Our Jimmy Johnstone is rapidly developing into one of Western Australia’s leading harness racing contenders for the TABtouch Interdominion championship late this year and he will enhance his reputation if he overcomes a wide draw and wins the $23,000 Hi Temp Services Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Though the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old trained by Greg and Skye Bond is not generally regarded as a sprint specialist, he is, indeed, a talented sprinter, with his four appearances over 1730m producing a win at a 1.53.7 rate, two seconds and a sixth. He also finished third to My Hard Copy over 1609m at Bunbury in June last year.
To notch his third win in a row Our Jimmy Johnstone will have to overcome the disadvantage of starting out wide at barrier eight in the field of nine on Friday night. He has the ability, the class and the form to do that.
Our Jimmy Johnstone showed good gate speed from barrier five in a 2130m event last Friday night and Ryan Warwick dashed him to the front after 500m. The gelding was untroubled to reel off quarters in 29.5sec., 28.7sec., 27.8sec. and 28.8sec. and he was not extended in winning by just over two lengths from Waylade at a 1.54.2 rate.
A week earlier Our Jimmy Johnstone started from the back line in a 2536m event. He raced in sixth position in the one-wide line before moving to fourth, three wide, at the bell and then taking the lead 320m from home and winning easily by two and a half lengths from the fast-finishing Mighty Flying Thomas at a 1.55.8 rate.
Ricimer, trained by Gary Hall sen., has struck a purple patch and the brilliant frontrunner has strung together five wins in a row at Gloucester Park. He will start from the No. 4 barrier, but is no certainty to set the pace, with speedy beginner and smart frontrunner Dredlock Rockstar drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier.
Dredlock Rockstar, trained in Busselton by Jamie Howlett, has been freshened up and will be having his first start for eight weeks. The most recent time Dredlock Rockstar started from the No. 1 barrier was five starts ago, over 1730m at Gloucester Park on April 15 when Ash Markham drove him to a convincing all-the-way victory over Bronze Seeker, rating 1.53.9.
His final quarters were run in 27.2sec., 30.4sec., 29.4sec. and 27.2sec. A repeat of that performance would make him hard to beat this week.
Copagrin, to be driven by Morgan Woodley for West Swan trainer John Guagliardo, is favourably drawn at barrier two and is capable of a strong showing. His two runs after a spell have been encouraging. He impressed last Friday week when he was ninth at the bell before rattling home to finish a close-up fifth behind Our Jimmy Johnstone.
The Hall stable will be represented by Ricimer, Waylade and Cyamach, with Waylade and Cyamach facing tough tasks from wide draws. However, Waylade started from barrier six last Friday night and caught the eye when he finished strongly from seventh at the bell to be second to Our Jimmy Johnstone.
Considerable interest will surround the reappearance of top-flight pacer Bettors Fire, a brilliant sprinter as well as being a powerful stayer.
Bettors Fire is trained and driven by Kyle Harper and is being set for the TABtouch interdominion championship series in November and December. He has not raced since finishing second to the pacemaker Cyamach in the 2130m Lord Mayor’s Cup at Gloucester Park on January 29.
Proof of Bettors Fire’s sprinting ability is in the fact that he has won the 1730m Mount Eden Sprint in November 2013, rating 1.53.8 in defeating Im Victorious and Dredlock Rockstar. He was third behind Sensational Gabby and Dredlock Rockstar in the 2014 Mount Eden Sprint and fourth behind Waylade, My Hard Copy and Libertybelle Midfrew in that event last November.
Ken Casellas