Olivieri bubbling with confidence - Bunbury preview

Oakford harness racing trainer Ross Olivieri is bubbling with confidence that versatile filly Sheer Rocknroll has the natural speed and ability to overcome an awkward back-line barrier and win the $102,000 Del Basso Smallgoods Diamond Classic at Donaldson Park in Bunbury on Friday night.

“She still had the ear plugs in when she led and won a qualifying heat at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week,” he said. “And she rated 1.55.9 with the ear plugs in when she won easily over 1684m at Pinjarra four starts before that.

“She’s a lovely filly and go back and look at her form; she’s pretty impressive. And the big Bunbury track will suit her.”

Young reinsman Stuart McDonald has formed a wonderful relationship with Sheer Rocknroll, having driven her at all of her eight starts for five wins, a third, a fourth and a fifth placing. In March, at her second start in a race, Sheer Rocknroll charged home from the rear to score an effortless victory in the group 3 Western Crown Classic at Gloucester Park.

Sheer Rocknroll has raced once at Donaldson Park, two starts ago, when she led from barrier two and strolled to a two-length victory over Nowuseemegirl, rating 1.56.4. The filly, bred and owned by Bob Fowler, will start from barrier three on the back line, immediately behind her chief rival, Mary Catherine.

She is bred to be a star, by Rocknroll Hanover out of Sheer Royalty, who was retired after her 33 starts produced nine wins and seven placings for stakes of $248,904. As a three-year-old in 2009 Sheer Royalty won two group 1 classics, the State Sires Series and WA Oaks, as well as the group 3 Dainty’s Daughter Classic.

The prospects of Mary Catherine, an Art Major filly trained at Byford by Garry Butler, rose sharply when she drew the No. 3 barrier on the front line. She has had six starts for three wins, two seconds and a third. She has won twice at Pinjarra and once at Gloucester Park and will be having her first start at Bunbury in Friday night’s classic over 1609m.

She led in her qualifying heat and was not extended in winning by two and a half lengths from the fast-finishing Bethany Aitch, rating 1.59.5. She dashed over the final two quarters in 29.8sec. and 29.6sec. Sheer Rocknroll rated only 2.0.6 in her heat after dawdling through the first two sections in 31.6sec. and 32.5sec. before increasing the tempo with a 29.4sec. quarter and then sprinting brilliantly over the final 400m in 27.7sec.

Mary Catherine will again be handled by Chris Lewis, who has won the Diamond Classic with Dilingers Reign in 2005 and Sensational Gabby in 2011. Mary Catherine put up a splendid performance when second to Sheer Rocknroll in the Western Crown Classic in which she started from the outside (No. 7) of the front line and raced four wide early and then three wide for most of the way.

There is no doubt that Lewis would dearly love to burst to an early lead with Mary Catherine. However, the John Graham-trained Kenneth J filly Kathleen Betty has drawn barrier two and Tom Buchanan will be anxious to get to past the polemarker Bethany Aitch and to set the pace. Kathleen Betty was an all-the-way winner at Pinjarra three starts ago before she led and finished second to Track The Navajo at Bunbury. Then, at her latest appearance, she fought on from fifth at the bell to finish fourth behind Jasmin Amal.   

Nathan Turvey trains and drives Bethany Aitch, who has yet to win from four starts. However, she must be considered from the prized No. 1 barrier. She caught the eye when she surged home from sixth at the bell into second place behind Mary Catherine in a qualifying heat.

Mary Catherine is out of Easy Riter, a mare who managed just four wins from 111 starts. But she is related to Magic Flute and Modulation, star pacers in the 1950s, and to many other smart performers, including Eroica, Flute Song, Sing Again, Warsaw and Enrico.

Jasmin Amal by Sportswriter, bred and owned by Steve Johnson, has won in good style at her only two starts, at Pinjarra and Gloucester Park for trainer David Thompson and reinsman Morgan Woodley. She should enjoy a good trip from the inside of the back line.

