Star reinsman Gary Hall jun. has driven brilliant harness racing four-year-old American Boy 11 times for ten wins. But he has decided to drive four-year-old stablemate Ricimer in preference to American Boy in the 2130m Central Fruit Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
What swayed Hall was the fact that the gelding by Ponder, a splendid frontrunner, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier, with American Boy drawn out wide at barrier eight.
Hall has driven American Boy at each of his past five starts for five impressive victories, but he believes that the more favourable barrier will enable Ricimer to beat American Boy on Friday night.
“If I thought that American Boy could go straight to the outside of the leader I’d probably change my mind,” Hall said. “But I’m not sure he can do that.
“Ricimer has relished leading in his recent races and he’s been running good times which suggest he should win again. And he doesn’t mind copping a bit of pressure. I can’t see the need for Ricimer to go much better than he has been for him to win.”
Trainer Gary Hall sen. said that there was no doubt that American Boy was a better horse than Ricimer. “But from barrier one Ricimer will run about 1.55 which means he will be hard to beat,” he predicted. “I don’t think that Our Jimmy Johnstone is out of it. His win last Friday week was very good.”
Our Jimmy Johnstone, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, will be driven by Ryan Warwick from the outside (No. 9) on the front line. The seven-year-old overcame the disadvantage of barrier eight when he charged home from eighth at the bell to win easily by two lengths from stablemate Ima Connoisseur over 2130m last Friday week.
The Bond stable also has good prospects in the opening event, the 2536m Taylor Sulky Repairs Pace for three-year-olds, in which Vanquished makes strong appeal from the No. 1 barrier.
Vanquished has resumed after a spell in good style and has won at his past two outings, over 2185m at Pinjarra and over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
However, Vanquished is sure to receive stiff opposition from the Hall-trained Harry Hoo, who will start from the No. 6 barrier. Harry Hoo started from barrier nine before finishing strongly from seventh at the bell to be a close third behind Kiwi Legend and the pacemaker Gaz Wannabet in fast time over 2130m last Friday night.
Gaz Wannabet will start out wide at barrier eight in Friday night’s race, with stylish last-start all-the-way winner Franco Rayner, the only metropolitan-class three-year-old winner in the field, on the outside at No. 9.
The Hall and Bond camps also look set to fight out the finish of the York and Districts Community Financial Services Pace in which the Hall stable will be represented by Big Spook and Avalon Bromac and the Bonds by the ultra-consistent Holy Grail and the in-form Ima Tragedy.
Lauren Jones will drive Big Spook, who should lead from the No. 2 barrier prove very hard to beat. Big Spook set the pace from barrier two and fought on grandly when second to stablemate American Boy over 2130m last Friday night.
Ken Casellas