Ace Banjup trainer-reinsman Colin Brown has high hopes that five-year-old Erskine Range will develop into an interdominion championship contender in November and he is setting his sights high by giving the brilliant chestnut the task of winning two feature harness racing events in the space of three days.
Erskine Range, a winner of 21 of his 57 starts, will contest the $25,000 Brear And Doonan Pure Steel final over 2100m at Bunbury's Donaldson Park on Friday night before running in the $50,000 Pinjarra Cup over 2692m on Monday afternoon.
Gloucester Park Harness Racing Club's meetings have been transferred to Bunbury for the next four Friday nights to enable the Gloucester Park track to be resurfaced and to have the camber raised on the turns into and out of the home straight.
Erskine Range, whose past 20 starts have produced ten wins, six seconds, one third, one fifth and one seventh, faces a moment of truth this week after faring poorly in the random barrier draw. He will start from the No. 3 on the back line, but Brown believes that the gelding has the ability of overcome this disadvantage.
"His work last Saturday morning was exceptional," he said. "I galloped him on the sand track at Jandakot and his times were exceptional and his heart rate was unbelievable. So he's ready; he's cherry ripe and is in the race right up to his eyeballs.
"It won't be easy, but we're ready to give it our best shot. You've always got to worry about the Hall runners (Crusader Banner and Soho Lennon) because they can run time. However, in saying that, there looks likely to be plenty of speed on early and that should suit Erskine Range, who is a lovely horse.
"In a heat of this event (last Friday week) he just led and that was it. He wasn't extended and ran home in 56.4sec. He was very casual about it. Barrier ten is not ideal for any horse at Bunbury, but he can do it.
"He's the fittest I've had him. He had nine days off after putting up a huge run to finish second to Smokey The Bandit in the Clarke final two starts ago and because he hadn't raced for seven week when he ran in a heat of the Pure Steel I wanted him to be very solid, bearing in mind that I was setting him for the final of that race followed by the Pinjarra Cup three days later.
"He's going to butter up okay. He loves backing up and the 2692m won't worry him. History shows that having two runs in the space of three days is not a problem. I didn't see why we shouldn't take the opportunity to race for $75,000 in three days.
"I know that we will be meeting horses of the calibre of David Hercules, Machtu and Pacific Warrior. But we need to find out whether he can compete against those sort of horses. We're hoping that he steps up to be an inters contender, so we've got to throw our hat into the ring at some stage."
Crusader Banner (barrier four on the front line) and Soho Lennon (No. 7) each finished second at their latest start and star reinsman Gary Hall jun.¸ son of champion trainer Gary Hall sen., said that he expected the four-year-olds to be prominent. Crusader Banner finished strongly from sixth at the bell to be second to Erskine Range last Friday week. That followed smart wins at his two previous outings, his first runs after a spell.
Soho Lennon resumed after a spell in fine style last Friday night when he raced three wide for much of the way and finished second to the fast-finishing Ohoka Kentucky last Friday night.
Henley Brook trainer-reinsman Robbie Williams is confident that Ohoka Kentucky will run a strong race and he rates the New Zealand-bred six-year-old an excellent each-way prospect from barrier three on the front line. Ohoka Kentucky set the pace and rated 1.56.6 when he won over 2130m two starts ago before he rated 1.56 when he finished powerfully, three wide, from 11th at the 950m to snatch victory from Soho Lennon last Friday night.
"We will come out and have a look for the early lead," Williams said. "If we can't get the lead off the likely pacemaker Local Rogue, I'll try to get the one-out, one-back trail. He doesn't have to lead to win. He can lead, breeze or sit and his trackwork has been super."
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri is disappointed at Chief Thundercloud's wide barrier at No. 6 on the front line and said that the gelding, placed at three of his past four starts, faced a very tough task.
Smokey The Bandit is on fire
West Australian-bred five-year-old Smokey The Bandit has struck a purple patch with five wins from his past six starts and the Bunbury specialist has excellent prospects of maintaining his grand form by overcoming the outside barrier on the back line and winning the $25,000 Retravision Pace over 2100m at Donaldson Park on Friday night.
Trained at Busselton by part-owner Michael Callegari and driven by Ash Markham, Smokey The Bandit is at his best when held up for a late burst and the grey gelding's sizzling finishes have captured the imagination of harness racing fans.
Markham again is certain to adopt similar patient tactics on Friday night on a 1000m track where the gelding has raced 21 times for six wins, seven seconds and three thirds. He flooded home from eighth at the bell to win at his latest appearance, over 2130m at Gloucester Park last Friday week. His two previous wins were at Bunbury when he unleashed his trademark whirlwind finishing burst.
