Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is bubbling with confidence that Sweet Vivienne will make amends for her unlucky fourth placing behind Penny Black in last week’s Race For Roses by winning the opening event, the $21,000 Gloucester Park Racing Good Friday Pace over 2130m at headquarters on Friday night.
Sweet Vivienne was badly checked and broke into a gallop at the start before settling down at the rear of the standing-start event. She was in eighth and last position at the bell before fighting on gamely to finish fourth.
“I think that if she hadn’t got knocked over at the start she would’ve won,” said Voak. “I lost 25 metres and was beaten by 13 metres. I expect that her run last week has brought her on a couple of lengths.”
Sweet Vivienne will begin from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in Friday night’s race, with the talented Lion Queen at No. 8 at her first run after a spell, and at her first appearance as a four-year-old. Lion Queen, trained by Mike Reed has won at five of her eleven starts.
“Lion Queen has drawn bad,” said Reed. “So, she will go back and hold her up before letting her run home. At her final four starts in her last preparation, she raced three wide and then faced the breeze. She got gutted every start, so at her first few starts in this preparation we will go back with her (at the start), hold her up and then let her run home.
“She is working well, and they’ll know she’s there. If the speed is on, she can win. We are not going to hurt her.”
Acushla Machree, to be driven by Joey Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, will have admirers at her second start after a spell. She will begin from the No. 6 barrier.
Acushla Machree resumed racing in last week’s Race For Roses when she raced without cover throughout and faded to finish eighth.
“Her run last week was okay,” said Young. “It was pretty tough with her doing all the chasing in the breeze on a windy night. Her work since then has been good and this is a winnable race. If she got to the front, she would take a stack of running down.”
Suvaljko will also have plenty of supporters when he drives the Aiden De Campo-trained gelding Menemsha from the favourable barrier at No. 2 in the $23,000 The Nullarbor @ GP 25TH April Pace over 2130m.
Menemsha’s clash with another top-flight four-year-old Justcallmemiki will be a highlight on the ten-event card, with Justcallmemiki attempting to remain unbeaten in Australia after scoring easy victories at his first four appearances at Gloucester Park for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and driver Deni Roberts.
Menemsha was checked and broke 350m after the start of a race last Friday night and then raced at the rear and finished sixth behind Hugotastic. That followed wins at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park at his two previous outings.
De Campo has bright prospects of training and driving Menemsha’s stablemates Ideal Muscle and Bettor Arcade to victory.
Ideal Muscle will start from the outside barrier in a field of nine in the Trotsynd Syndication Pace in which he will clash with other smart four-year-olds Madam Publisher and Thelittle Master.
Ideal Muscle raced three back on the pegs in fifth position and was badly blocked for a clear run until the final stages when he sprinted home powerfully to finish second to Hugotastic last Friday night. He ran home fast when second to stablemate Magnus Victor the previous week.
Bettor Arcade will start from barrier five in the $27,000 TABradio Final over 2130m and should prove hard to beat following his fighting victory over Prince Of Pain on Tuesday of last week.