Harness
Gloucester Park NYE Preview
Champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond look set to produce a trifecta result in the final event, the Retravision Every Day’s A Sale Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Wednesday night.
Their runners When In Vegas, to be driven by Stuart McDonald from barrier four, Captains Creek (Liam Elliott; barrier five) and Delulu (Tom Nally; barrier six) are expected to dominate betting in the field of seven.
Captains Creek, the only New Zealand-bred runner in the race, should prove hard to beat, following his eye-catching performance last Friday night when he began from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and was restrained to the rear.
He was last in the field of twelve at the bell before he unwound a sparkling late burst and thundered home, out five wide, to finish fourth behind Spring Line.
Captains Creek was the only three-year-old in the field and his effort against older and more experienced rivals was particularly meritorious. He is sure to appreciate competing against six other three-year-olds on Wednesday night.
His fourth placing followed a winning sequence of four. Ten days before last Friday's performance Captains Creek began from the outside barrier (No. 8) on the front line when he surged home from sixth at the bell to win from Sebastian James, who rated 1.56.4 after final 400m sections of 28.2sec. and 28.7sec.
Captains Creek led and won at his three previous starts when he began from barriers four, five and four. He has a splendid record of seven wins and six placings from 23 starts. When In Vegas has raced 24 times for five wins and nine placings, and Delulu, the only filly in the race, has had 25 starts for seven wins and eight placings.
Delulu is a smart sit-sprinter who impressed last Friday night when she began from barrier No. 7 and was tenth and last at the bell before charging home, out five wide, to finish fifth behind the pacemaker Hunger Strike.
Hes Thunder set to make amends
WA-bred eight-year-old Hes Thunder thrives on a diet of constant racing, and he will be having his 168TH start when he begins from the outside barrier in a field of eight. This will be his sixth start in December and his 41ST over the past eleven months.
The Michael Young-trained Hes Thunder is getting better with age. He was unplaced at his first 18 appearances at Gloucester Park before turning the corner, with his next four runs at headquarters producing one win, two seconds and one third placing.
Despite the disadvantage of beginning from the outside barrier Hes Thunder has sound winning prospects and is capable of making amends for his second to Follow The Music over 2265m at Albany last Saturday night when he stated from barrier five and settled at the rear before dashing forward after 250m to move to the breeze and then fighting on doggedly.
Hes Thunder's chief rivals are likely to be Cullen Star, Stella Major and Vintage Blu.
Cullen Star, trained by Michael Blakemore, impressed two starts ago when he ran home strongly from the rear to win from Stella Major at a 1.58.7 rate over 2130m. Then at his next outing, last Friday week he was the $4.20 favourite who raced without cover before wilting to finish sixth behind Wandering Girl.
Vintage Blu is a veteran of 133 starts for 15 wins, 33 placings and $131,540 in prizemoney. He will start from the No. 3 barrier and possesses good gate speed but is most unlikely to be able get to the front, with Cherry On The Cake a certainty to lead from the prized No. 1 barrier.
Deltariffic to resume
Promising WA-bred gelding Deltariffic will add considerable interest to the Retravision Pace over 2130m for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Wednesday night when he will have his second start in a race after an inglorious debut last February when he galloped badly in the score-up and trailed the field in a 1730m event won by Fear The Storm.
Deltariffic is now trained by Gary Hall jnr, and he warmed up for his return to racing with a sound effort in a three-horse trial over 2150m at Byford last Saturday week.
He raced three back on the pegs before winning easily by three lengths from the pacemaker Global Ark, rating 2.5.1 on a slow track.
On the surface, Deltariffic faces a tough assignment against several smart in-form two-year-olds, including Cease To React, Cinch, He Is talking, Nite Sniper and My Machane.
Cease To React, a son of former star pacer Soho Tribeca, will be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, and will start out wide at barrier seven, but he has the ability to overcome that disadvantage.
His two runs since resuming from a spell have been excellent. He reappeared four Fridays ago when he trailed the pacemaker In Rare Air and finished a half-head second to the brilliant Amalfi Knight, who rated 1.56.9sec. over 2130m after final quarters of 28.3sec. and 28.9sec.
The following week Cease To React began out wide at barrier eight and raced in the breeze before winning by a half-length from the frontrunning Nite Sniper, rating 1.57.1 over 1730m.
Cinch will be driven by Tom Nally for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, and the New Zealand-bred filly will have admirers when she starts from barrier three at her first appearance after a spell.
Her recent trials have been encouraging. In a field of six in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Wednesday of last week Cinch was restrained from the outside barrier before running home solidly to win by two lengths from Southerner after final quarters of 28.3sec. and 28.8sec.
That followed a win in a 2150m trial at Byford the previous Saturday when she was not extended in beating Lord Vincentius by a head.
Cinch is a younger full-sister to Maid Of Money, who notched her 14TH win from 111 starts when she broke a losing sequence of 13 with her victory over 1646m at Maitland.
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