Lovers Delight, trained at Bunbury by Stephen Reed, appears the chief danger to Smokey The Bandit. He will start from barrier four on the back line and is sure to settle in front of Smokey The Bandit. He has won at four of his past six starts and is capable of working hard in his races and still producing a strong finishing effort.
The Andrew de Campo-trained Callaway Bromac is capable of a bold showing, despite being unplaced at his first four starts after a spell and boasting a losing sequence of eight. A speedy beginner, he looks ideally placed at No. 2 on the front line.
Reinsman Aiden de Campo said that Callaway Bromac is a natural frontrunner and that he would be anxious to get to an early lead with the six-year-old. "We will come out as hard as we can and have a decent crack at the polemarker Courage Tells," he said. "I'll be holding the top if we get there."
Evergreen ten-year-old Shardons Rocket, a fighting second to David Hercules two starts ago, after a strong fourth behind Libertybelle Midfrew the previous week, will start from barrier two on the back line and Colin Brown will be looking to get into the action soon after the start.
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri has each-way prospects with the in-form Our Blackbird and Red Salute, who is resuming after a six-month absence. Lisharry, a winner of six races for Bickley trainer Peter Anderson this season, should obtain a handy pegs run from the inside of the back line and is capable of unwinding a fast late sprint.
The Arsonist looks the goods
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred four-year-old The Arsonist is poised to make a successful Australian debut when he starts from the awkward barrier of No. 5 on the front line in the 2100m Princi Butchers Pathway Pace at Bunbury on Friday night.
The chestnut with a distinctive white blaze put the writing on the wall when he contested a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning.
Driven by leading reinsman Gary Hall jun., The Arsonist was restrained to the rear from barrier five in the trial and he raced in eighth position before Hall sent him forward with a smart three-wide burst approaching the bell. The gelding burst to the front 650m from home and after final quarters in 28.7sec. and 28.9sec. he coasted across the line, hard held, to win by four lengths from Millwood Faith at a modest 2.1.3 rate.
He did not race as a two or three-year-old before having four starts in New Zealand this season for two wins, a second and a third.
At his most recent outing, over 2200m at Waikato on January 2, he started out wide at barrier eight, raced three wide early and then dropped back to tenth in a field of 12. He was still tenth approaching the bell before Phil Butcher sent him forward and he quickly moved into the breeze. He got to the front 280m from home and dashed away to win by three lengths from the fast-finishing Elisaveta at a 2.0.5 rate, with the final 40o0m taking 28.7sec.
At his previous start, over 2200m at Waikato on December 18, The Arsonist started from a wide barrier, raced four wide for the first 300m before being restrained to last in the field of ten. He ran on determinedly from ninth at the bell to finish a half-length second to Fleetwood Mach after a final quarter in 28sec.
The Arsonist is prepared at Serpentine by Gary Hall sen. and he is probably the first of the progeny of former outstanding Victorian-bred pacer Safari to race in Western Australia. Safari, by Fake Left, amassed $535,445 from his 28 wins and 18 placings from 67 starts in Australia.
The Arsonist is out of the dual-gaited Payson's Brother mare Sporty Spice, who had 30 starts in New Zealand for one win from 19 starts as a pacer and one win from 11 starts as a trotter. Sporty Spice's first foal Mingara is a trotter who won at her Australian debut in a 2300m stand at Menangle in June 2014. She has had 34 starts for ten wins and ten placings (six wins in New Zealand and four in New South Wales) from 34 starts.
Maddy White looking for five in a row
Four-year-old Maddy White has resumed after a spell in fine style for Capel trainer Andrew de Campo and his son Aiden is quietly confident that she will be able to extend her winning sequence to five when she contests the 2100m Premier Motors Suzuki Mares Pace at Bunbury on Friday night.
Aiden de Campo is happy with Maddy White's draw at No. 3 on the front line and said he would be making every effort to burst to an early lead and then dictating the terms of the race.
"We'll be coming out hard and I'll have a good crack at getting to the front," de Campo said. "Robyns C C is a good mare who has drawn the No. 1 barrier. But she is first-up and, with the sprint lane in use at Bunbury, they might want to hand up to us. Hopefully, we will get to the front. But Maddy White is not just a frontrunner. She does her best work in front, but she can also come from behind.
"She has done well since her most recent start. She's quite a big filly and doesn't need a lot of work to keep fit. She's still pretty fresh and that's good."
Maddy White has had six starts in her current campaign for two minor placings followed by four wins in a row, in which she made most of the running.
Maddy White is bred to be a good winner. Her maternal granddam Magic Maddy Lombo is the dam of outstanding New South Wales pacer Suave Stuey Lombo, who has earned $566,512 from 33 wins and 21 placings from 98 starts. Maddy White is also related to former star pacer Lombo Pocket Watch (83 starts for 45 wins, 17 placings and $1,522,638).
by Ken Casellas
