Reed Pair Primed For Derby Tilt
5 April, 2018
Harness
The Mike Reed-trained pair of Golden State and Bechers Brook are set to take it up to their more fancied rivals in tomorrow night’s Group 1 Sky Racing-WA Derby (2536m) at Gloucester Park.
Bechers Brook and Golden State have drawn awkwardly in barriers seven and eight respectively for tomorrow night’s Group 1 feature, and both have been met with support on the TABtouch market, which is headed up by the Gary Hall Snr-trained King Of Swing.
The pair have clashed four times this preparation already, with Golden State winning the Caduceus Club Classic and WA Derby Prelude, while Bechers Brook took out the Battle Of Bunbury and Western Gateway.
Reed said Bechers Brook had recovered from a virus that hindered a large part of this campaign, and would be suited by the extra distance of the Derby tomorrow night.
“I got the blood count done on Monday and got it back on Wednesday and the vet said he would go a lot better,” Reed told TABradio’s The Sports Daily.
“Bechers Brook will like the longer journey.
“The longer they go, the better he likes it.”
Despite being well beaten back in seventh place in the Western Gateway on March 23, Reed said he expected Golden State to make his presence felt on Friday night.
“He’s worked really well,” he said.
“He worked with Maczaffair and Shandale and he got over both of them.”
Reed said he was yet to determine the tactics for the pair, but said Dylan Egerton-Green, who drives Bechers Brook, and Shannon Suvaljko, who teams up with Golden State, both had the option to settle near the speed, or go back in the field.
However, Reed said it would be more likely Golden State would be the more likely of the two to press on for the lead.
Tomorrow night’s meeting also sees the running of the WA Oaks Prelude (2130m), where Reed has Our Angel Of Harlem engaged for just her second start in Western Australia.
Despite finishing third as a short price favourite on her WA debut at Pinjarra last month, Reed said he is confident of a better showing tomorrow night, where he also resisted the temptation to run the filly in the WA Derby.
“I thought about it (running her in the Derby), but I bought her for the Oaks,” he said.
“She definitely gets a chance to show how good she is tomorrow night.”
The WA Derby jumps at 7.24 tomorrow night.
Tim Walker