They will be relaxing on the cruise ship the Sun Princess in the South China Sea when 19-year-old Morgan Woodley will be in the sulky behind the athletic gelding in the 2130m event.

But they will have their mobile phones at the ready to hear the broadcast of the rich race.

The Brandons were at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when Woodley guided James Matthew to a runaway ten-length victory over Nat Serling in a qualifying heat of the Pearl.

They set off on their cruise the following day. "We had arranged the trip ten months ago when we had no idea that we would be in this situation," Ian Brandon said.

James Matthew, a rangy gelding by Parsons Den, has emerged over the past three months as the best two-year-old pacer in Australia, winning with ease at all of his eight starts by a combined margin of 137 metres, an average winning margin of 17.12m.

James Matthew has thrived since his latest appearance and from barrier five he will take a power of beating. He possesses wonderful early speed and has set the pace in most of his victories.

However, the Jesse Moore-trained colt Murcielago also possesses sparkling early speed and he has drawn nicely at barrier No. 4. Chris Lewis is likely to take advantage of Murcielago’s gate speed by attempting to burst to an early lead and keep James Matthew on his outside.

Murcielago ran a lead time of 38.5sec.when he started from barrier five, took the lead after 350m and won a qualifying heat by 22m at a 2.0.8 rate last Tuesday week.

James Matthew was not extended when he jumped to the front from barrier three and ran a lead time of 38.7sec. before going on to win his heat by 30m at a 1.59.8 rate.

Bickley trainer Peter Anderson has an excellent second string to James Matthew in the Pearl in the powerfully-built gelding Smooth Caesar, who has drawn awkwardly at barrier seven. He will be driven for the first time by Kim Prentice.

Smooth Caesar worked hard early in a lead time of 37.1sec. before taking the lead after 400m in his qualifying heat.

He was overhauled 250m from home when a fighting second to Jett Dee. Smooth Caesar's only previous starts were at Gloucester Park when he raced without cover for much of the way before winning from Eyes On Armbro and when he set the pace and finished a close second to Jay Cees Kiwi.

James Matthew is such a relaxed pacer that he should win the Pearl whether he leads or is forced to race without cover. At his past two starts he has sprinted home brilliantly in times that none of his rivals have approached.

At Pinjarra two starts ago, he covered the final 800m in 57.3sec. and the last 400m in 27.3sec., and at Gloucester Park last Tuesday week his final sectionals were 57.3sec. and 27.6sec.

Ken Casellas, Gloucester Park