Two smart four year olds to clash at Bunbury

The clash between the two harness racing four-year-olds Simply Susational and Soho Lennon, the two youngest and least experienced runners in the Australian Marine Complex Pace at Bunbury on Friday night, promises to provide one of the highlights on the ten-event program.

They have remarkably similar records, with Simply Susational, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, having had 34 starts for 11 wins and eight placings, and Soho Lennon, prepared by Gary Hall sen., having raced 35 times for 12 wins and nine placings.

Simply Susational, to be driven by Ryan Warwick, will start from the outside barrier (No. 5) on the back line, with Soho Lennon on his immediate inside at No. 4 on the second row.

Little separates these two runners, but Simply Susational has excellent potential and could emerge triumphant.

Simply Susational resumed after an absence of two months when he started from the back line in a 2242m event at Narrogin on Thursday of last week.

He raced wide early and burst to the front after 500m before going on to win at a 1.57.8 rate from stablemate Waipawa Junior.

The opposition was not strong and he certainly rises a great deal in class this week.

However, Simply Susational is capable of matching the rise in class.

Soho Lennon has been racing in much stronger company and will take plenty of beating.

Soho Lennon was favourite at 5/2 on when surprising beaten in a 2190m event at Northam last Saturday night.

He started from the outside of the front line, was restrained to last before moving to eighth (three wide) at the bell.

He sustained a strong burst to take a narrow lead 400m from homer, but was swamped in the closing stages to finish a close fourth behind the fast-finishing 62/1 outsider The Feather Foot.

His two previous runs were full of merit.

He raced three wide for most of the way when a fighting second to Ohoka Kentucky over 2130m at Gloucester Park on May 22 and then, at Bunbury a week later, he flew home, out six wide, from tenth at the 550m to be a half-length second to Erskine Range over 2100m.

Hardest for Simply Susational and Soho Lennon to beat is likely to be Mohegan Sun, who will start from the outside of the front line.

He started from the outside of the front line over 1609m at Bunbury last Friday night when he was restrained to last before finishing powerfully, out wide, from ninth at the 850m to be a half-head second to Bronze Seeker.

Ken Casellas