Champion harness racing reinsman Chris Lewis will drive brilliant last-start winner The Spinster in the $18,000 Team Trolio Spearwood Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will replace Kim Prentice, who will be in South Australia taking part in an Invitation Drivers’ series at Port Pirie on Friday night.
Millendon trainer and part-owner Sonia Zucchiatti is delighted with The Spinster’s form (wins at Northam and Gloucester Park at her past two outings), but said that the American Ideal filly probably would struggle to beat star filly Dodolicious.
“The Spinster has met Dodolicious four times and Dodolicious has finished in front of her every time,” Zucchiatti said.
The Spinster revealed blistering gate speed from barrier six when she gave a dashing frontrunning display to win easily from Im Zuleika and Maia Maguire at a 1.55.4 rate over 1730m at Gloucester Park last Friday week. She sped over the final quarters in 27.9sec. and 28.9sec.
The Spinster will start from the No. 7 barrier in the field of eight on Friday night, with Dodolicious (Colin Brown) in the outside barrier. Four of The Spinster’s five wins (from 11 starts) have been when she has set the pace, but Zucchiatti said she had not yet determined tactics for Friday night’s event.
Dodolicious is trained by Greg and Skye Bond, who will also be represented by newcomer Shes Artful, a winner at one of her nine starts in New Zealand. Shes Artful will start from barrier two with Ryan Bell in the sulky.
Zucchiatti said she planned to study Shes Artful’s style of racing before determining the tactics for The Spinster.
Sheer Rocknroll, a talented filly in the stables of Ross Olivieri, has won at eight of her 21 starts and is an excellent frontrunner who will be suited by the No. 1 barrier. She warmed up for this week’s race with an impressive win in a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning when she dashed over the final quarter in 27.8sec. and beat El Barcelona by 2m at a 1.58.7 rate.
However, Dodolicious has been almost invincible in races restricted to fillies in this State and she is certain to be at short odds to win and improve her record to 13 wins from 20 starts.
Ken Casellas