She raced three wide early and then enjoyed an ideal trail, one-out and one-back, before finishing boldly to win a qualifying heat of the Diamond Classic, beating Nowuseemegirl by a length and a half at a 1.59 rate. Woodley won the 2010 Diamond Classic when 14/1 chance Cool Adda led throughout from barrier two and defeated Miss Baypoint.

Capel trainer Andrew de Campo has three runners in Friday night’s race — Nowuseemegirl, Nina Jane and Topless Beach Girl.

Aiden de Campo will drive Nina Jane (a Bunbury winner two starts ago), Dylan Egerton-Green will handle Nowuseemegirl and Matt White will be in the sulky behind Topless Beach Girl. Aiden de Campo won this event 12 months ago when he brought 9/2 chance Tricky Styx home with a powerful burst to beat Soho Tokyo.

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Bonds hold the whip hand

The all-conquering Forrestdale stable of Greg and Skye Bond looks set to continue on its merry way by dominating the opening event, the Spud Shed Pace for three-year-olds at Bunbury on Friday night. 

The Bonds have five of the seven starters in the 2692m event — Bettors Delight geldings Delightful Offer, Ima Connoisseur and Mossdale Flynn, Holy Grail (by Courage Under Fire) and Assassinator (by Somebeachsomehwere).

Delightful Offer, who will start from the outside barrier in the small field of seven, will be making his first appearance for a month and he looks the pick of the Bond quintet of pacers.

Delightful Offer has won at six of his 18 starts and impresses with his strong finishing bursts. He had a horror run, out three wide for much of the way when fifth behind Captain Oats in a 1730m sprint at Gloucester Park on May 8. He revealed wonderful potential in winning at four of his five previous outings.

Assassinator notched his seventh win from 24 starts when he led from barrier two and held on to defeat the fast-finishing Washington Flier over 2185m at Pinjarra on Tuesday afternoon when he sprinted over the final 800m in 56.5sec. He will start from barrier three.

Holy Grail also raced at Pinjarra on Tuesday and did a good job at his first outing after a spell when he finished solidly from ninth at the bell to be fourth behind Red Hot Major over 2692m. Ima Connoisseur will start rom barrier six and is sure to be prominent. He won for the sixth time from 18 starts when he raced wide early and then dashed to the front and won from All The Torque at a 1.57.6 rate over 2692m at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon.

The Bonds, who have prepared 140 winners this season, have 11 runners at Friday night’s metropolitan-class meeting at Bunbury while renovations to the Gloucester Park track are continuing. This will be an extremely rare city-class meeting without a single runner from the powerful Serpentine stable of champion trainer Gary Hall sen.

Hall, who landed a double at Pinjarra on Monday and again on Tuesday, leads the State premiership table with 165 winners and 160 placings from 666 starters this season for earnings of $2,615,870.

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Cortopassi nears 500-win milestone

Darling Downs horseman Aldo Cortopassi is on the doorstep of a notable milestone — 500 winners as a trainer — and he should pay to follow this week.

He has prepared 498 winners and has good prospects with Capricorn Monique in race four and Damondo and Starzzz of Anarchy in race five at Northam on Thursday night before driving smart four-year-old Macon Georgia in the 2100m Sealanes Pace at Bunbury on Friday night.

Macon Georgia is ideally drawn at barrier two on the front line and looks set to fight out the finish. The Mach Three gelding chalked up his ninth victory from 45 starts when Cortopassi brought him home with a powerful burst from sixth at the bell to win from Three Pints over 2180m at Wagin last Friday night.

Polemarker Blue McCool and back-line runner Ultimate Major look the chief rivals for the versatile Macon Georgie. Blue McCool finished strongly when fourth behind VC Manoeuvre over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week. He also finished strongly when third to Im A Peregrine over 2536m at his previous outing.

