Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding mare Wonderful To Fly loves the No. 1 barrier and excels over her favourite journey of 2130m and this successful combination should enable her to outclass her nine rivals in the $50,000 Group 3 Christmas Belles at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The four-year-old daughter of Fly Like An Eagle is in devastating form, with her past twelve starts producing seven wins and five seconds.
Twenty of her 30 wins have been over 2130m, and she has started from the No. 1 barrier at Gloucester Park six times for four wins, a second placing and an unplaced effort.
The Shane Young-trained Wonderful To Fly put in one of her most brilliant performances last Friday night when she charged home, out five wide, from 11TH at the 350m to finish second to Tricky Miki in the Golden Nugget over 2536m.
A fortnight before that victory Wonderful To Fly was tucked away in sixth position, three back on the pegs, before she thundered home to snatch a half-head victory over the pacemaker Hoppys Way in the 2130m Four-Year-Old Classic.
Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young holds a good hand in Friday night’s race, with Steno (barrier four) and The Amber Hare (barrier six). She has opted to drive Steno, and has engaged Kyle Symington to drive The Amber Hare, who will be making her first appearance for five months.
Steno warmed up for this week’s assignment in superb fashion last Friday night when she began brilliantly from barrier six and set the pace before sprinting over the final 400m in 26.7sec. to win by more than three lengths from Arma Xfactor. That was Steno’s 14TH win from 34 starts.
The Amber Hare has won at 11 of her 28 starts but faces a stern test from her awkward draw.
The Ray Williams-trained Cyclone Charlotte should be prominent from her favourable barrier at No. 2 for Dylan Egerton-Green. Nine wins and 11 placings from 24 strarts underline Cyclone Charlotte’s consistency.
Chris Lewis has given punters a good lead by choosing to drive eight-year-old Born To Boogie in preference to Rumour Has It, a five-year-old trained by his wife Debra.
Lewis has driven Rumour Has It at 24 of her 25 starts, including two all-the-way wins early this month before her fourth behind Stormyskyes last Friday night when she had a tough run in the breeze. The five-year-old faces a difficult challenge from out wide at barrier eight. She will be driven for the first time by Donald Harper.
Born To Boogie also will be tested from the outside barrier (No. 9). She has fought on gamely to be third at each of her past three starts, following a hard-fought win early in November.
Taking The Miki, trained by Jemma Hayman and to be driven by Chris Voak, is the solitary runner on the back line. She is racing keenly and was unlucky when sixth behind Tricky Miki in the Golden Nugget last Friday night when she was badly blocked for a clear run in the final stages.
“If we reversed the barrier draws, with Taking The Miki at barrier one and Wonderful To Fly on the back line, I’d say we would be a winning chance,” said Voak, who was in top form in the sulky at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night, landing four winners.