Unless one of the emergencies, Kurt Rustler or Big Jedd, gets a start, four-year-old Winter Retreat will be the sole frontmarker and Williams is sure to be anxious for a smooth getaway to make his task of setting the early pace a formality.

However, Winter Retreat is not a noted frontrunner. He has never set the pace in his 27 starts which have produced ten wins and 13 placings. If there is a strong challenge for the lead in the early stages Williams could well opt to take the sit behind the pacemaker.

In that situation Winter Retreat could unleash a trademark finishing burst.

Williams, who trained and drove Shardons Aflyin for his brilliant victory (from the 50m mark) over Jake The Mus and Hilton Adonis in the 2006 Marathon Handicap, has given Winter Retreat a well-planned campaign aimed at the Marathon Handicap.

He has had ten starts since a spell for three wins and six placings. His two most recent wins have been in stands over 2609m at Pinjarra and he has warmed up for Friday night's race with strong performances in 2609m stands at Pinjarra on the past two Mondays.

Last Monday week he was sixth at the bell before finishing fast to be a very close second to the pacemaker Nickelmeldon. And then last Monday he was sixth in the one-out line before finishing determinedly to be third to Nickelmeldon and Nomore Forusir.

Winter Retreat gave a sample of his class in mid-June when he thundered home from sixth at the bell to win a 2609m stand at Pinjarra from Hurricane Anvil and Can Return Fire. He sprinted the final 800m in 56.4sec.

The Ross Olivieri-trained Nickelmeldon is a standing-start specialist who is in peak form since arriving in WA where his first ten starts have produced six wins and three placings, all in stands. He is a brilliant beginner and as the only runner on the 10m line he has outstanding prospects of dashing straight to the front and setting his rivals the task of overhauling him.

All runners in the field have shown excellent staying potential and most have good winning prospects. Village Steel, trained by Colin Joss, will start from 20m. He relishes stands and his past 22 starts have all been in stands for seven wins. He has started twice over the long 2902m journey for a win and a second.

Ten-year-old Morganator, a dashing winner of this event 12 months ago, will resume after a spell in Friday night's Marathon in which he will start off 30m. His trainer Peter Anderson is hoping for a forward showing, but leans more strongly to stablemate Fourmoore, whose past five wins have been in stands, including the 2970m Northam Cup, in which he beat Has The Answers last January.

Has The Answers, an impressive Gloucester Park winner at his past two outings, and top-flight stablemate Spirit of Shard, give leading trainer Gary Hall sen. a strong hand in the event. Has The Answers will start off 40m and Spirit of Shard off 50m with stylish last-start winner Glencadam and Smooth Crusa, who will be having his first start for five months. Smooth Crusa is now trained at Boyanup by Kim Prentice.

Just Moses revives memories of Carclew

Emotions will be running high when champion reinsman Chris Lewis goes on to the Gloucester Park track on Friday night to drive unbeaten two-year-old Just Moses in the Ross's Mitre 10 Bathrooms Stakes.

Watching Just Moses in action will revive the wonderful memory of Lewis driving Carclew to an upset victory over Pure Steel in the 1976 interdominion championship in Adelaide.

Just Moses, a Legacy of Power gelding who is trained in Bunbury by John Graham, is a close relation of Carclew.

The Radiant Robert mare Lulu's Gem was the dam of Carclew, as well as other talented pacers Pallaton and Two Wells. Lulu's Gem is the great, great granddam of Just Moses.

Pallaton gave Lewis many big-race wins when the South Australian-born Lewis moved to WA in the late 1970s. Ohso Bright, the dam of Just Moses and a great granddaughter of Lulu's Gem, was retired to stud in 2005 after having 22 starts for five wins and five placings.

Lewis drove her to four of her wins, two at Pinjarra and one each at Bunbury and Gloucester Park.

Just Moses is ideally drawn at barrier two in Friday night's 2130m event in which several of the runners have excellent winning prospects. One of the hardest for Just Moses to beat is likely to be speedy frontrunner North Toa Luckstar, who is drawn ideally at the No. 1 barrier.

North Toa Luckstar has led at two of his four wins from 12 starts and his last-start third behind Tiger Reed Lombo and Celtic Crusader over 1730m at Gloucester Park last Friday week was full of merit. He started at 25/1 and from barrier eight, and after racing wide early he worked hard outside the pacemaker Arts Gangsta.

Celtic Crusader sustained a strong burst to hit the front 100m from the post in that event. He will get a chance to make amends for his defeat when he starts from the No. 3 barrier this week.

Tiger Reed Lombo started from the No. 9 barrier and ran home boldly from sixth at the bell to win in good style two Fridays ago. Again he will start from the outside barrier.

Asbo and Lombo Navigator also will have many admirers. Asbo won for the third time from eight starts when he set the pace and held on to beat David Hercules over 2130m at Gloucester Park three Tuesdays ago and Lombo Navigator won for the fourth time from six starts when he covered a lot of extra ground before finishing gamely to beat Grinjaro over 1730m last Saturday night.

Nowuseeme poised for another victory

Talented mare Nowuseeme was a certainty beaten when fifth behind Has The Answers at Gloucester Park last Friday week and she should make amends by winning the Ross's Office And Shelving Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The four-year-old mare trained at Capel by Andrew de Campo will start from the outside barrier in the field of eight, but should carry too many guns for her rivals.

At her most recent appearance she was a 7/1 chance when she raced without cover early and then in the one-out, one-back position. But she was hopelessly blocked for a clear run in the concluding stages and went to the line full of running.

Before that unlucky defeat Nowuseeme had strung together five wins in a row to enhance her standing as one of the best mares in the State.

She has been a tremendous moneyspinner for her breeders and owners Michael Spadaccini and Beryl Thomas of Bunbury, earning $180,330 from her 18 wins and ten placings from 46 starts.

Spadaccini and Thomas bred Nowuseeme from their top-flight mare Nowuseemenowudont, who had 65 starts for 16 wins, 20 placings and stakes of $116,931.

Nowuseeme will be driven by Gary Hall jun., who has several other strong winning prospects including A Question of Time, Falcons Dragon, Echovale Ave, Betta Crusa, Spirit of Shard, Our Toto and Indian Giver.

Our Toto and Indian Giver look well on target complete winning hat-tricks when they contest the Ross's Mitre 10 Ceramic Tiles Pace and the DCS Computer Supplies Stakes, respectively.

Wide barrier won't stop Mister Veejays Fella

Former Victorian pacer Mister Veejays Fella had the fans at Gloucester Park last Friday night gasping in admiration when he unwound a spectacular late burst to score an easy victory over Mach Dynasty in a 2130m event.

The New Zealand-bred four-year-old will be at short odds when he starts from the outside barrier (nine) in the Ross's Auctioneers and Valuers Stakes over 2536m on Friday night.

And the outside barrier should prove no obstacle in his quest to notch his ninth win at his 39th start. Chris Lewis looks certain to adopt similar tactics to those he employed last week when he restrained the gelding from barrier nine at the start and settled down in last place.

Mister Veejays Fella then moved to tenth, out three wide, at the bell and he went five wide on the home turn to career past several rivals to score very easily.

Ken CASELLAS