Welcome to our harness racing preview and betting tips for Gloucester Park on Friday, April 5th.
The Group 1 WA Derby headlines the 10-race card, with the first set to get underway at 5.52pm WST (8.52pm AEDT).
Check out our preview and tips below!
Gloucester Park Harness Tips
Best Bet: Race 9 Herrick Roosevelt
Best Value: Race 8 Whozideawasthis
Race 1 – 5:52pm WST (8:52pm AEDT)
Mighty Flying Deal doesn’t exactly fly the mobile but the front line here isn’t that quick and he may be able to hold the lead here. Im Soxy will race outside of the leader and is the class runner of the field. Three consecutive minor placings suggest Im Soxy is ready to win again and this is a class drop. Im Soxy has chased home Caviar Star, Major Catastrophe and Herrick Roosevelt in recent weeks and will relish facing this company. His last win was a 1:56.3 death-seat victory over Talktomeurmattjesty and Handsandwheels – the latter is $1.20 in the FFA tonight.
Race 2 – 6:24pm WST (9:24pm AEDT)
A very good race with seven or eight legitimate winning chances depending upon how the race is run. Campora should have enough gate speed and provided he doesn’t hand up to his stablemate Kimani, he should be the horse to beat. He has been racing in really good form from poor barrier draws and his closing sectionals are excellent. Five starts ago Campora managed to win from barrier nine at gigantic odds when defeating Hasani and Sweet N Fast. Expect him to go close.
Race 3 – 6:54pm WST (9:54pm AEDT)
A race that I’m not really keen on over the 2536m with Debt Free Charlie coming up the $2.60 favourite. He is the leader in the race and could improve from that position, however, his past couple of starts have only been fair or disappointing. Naval Aviator is the horse that interests me at a price despite barrier nine. Two starts ago he won off a 60m handicap at Bunbury in slow time, before having no luck last week when ninth behind Mister Spot. Go back four starts and the Aldo Cortopassi-trained and driven 4YO was beaten 3.9m by Bettor Aim in 1:56.1 over this longer distance. He should be running home well when others are getting tired.
Race 4 – 7:32pm WST (10:32pm AEDT)
Our Major Mama leads from barrier one in the fillies and mares’ event and her $1.50 quote looks way too short. Three starts ago Our Major Mama started a $1.55 favourite against a similar field when leading and failing to beat a runner home. She was very good two starts ago when running home into third place in the Group 3 Golden Girls Mile (1684m) at Pinjarra. She Could Be Good can be a little inconsistent, but her best form is good enough to take out this race. She was held up last time and could run well. Rosies Ideal is another mare that can run well. She has barrier 11 and if she can boot up to land a position such as 1 out 2 back, she could be dangerous late.
Also backing: Rosies Ideal $12
Race 5 – WA Derby – 8:03pm WST (11:03pm AEDT)
The Group 1 WA Derby (2536m) is the main event of the evening. Its Rock And Roll is the likely leader which means Bletchley Park would end up behind the leader. Major Trojan will be outside of the leader and Franco Edward should be able to land 1 out 1 back. Major Trojan and Franco Edward are the best horses in the race and their likely map positions make the pair hardest to beat. Franco Edward has a bit more point-to-point speed than Major Trojan who has an engine to stay the distance. With the likely camp on his main danger’s back, I think Franco Edward can capture the 2019 WA Derby. He was second in the Group 2 Western Gateway last start when beating home Major Trojan. Eloquent Mach won that race and has each-way claims here. Shockwave cannot be overlooked either.
Race 6 – 8:35pm WST (11:35pm AEDT)
I am finding this race hard to work out and don’t want to force a selection here. Liberty Rose doesn’t fill me with great confidence at $2.20 but I am struggling to find any particular runner that I am keen on. Looks a very open race and for that reason, I am happy to give it a miss.
No bet
Race 7 – 9:10pm WST (12:10am AEDT)
Just like last start, Dracarys comes up a short-priced favourite and she will have too much class for her opposition. Happy to just sit back and watch.
No bet
Race 8 – 9:35pm WST (12:35am AEDT)
Handsandwheels comes up $1.20 due to the inside barrier. Happy to take him on though for two reasons. The first is Kiwi Legend can run the gate and looks to have better gate speed than Handsandwheels. He may not be able to cross but could make the favourite work for the first 200m. Vultan Tin may then go forward to introduce himself to Handsandwheels. If they run a quick first quarter or half, then Whozideawasthis and The Bucket List could both be beneficiaries. Their form is as good as Handsandwheels’ so happy to back both and hope for fireworks early. Whozideawasthis won a FFA two starts ago over Handsandwheels. The Bucket List defeated Whozideawasthis two starts ago. Both are value.
Value: The Bucket List $17
Race 9 – 10:10pm WST (1:10am AEDT)
Tact Major is likely to hold up from the inside barrier. He won’t have it easy with Vincenzo Peruggia in the race which should ensure a very strong tempo. Herrick Roosevelt has barrier eight which normally isn’t a good place to be over 1730m; a fast tempo would give him strong claims as he searches for a hat-trick after beating Kimani at his past two. He is capable of racing tough or showing high-speed and should prove hard to beat despite the car park draw.
Race 10 – 10:35pm WST (1:35am AEDT)
There looks to be two scenarios here. Our Corelli finds the lead off Cut Above and will win easily from that position, or Aliman can work his way to the lead and force Our Corelli or Just Bet On Black to race outside the leader. Under that second scenario, Our Corelli can be beaten. Aliman was a much-improved run last start when running home well to finish second behind Mister Spot. His best work is when he is able to lead and he has put in some very good performances when doing just that. Just Bet On Black has found some of his best form in recent months, including a win over Dominate The Dojo when racing outside the leader over the 2536m. You can put a pen through last start when having no luck and being forced to restrain back to the tail of the field.
