Speedy frontrunner Wesley is certain to be installed a warm favourite for the Princi Smallgoods Pearl Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night after drawing the prized No. 1 barrier in the $100,000 group 1 2130m feature event for two-year-olds. But Harness Racing reinsman Chris Voak is in no mood to concede that Wesley has an unbreakable grip on the race and he considers that he has sound winning prospects with the Michael Brennan-trained Rocknroll Hanover colt Im Rockaria.
Voak’s decision to drive the lightly-raced Im Rockaria in preference to Our Zak Whitby, the most experienced runner in the event, will surprise many keen followers of the light harness racing sport.
Voak drove Our Zak Whitby and Im Rockaria to impressive victories in qualifying heats of the Pearl on Tuesday of last week. Im Rockaria was untroubled to set the pace from barrier three and was not extended in winning from American Dynasty, covering the 2130m in 2min. 40.2sec.
Our Zak Whitby was smartest into stride from the No. 1 barrier in his heat in which he led for the first 600m and then trailed the pacemaker Michael Joseph before unwinding a sparkling late burst to win convincingly from Writing On Thewall and Allmightyjoelouis. His time for the journey was 2min. 35.9sec.
Voak has disregarded the considerable difference of 4.3sec. in opting for Im Rockaria. Wesley simply coasted to an all-the-way heat win in 2min. 39.7sec.
Voak said that a better barrier (No. 4) had swayed him to choose Im Rockaria ahead of Our Zak Whitby, who will start from the No. 6 barrier on the front line.
“Our Zak Whitby, from six, might have to go back at the start,” Voak said. “Wesley looks sure to lead, but I’m hoping to get a good sit in the one-out, one-back trail with Im Rockaria, who is an improving horse. I certainly wouldn’t have chosen him if I didn’t think he could win.”
Im Rockaria has raced four times for two wins and two seconds, while Our Zak Whitby has been driven by Voak in all his 12 starts for three wins, five seconds and two thirds. Wesley, a Sportswriter colt who will be driven by Reon Tither for young Bunbury trainer Sarah Wall, is a brilliant frontrunner who has had seven starts for five wins and one third.
When Voak opted for Im Rockaria, Ed Dewar, the breeder, part-owner and trainer of Our Zak Whitby, wasted no time in securing champion reinsman Chris Lewis to drive the WA-bred Mach Three colt on Friday night.
Dewar prepared Henry Te Whitby when Rod Chambers drove him to victory over Tempestuous Whitby in the 1998 Pearl Classic. Lewis will be seeking to win the Pearl for the fourth time, after scoring with Lombo Laredo in 1994, Mitemptation in 1995 and Argent Treasure in 2007.
Byford trainer David Thompson, who won the Pearl in 2014 with the frontrunning Isaiah Artois, holds a strong hand in Friday night’s classic with Allmightyjoelouis and Whoswhointhezoo, who will start from barriers one and two, respectively, on the back line.
“Allmightyjoelouis is my pick of the two,” Thompson said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way he’s going. He needed the run when he was third in his heat which was run considerably faster than the other two heats.
“He did all the work in the heat and I wouldn’t swap him with any other runner in the final. There’s not much of him and he’s not much to look at, but he’s a lovely little horse with a great attitude.”
Champion reinsman Gary Hall jun. will continue as the driver of Allmightyjoelouis, who settled in seventh place in his heat before starting a three-wide move 1200m from home and getting to the front at the 250m mark before wilting slightly to be third to Our Zak Whitby. He led and won by just under three lengths from The Real Ideal in the $100,000 group 1 Sales Classic at his previous outing.
Whosewhointhezoo, a gelding by Major In Art, is not as advanced as Allmightyjoelouis, but Thompson expects him to be prominent. He will be handled by Peter Tilbrook and is likely to have the perfect trail behind the likely pacemaker Wesley. He was bred and is owned by Thompson’s wife Karen.
“He’s a big horse and is just a work in progress,” Thompson said. “But he is coming along quite nicely.”
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri said that Writing On Thewall (placed at four of his seven starts) was capable of a strong effort from the favourable No. 3 barrier. “He worked nicely this (Tuesday) morning and I’m very happy with him,” he said.
Writing On Thewall was fifth at the bell and after getting off the pegs at the 450m mark he went three wide on the home turn and took a narrow lead 50m from the post before finishing second to Our Zak Whitby in a qualifying heat. Olivieri won the Pearl with Lombo Laredo (1994) and Argent treasure (2007).
Ken Casellas