raced in the breeze for 800m in the middle stages and took the lead 250m from home when the final 400m sections were run in 29.2sec. and 28.9sec.
“This week Chumani gets a 20m head start over Patched, and he is capable of turning the tables,” said Voak, who drove the Bruce Stanley-trained trotter Itsgettingcalder to a 23m victory over Earl Or Nothing in the Trotters Cup in December 2017. Itsgettingcalder started off 10m and Voak dashed her to an early lead and set a brisk pace.
Patched and Tricky Ric, the sole 40m backmarker, loom large as Chumani’s major rivals. Patched will be driven by Aiden De Campo for Pinjarra trainer David Young, who was delighted with the six-year-old’s last-start win.
“He is a high-speed horse whose strength is his sit-sprint ability,” said Young. “Aiden said he was doing it easily on the line.” Patched is an experienced a highly capable standing-start performer, who won four times in Victoria and has an outstanding record in WA, with his 15 starts for Young resulting in eight wins, six seconds and one fourth placing.
Tricky Ric, prepared by champion trainer Gary Hall Snr, will be handled by Gary Hall Jnr, who won the Trotters Cup in December 2020 when the mare started off 30m and defeated Sunnys Little Jestic by a head.
Tricky Ric goes into Friday night’s race with a remarkable record, having won at his past nine starts and at eleven of his past 13 starts.
He has won five stands, but is not always reliable at the start. He began off the front in the Trotters Cup 12 months ago when he galloped out, settled in sixth position, challenged unsuccessfully for the lead 1300m from home and then trailed the pacemaker Beefour Bacardi before finishing a close-up third behind Majestic Dream and Tears Of Joy.
“Patched is obviously the one to beat,” said Hall Jnr. “And Tricky Ric and Patched should fight it out, all things being equal. Tricky Ric doesn’t fly away at the start but he generally gets away okay. He really needs to be blistering at the start to make up ground quickly, and then get a breather.”
Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop, who trained and drove the 5/2 favourite The Beau Brummell to an all-the-way victory over Hot Holiday in the 2014 Trotters Cup, will be looking forward to a spirited performance from the talented six-year-old Papa Razzi, who will start from the No. 2 barrier on the front line, with Maddison Brown in the sulky.
Karen Bennett, who prepared Majestic Dream fort her fast-finishing victory in last year’s Cup, will be pinning her faith on that smart mare as well as the five-year-old gelding Elish Star, who set the pace and won a 2116m stand at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. Elish Star, to be driven by Lauren Harper, will start from the No. 3 barrier off the front, and there is a strong possibility of a spirited tussle for the early lead. Majestic Dream, who will start off 20m, will be driven by Mrs Bennett’s husband Frank.
Waroona trainer Nigel Johns, who prepared Compressor for his win over Humphries Mate in the 2009 Cup, will be represented by Love Affair and Dark Secret.