Talented, lightly-raced four-year-old American Boy has recovered from a damaged pastern and is poised to run a big race in the Del Basso Food Services Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred gelding has drawn out wide at barrier seven on the front line, but has the class to overcome that disadvantage.
Champion trainer Gary Hall Snr declared that American Boy was fit and ready to perform strongly after sustaining an injury to a pastern when an unlucky fifth behind Jambiani four Fridays ago.
American Boy started his current preparation with four easy wins — at Gloucester Park, Pinjarra, Bunbury and Narrogin — before he contested a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on May 6. He was restrained from barrier seven and was travelling strongly in sixth place in the one-wide line at the bell.
“I pulled him out down the back straight, but he ducked in because we had the Murphy on him,” Hall Jnr said. “A horse pushed out underneath him and we locked wheels briefly. It was a rookie mistake which cost him the race.
“The horse lost all his momentum at a psychological moment. If it had not been for this I would have got to the leaders by the end of the back straight. Instead, I had to try to do it around the bend. I thought that locking wheels definitely cost him the race.”
Kim Prentice said that punters should not overlook the claims of polemarker Leftrightgoodnight, an honest six-year-old trained by Sonia Zucchiatti.
“The barrier is a big help and he’s a very good frontrunner and a real good rails horse,” Prentice said. “He hit the line very well last week (when third behind Waipawa Junior and Mantoman) and the time was good. We’ll definitely be trying to hold the lead.”
Ken Casellas