Smart harness racing five-year-old Quite A Delight will reappear after an absence of five months when she contests the $20,000 Slater-Gartrell Sports Pace for mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She boasts a splendid record of nine wins and seven placings from 20 starts and has the potential to develop into a leading candidate for the $125,000 Mares Classic at Gloucester Park on December 9.
Boyanup trainer-reinsman Justin Prentice has the happy knack of producing his pacers in excellent condition for strong first-up performances and Quite A Delight is sure to prove hard to beat on Friday night, despite the disadvantage of starting out wide from barrier eight on the front line in the 2130m event.
The Bettor's Delight mare has been wonderfully consistent and has been unlucky in feature events, finishing second to Nuala in the group 2 Dainty’s Daughter Classic in February 2015, a nose second to stablemate Major Reality in the group 1 WA Oaks in May 2015 and third to Major Reality and Tricky Styx in the group 2 Empress Stakes last February.
Baileys Gold and Lovers Prayer, favourably drawn on the front line, are sure to be prominent and Baldivis trainer Nathan Turvey holds a strong hand with three runners, Anna Faye, Royal Myth and Hidden Bad.
Turvey will handle Royal Myth, a winner at nine of her 20 starts, and he has engaged Clint Hall to drive Anna Faye and Chris Lewis for Hidden Bad.
Royal Myth was an easy all-the-way winner two starts ago, but she faces a stiff test from out wide at No. 7 on the front line on Friday night.
Anna Faye, who will start from barrier four on the front line, was an all-the-way winner over 2185m at Pinjarra two starts ago and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, before finishing strongly to be a head second to Baileys Gold over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week.
Hidden Bad won for the 14th time from 48 starts when she was untroubled to lead and beat Mary Catherine at Gloucester Park last Friday night, rating a smart 1.56.4 over 2130m. Hidden Bad has the disadvantage of starting from the outside of the back line on Friday night, but cannot be disregarded as an each-way prospect.
Ken Casellas