16 November 2017 | Ken Casellas
Promising four-year-old Herrick Roosevelt, a gelding who simply knows where the finishing line is, according to his trainer Gary Hall Snr, continues to improve and is poised to notch his eighth win from nine starts since he met with severe interference and finished a distant last in the WA Derby last April.
The New Zealand-bred pacer, who has done all his racing in Western Australia, has the ability to overcome stiff opposition to prevail in the $20,000 Book Your Hospitality For The 2017 TABtouch Perth Inter Dominion Now Golden Nugget Prelude at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He will start from the No. 5 barrier on the front line in the 2130m event, with Gary Hall Jnr in the sulky. His only unplaced run from 13 starts which have produced nine wins and three placings was in the Derby when he started from the outside barrier (No. 9), raced at the rear and was unwinding a spirited three-wide burst before being badly checked in the back straight in the final circuit.
His only defeat in his past eight starts was two starts ago when he worked hard in the breeze and fought on grimly to finish third, a head behind dead-heaters Tisadream and Walkinshaw.
Herrick Roosevelt is by Christian Cullen and is the first foal out of Falcon Seelster mare Eleanor Roosevelt, a winner at six of her 23 starts in New Zealand.
He is being set for the Yes Loans 4YO Classic on Friday week and the rich Retravision Golden Nugget on December 8. He warmed up for this week’s assignment in fine style with an impressive victory in the $25,000 Silver Sands Classic at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
He started from barrier five and settled in seventh position before moving to fourth, one-out and one-back at the bell and then starting a three-wide move 350m from home which took him to the front 90m from the post. He sprinted over the final quarter in 27.1sec. and won convincingly from Rocknroll Lincoln and The Pima Indian.
The Hall camp is also hoping for a strong performance in Friday night’s race from Runrunjimmydunn, who faces a stern test from out wide at barrier eight, with Michael Grantham in the sulky. Runrunjimmydunn has won in good style at his past two outings, both over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
Owners Steve and Tina Chapman and their son and daughter are hoping that Runrunjimmydunn will follow in the footsteps of the gelding’s close relative Paulas Mate, who won a Golden Nugget prelude in December 1999 before finishing a desperately close third in a thrilling four-way photo verdict which showed that the pacemaker Countess Karla had won from Make The Rules, Paulas Mate and Kamwood Tony.
Oakford trainer Ross Olivieri is enthusiastic about the prospects of Space Junk, a former Victorian performer who has won at his first two starts in Western Australia. He began off the 20m mark and raced wide early before getting to the front and going on to win easily from El Jacko at a 1.56.9 rate in a 2116m stand at Pinjarra. And then, at Narrogin last Saturday night, he trailed the pacemaker Tisadream before obtaining a clear run in the final stages and scoring by a neck from that pacer.
While Olivieri said he expected Space Junk to be prominent, he said he was disappointed that former Victorian pacer Wrappers Delight had not gained a start and had been named as first emergency.
Olivieri said he considered that Wrappers Delight, a C4-class pacer, deserved a start, pointing out that the horse has earned $137,628 from nine wins and seven placings from 26 starts.
“He was placed in two Group 1 events as a two-year-old at Melton and won the Group 3 Caduceus Club Cup for three-year-olds at Cranbourne last March,” he said. “And he finished a close third to open-class pacers Tricky Styx and Sheer Rocknroll in a trial at Byford on Sunday morning.”
The 12 runners in Friday night’s race are all in good form and are recent winners. The Ed Dewar-trained Our Zak Whitby (Chris Lewis) is in sparkling form and should be prominent from barrier three. He boasts a fine record of 12 wins and 17 placings from 37 starts.
Betting will be extremely keen and all runners have claims.
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