Three of the eight two-year-olds in the Glenroy Chaff Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night are trained at Henley Brook by Mike Reed and his son Mark has given punters a vital lead by choosing to drive Valentines Brook.
Valentines Brook, a winner at two of his seven starts, is handily drawn at barrier three and should prove hard to beat after his courageous performance to finish a head second to the fast-finishing Poisedtopounce in the $50,000 APG Championship last Friday night.
Valentines Brook worked hard in the breeze before getting to the front 265m from home, and then he was beaten in the final stride. That was his first outing for almost seven weeks since he had no luck before finishing a gallant second to Jaxon Jones at Gloucester Park. He won at two of his three previous starts, at Gloucester Park and Northam after racing in the breeze in both races.
Valentines Brook is raced by leviathan owner Albert Walmsley, who also owns Power And Grace and Pocket The Cash, New Zealand-bred youngsters who are in sound form and have each-way prospects.
Michael Grantham will drive Power And Grace from barrier five, and Dylan Egerton-Green has been engaged for Pocket The Cash, who is awkwardly drawn out at barrier six.
Power And Grace, a speedy beginner, set the pace and won twice at Gloucester Park in May, and Pocket The Cash was a winner at Pinjarra three starts ago when he sat behind the pacemaker and finished solidly to score a narrow victory over American Colt.
American Colt, to be driven by Ryan Warwick for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, is sure to prove hard to beat from his favourable draw at barrier No. 2. He led from the No. 1 barrier and won from Al Guerrero over 2185m at Pinjarra four starts ago and then finished second at two of his next three starts.
Another runner who creates plenty of interest in Friday night’s event is the Justin Prentice-trained Gardys Legacy, who will be handled by Gary Hall jnr from the No. 7 barrier.
Gardys Legacy was unplaced at his first two starts in which his chances were ruined after receiving interference. He then gave a sample of his undoubted ability with a runaway victory over 2100m at Bunbury last Friday week. He set the pace from the No. 1 barrier and careered away to win by more than seven lengths from Classy Colby, rating 1.58.2.
Hall and Prentice also have excellent winning prospects in the previous two events on Friday night with Majorpride in race eight and Sun of Anarchy in race nine.
Majorpride has drawn awkwardly at barrier six, but she should carry too many guns for her rivals. She resumed after a brief spell in the Daintys Daughter Classic at Pinjarra last Monday week when she was a most unlucky third behind Mandy Joan and Countess Grace. She was last in the field of 12 at the bell and was hampered for room by a tiring runner in the back straight before surging home.
Ken Casellas