Stands prolonging Bettor Offer's career
Lightly-raced five-year-old Bettor Offer, described by reinsman Ryan Warwick as a day-by-day proposition, should notch another victory in his comeback campaign by proving too good for his ten harness racing rivals in the 2503m Cowden Insurance Brokers Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will start from the 10m mark and Warwick declared it was a most “winnable” race, with Flyalong Falcon and Major Catastrophe the main dangers.
Bettor Offer, prepared at Forrestdale by leading trainers Greg and Sky Bond, will be strongly fancied to win and to complete an early double for the Bonds, who have extremely bright prospects of winning the opening event on the program with Denny Crane.
The Bonds need just two wins to bring up their century of winners for the season. They have had 503 starts this season for 98 winners, 83 seconds and 61 thirds.
They were devastated when Bettor Offer broke down with a damaged suspensory ligament when he set a scorching pace and easily won a heat of the 1730m Nights of Thunder, beating Machtu at a 1.53 rate in December 2014. Two starts before that he had finished second to Waylade in the group 1 McInerney Ford Classic.
After a lengthy rehabilitation Bettor Offer resumed racing after an absence of 14 months with a very close second to Tank You Kindly at Gloucester Park in mid-February after racing three wide for much of the journey. He then appeared in another stand when he raced without cover early before leading and winning by two lengths from Sonic Classic.
“We’re putting him in stands, just to take the pressure off him,” Warwick said. “In stands he doesn’t have to go out pounding out of the gate in a mobile. I’ve been taking him away slowly to get him used to standing-start races. He’s got plenty of ability and will get better in stands.”
The Bonds will have three runners, Denny Crane, Swimbetweentheflags and Black Mr Mach in the Hi-Temp Services Pace and Warwick had no hesitation in declaring that Denny Crane was the best of the trio, despite starting from the outside (No. 9) on the front line in the 2536m event.
“The distance will suit Denny Crane and this should really be his race,” Warwick said. Denny Crane, who will be driven by Colin Brown, has raced 30 times for 12 wins and ten placings. He gave a sample of his class when third behind Beaudiene Boaz and Trickey Styx in the WA Derby in April 2015.
The four-year-old has been driven by Warwick for easy wins at Northam and Narrogin at his past two starts. Warwick will handle Swimbetweentheflags on Friday night. The five-year-old, a winner at nine of his 39 starts, is handily drawn on the inside of the back line. Two starts ago he worked hard, three wide and then in the breeze when second to Denny Crane over 2620m at Northam and then he ran home solidly when third to Sonic Classic and Gallileo at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
by Ken Casellas
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