Inexperienced New Zealand-bred four-year-old American Boy has not tasted defeat in four career starts and he should maintain his unbeaten record when he clashes with 11 seasoned harness racing pacers in the 2130m Steelo’s Bistro Pathway Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His rivals have had a combined total of 649 starts (an average of 59 starts per runner), but this experience is likely to amount to very little when they meet the talented American Boy, who has the class to overcome the awkward draw on the inside of the back line.
Clinton Hall will drive American Boy and will be anxious to get the gelding off the pegs as early as possible.
American Boy will start immediately behind the polemarker Lagoon Stride, a capable frontrunner for Hopeland trainer Colin Joss and star reinsman Chris Lewis.
The heavily supported Lagoon Stride disappointed two starts ago when he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier before wilting in the final stages to finish fourth behind Change Stride over 1730m at Gloucester Park early this month. Lewis employed different tactics when Lagoon Stride contested a 2620m event at Northam the following week. He restrained the five-year-old from the No. 4 barrier and the gelding raced four back on the pegs before sprinting home strongly to win easily from Delete And Deny, thus ending a losing sequence of 17.
American Boy, trained at Serpentine by Gary Hall sen., warmed up for Friday night’s engagement in fine style with an effortless win at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. He raced wide early and then without cover before forging to the front 420m from home.
He sprinted over the final 400m in 27.8sec. and won by three lengths from Always Arjay, with Stunin Eyes Only four lengths farther back in third place. He raced three wide early and then in the breeze at each of his two previous starts — for convincing victories over 2130m and 2536m at Gloucester Park.
Those three wins were in this month and came after an 11-month absence, when he was successful at his only start in New Zealand, beating Concorde by two lengths over 2200m at Alexander Park in February of last year.
American Boy, by American stallion American Ideal, is out of the unraced Live Or Die mare Alesandra Ambrosio, a half-sister to several winners, including Party Party (45 starts for 13 wins, 23 placings and $251,236), Another Party (149 starts for 31 wins, 42 placings and $888,678) and Champagne Party (41 starts for 14 wins, 12 placings and $152,445).
Calais, a lightly-raced New Zealand-bred five-year-old, makes strong appeal as the likely runner-up to American Boy. Calais, part-owned, trained and driven by Robbie Williams, will start from barrier two on the back line and he is capable of producing a powerful finishing burst. He has won at two of his past four starts — at Narrogin and Bunbury.
Ken Casellas
