Tough and talented mare Gotta Go Gabbana warmed up for her clash with the speedy Our Alfie Romeo in the $22,000 Retravision For All Your Back To School Needs Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night in fine style with an impressive win in a 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Sunday morning.
After starting from barrier four, Gotta Go Gabbanna, with Chris Voak in the sulky, surged to the lead after 250m and was not extended in bowling along in front. She dashed over the final quarters in 27.3sec. and 28.1sec. and beat Sangue Reale by more than two lengths, rating 1.56.2.
The Annie Belton-trained Gotta Go Gabbana will start from the outside in the field of eight on Friday night, with the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Our Alfie Romeo far better placed at the No. 3 barrier.
Our Alfie Romeo, with a fine record of 17 wins, seven seconds and two thirds from 35 starts, will be popular with punters who will be looking for Ryan Warwick to use the mare’s splendid gate speed and dash to an early lead.
Our Alfie Romeo should have too much pace to thwart the prospects of the enigmatic Tony Svilicich-trained Talkerup of setting the pace from the No. 1 barrier.
If that is the case, Voak is likely to send Gotta Go Gabbana forward in a bid to apply considerable pressure on Our Alfie Romeo, who finished fifth behind Dracarys over 2130m last Friday night when she started from the back line and raced three wide early and then in the breeze on the outside of Miss Sangrial.
Dracarys ran on strongly from fifth on the home turn to win from Miss Sangrial, with Our Alfie Romeo wilting to fifth. But there were excuses for Our Alfie Romeo’s defeat. She was at a disadvantage when one deafener failed to release.
At her previous outing, Our Alfie Romeo led from barrier eight and won from stablemate Infinite Symbol, with Gotta Go Gabbana wilting from the breeze to finish a disappointing eighth. Two weeks before that, Gotta Go Gabbana led from the No. 1 barrier and won a 2536m event by two lengths from Our Alfie Romeo.
Two starts before that, Our Alfie Romeo was untroubled to lead from barrier one and win by two lengths from Arma Indie over 2130m, with Gotta Go Gabbana (barrier nine) finishing fourth after racing three wide for much of the 2130m journey.
Ken Casellas