Four-year-old Ultimate Major is ready for a strong showing for Capel trainer Andrew de Campo at his fourth start after a spell. He will start from barrier four on the back line and is capable of producing a spirited finishing burst. He has raced 27 times for nine wins and nine placings.

Damondo showed that he would be hard to beat at Northam when he scored a runaway win in a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning. He burst to an early lead, set a solid pace and sprinted over the final 400m in 28.5sec. to win the eight-horse trial by six lengths.

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The Bucket List a star bet

Recent New Zealand arrival The Bucket List looks a star bet at Bunbury on Friday night.

A standing-start specialist, the Christian Cullen five-year-old is perfectly drawn at barrier two off the front line in the Progressive Super IGA Handicap, a 2500m stand. He will be driven for Pinjarra owner-trainer Michael Brennan by Chris Voak, who recently brought up his century of winners for the season and is in third place on the premiership table behind Gary Hall jun. and Chris Lewis.

The Bucket List ended his New Zealand career with easy wins in stands — over 3000m at Cambridge in January and over 2500m at Hutt Park in February. Then he made an auspicious Australian debut in April when he started off 30m and dashed to an early lead before winning by four lengths from Our Jimmy Johnstone over 2631m at Pinjarra when he rated a splendid 1.58.4.

His Pinjarra win was followed by an excellent third behind Lovers Delight and Our Jimmy Johnstone in the 2662m Narrogin Cup and an easy victory over Northview Cardle in a 2130m mobile at Gloucester Park after racing three wide for much of the journey.

Evergreen ten-year-old Shardons Rocket will start off the back mark of 30m, boasting a losing sequence of 18. But the Tony Svilicich-trained gelding looks one of only a couple of pacers who appear capable of getting close to The Bucket List. An M7-class performer, he is very well handicapped.

Shardons Rocket is having his 217th start and Colin Brown appears certain to send the oldtimer forward in the first circuit to race outside the likely pacemaker The Bucket List and attempt to apply plenty of pressure.

Chief Thundercloud also is worth considering at his seventh start after a spell. He finished ninth behind Erskine Range at Bunbury last Friday night, but he was doing his best work at the finish, out wide on the track.

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Get Outta Eyre faces a stern test

Inexperienced New Zealand-bred four-year-old Get Outta Eyre has been a problem pacer and his unruly behaviour has proved costly to punters, who will need nerves of steel if they decide to support him when he resumes racing in the 2100m Del Basso Smallgoods Pathway Pace at Bunbury on Friday night.

Get Outta Eyre has finished at the rear at his two most recent outings, at Gloucester Park in March when he started at 10/1 on and galloped at the start before finishing eighth behind Meet George Jetson and then was a 6/4 on favourite when he broke in the score-up, raced wide and finished twelfth behind Looks Promising.

He has been an odds-on fancy at his past five starts (for two wins — at Gloucester Park and Bunbury) and is sure to be at a short quote on Friday night, even from the outside of the back line.

The gelding has changed stables and will be having his first start for Hopeland trainer Debra Lewis. He gave a sample of his class in a 2185m mobile trial at Pinjarra on May 24 when he set the pace and sped over the final 400m in 27.3sec. to win by a length from Shakatomic at a modest 2.4.4 rate.

He then started in another 2185m trial at Pinjarra on Sunday morning when he broke and finished 107 metres behind the winner Ohoka Cooper.

Get Outta Eyre, who will be driven by Chris Lewis, has raced only ten times for five wins and two seconds. If he is on his best behaviour he should prove too good for his rivals, who include Bounty Eyre, who was a good second to stablemate Jumbo Jet over 1609m at Bunbury last Friday night.

Former Victorian pacer The Kimura, who has finished at the rear in each of his first four starts in Western Australia, will start from the No. 1 barrier on the front line. He has changed stables and is now being prepared at Busselton by Michael Callegari. He showed promise when he won a 2100m trial at Donaldson Park on Wednesday of last week when he dashed over the final two quarters in 27.5sec. and 29.2sec.

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by Ken Casellas