Smart New Zealand-bred mare Maczaffair currently boasts the longest losing sequence of her outstanding career and she will need to lift her rating if she is to end this run of ten consecutive defeats by proving the master of her six rivals in the On Track With Enda Brady Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Reinsman Mark Reed readily admitted that Maczaffair’s recent performances were below par. But he added that he was more than hopeful that she would bounce back to form this week.
“She’s been a bit disappointing,” he said. “After her latest run (third behind Come Dance With Me and Crystal Sparkles) Dad (trainer Mike Reed) got a blood count and found she wasn’t quite right. She was also tying up a bit. Dad treated her problems and we expect sharp improvement on Friday night.
“At her best she should probably beat these. She hasn’t been at her best at her past few starts when there may have been excuses. Hopefully, she’s back to her best and should be hard to beat. She did run third in the Pacing Cup (behind Rocknroll Lincoln and El Jacko) last January.”
Maczaffair, with an imposing record of 61 starts for 21 wins, 12 seconds, six thirds and $501,106, will start from the outside barrier in the field of seven in Friday night’s race over 2130m. Her most serious rivals are likely to be the Kevin Keys-trained Sarah Goody and the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Infinite Symbol.
Sarah Goody, a five-year-old and winner of 15 races, will be driven by Gary Hall jnr from barrier six and is capable of a strong effort at her first appearance for just over two months.
Four-year-old Infinite Symbol is in sparkling form with two wins, two seconds and a third from eight starts in her current preparation. She set the pace and finished a close second to giant killer Our Corelli over 2130m at her most recent outing, three Saturdays ago. She raced wide early and then in the breeze when a winner over Talkerup two starts before that.
Ryan Warwick is sure to be anxious to take advantage of Infinite Symbol’s barrier (No. 4) over Sarah Goody and Maczaffair.
Ken Casellas