Talented harness racing trainer-reinsman James Rattray is delighted at drawing the coveted No. 1 barrier with Devendra in the $450,000 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night and he declares that the six-year-old will lead at all costs and prove hard to run down.
Caretaker trainer Gary Elson said that he spoke with Rattray after the barrier draw and that he had no intention of relinquishing the lead to any other runner.
“James told me that he would not surrender the lead regardless of how much pressure was applied to Devendra,” Elson said. “He sees it as vitally important not to hand up, particularly with a proven frontrunner.”
Elson has taken over the preparation of Devendra at his Pinjarra property while the Tasmanian-born Rattray tends to his stable of pacers in New South Wales.
“We were really happy with Devendra’s fourth behind Beaudiene Boaz in the Fremantle Cup last Friday night,” Elson said. Devendra started from the inside of the back line and raced in fifth place three back on the pegs before being held up for a clear run on the home turn. The gelding eventually got clear and impressed in sprinting home strongly.
“Devendra is fit, well and happy and is enjoying swimming in the dam at my place twice a day,” Elson said. “I gave him a light hoppled run today (Tuesday) and he ran home nicely. He’s pretty sharp. With the Pacing Cup in mind I have been working him over two miles.”
Devendra, a winner of 25 races and $314,973 in prizemoney, is a versatile performer who raced in fine style at the recent interdominion championship series. He led from barrier four and scored an easy win over Waylade in a 2130m heat and flew home from last to win a 2536m heat.
Lovers Delight, trained in Bunbury by Stephen Reed, revealed sparkling early speed from the No. 7 barrier when he led and gave a bold frontrunning performance to win a 2536m Inters heat from Lennytheshark. He set the pace until the final stages when a wonderful second to Lennytheshark in the $1.3 million final.
Chris Lewis looks certain to rev up Lovers Delight at the start in a bid to burst past Devendra or to take up the position in the breeze. Run Oneover (barrier two) and stablemate John of Arc (five) also are likely to go forward at the start.
Bettors Fire, who led for the first 650m in last Friday night’s Fremantle Cup and then sat behind the pacemaker before finishing solidly into third place behind Beaudiene Boaz, is awkwardly drawn out wide at No. 7 on the front line. Trainer-reinsman Kyle Harper will weigh up his options in the early stages.
Bettors Fire possesses sparkling gate speed, but Harper could well decide to restrain the handsome gelding before determining his tactics as the race unfolds. He spoke with GPTV soon after the barrier draw – to see what he had to say;
Libertybelle Midfrew, the only mare in the Cup, is a proven group 1 performer, having won the WA Oaks and Golden Nugget. And she gave further proof of her class by setting the pace and winning a 2536m Inters heat from Philadelphia Man. She will start from the No. 4 barrier on the front line.
Trainer Mike Reed said that his son Mark would “come out and have a look” at the start in a bid to gain a prominent forward position. She started from the back line and raced four back on the pegs before finishing eighth in the Fremantle Cup.
“They walked early and ran the final 1100m hard,” Mike Reed said. “This made it impossible for horses to come from behind. She has done well since that race and she’ll love the 2936m.”
Libertybelle Midfrew faces a stern test. No mare has won the WA Pacing Cup since Pyramus was successful in 1972.
Mike spoke with GPTV after the barrier draw function, the interview is below;
by Ken Casellas