Former Victorian performer Our Blackbird has turned the corner and struck a rich vein of form and he is poised to give Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri his second success in the Led Perth Past Presidents Cup by outsprinting his ten rivals in the 2100m feature event at the harness racing meeting at Bunbury on Friday night.
Since he broke a worrying losing sequence of 20 when he set a brisk pace and scored an easy three-length win at Gloucester Park on April 2, the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old has raced in superb form, with two placings behind Pacific Warrior, a fourth behind David Hercules, a stylish victory over Lovers Delight at Bunbury and an eye-catching second to Lovers Delight at Bunbury last Friday week.
At his most recent outing Our Blackbird was tenth at the bell and facing a seemingly impossible task. However, he unwound a brilliant burst to finish a head behind Lovers Delight.
With Stuart McDonald in the sulky, Our Blackbird looks capable of overcoming the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the back line this week.
Olivieri won the Past Presidents Cup with 5/2 on favourite Tsunami Lombo (Chris Lewis) at Gloucester Park in July 2010 when the gelding raced wide early, took the lead after a lap and beat Nowuseeme and Village Steel.
In the 2011 Past Presidents Cup the Olivieri-trained Few Good Men was a 47/1 tote outsider when he ran home strongly from fifth on the pegs at the bell to be a 5m second to Rocket Reign.
Olivieri said that Our Blackbird was affected by foot soreness when he arrived in Western Australia last July, but since the troubled was cured he had "jumped out of the ground."
Champion trainer Gary Hall sen., the only man to have prepared two winners of the Past Presidents Cup (The Falcon Strike in 2006 and Our Arlington last year), has sound prospects of notching his third win.
He will be represented by Soho Jackman and Soho Highroller.
Soho Jackman is awkwardly drawn out at barrier six on the front line and Soho Highroller will start from the No. 3 on the back line.
Soho Jackman appeals as the better of the stable runners. He raced three back on the pegs and fought on when fifth behind brilliant stablemate My Hard Copy over 1609m last Friday night.
A week earlier Soho Jackman impressed when he was seventh at the bell before sustaining a spirited three-wide burst to finish third behind Lovers Delight and Our Blackbird.
Our Major Mark, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, and the Bob Mellsop-trained Little Boy Blue have sound credentials and are capable of causing an upset.
Our Major Mark, who has won once and been placed ten times from his past 27 starts, cannot be underestimated from the favourable draw on the inside of the back line.
He raced behind the pacemaker Crusader Banner when a sound fourth to My Hard Copy last Friday night.
He was a half-head second to Soho Jackman at Pinjarra two starts earlier.
Little Boy Blue, a winner of seven races from 19 starts last season, will be having his fifth start after a spell, but faces a stern test from the outside of the front line.
He ran home from ninth (and last) at the bell to finish an encouraging fourth behind Crusader Banner the previous week.
Ken Casellas