Champion four-year-old Beaudiene Boaz is one of the favourites for the interdominion championship later this year, but his harness racing driver Gary Hall jun. is apprehensive about his prospects in the $23,000 Ron Gallop Memorial Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, citing stablemate Cyamach as a major danger.
Beaudiene Boaz made a superb return to racing after a six-month absence when he crushed his rivals in a 1730m sprint last Friday week to improve his record to 22 wins from 30 starts for earnings of $997,784.
Hall was full of praise for Beaudiene Boaz’s first-up performance, but he admitted that the horse faced a stern task this week from the outside barrier (No. 9) against stablemate Cyamach (Mach Three), who will be driven by Lauren Jones from the No. 5 barrier.
“I don’t think that Beaudiene Boaz is a good thing, second-up and over 2536m,” he said. “Mind you, I was pretty impressed with the way he went first-up. However, the way Cyamach is going, he’s a big danger. His run last week was probably his career best.”
At his return to racing last Friday week Beaudiene Boaz raced three wide early before surging to the front with 1000m to travel. He sprinted over the final 400m in 27.7sec. and won by just under a length from stablemate Run Oneover at a 1.53 rate over 1730m. Cyamach started out wide at barrier eight and was eighth at the bell before finishing powerfully to be third.
Then last Friday night Cyamach started from the No. 6 barrier and raced in the breeze outside stablemate Run Oneover. He refused to give in and fought on grandly to be second, less than a length behind Run Oneover.
“Cyamach is the best horse I’ve driven and he has a heart of gold,” said Jones.
Beaudiene Boaz and Cyamach are prepared by Gary Hall sen., who also has My Hard Copy and Waylade engaged in Friday night’s race. He has sound prospects of landing the quartet.
Ken Casellas