Sheehy Looks To Use Bhagwan’s Speed
Sheehy Looks To Use Bhagwan’s Speed
Kristy Sheehy will replace her father Tommy as the driver of speedy five-year-old Bhagwan and she will be looking for an all-the-way victory in the $22,500 Pat Cranley Memorial over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Bhagwan, trained at Cardup by Neil Lloyd, has drawn ideally at barrier No. 2 and Sheehy will be planning to make full use of his splendid gate speed.
She will be hoping that Bhagwan musters sufficient speed to assume the role of pacemaker ahead of other fast beginners, including Scuba Steve (barrier one), Pelusiac (three), Onedin Crusader (four) and Fernleigh Rebel (nine).
Punters should disregard Bhagwan’s last-start ninth behind Mighty Flying Thomas over 2536m last Friday week when he started from the inside of the back line, raced three back on the pegs and was hampered by a tiring runner in the final circuit.
At his previous appearance, over 1730m in much weaker company, he began speedily from the No. 8 barrier and set the pace before winning easily from Grangewood Red at a modest 1.58.1 rate. At his previous win over 1730m he rated a much smarter 1.55.9.
Tommy Sheehy and Lloyd have vivid memories of a 1730m event at Gloucester Park in August 2007 when the Victorian-bred filly Serene Dreamer made her West Australian debut. Serene Dreamer started from the No. 1 barrier and Sheehy was content to trail the pacemaker and 11/4 favourite Batavia Hotwire. But Batavia Hotwire faded badly and Serene Dreamer, a 23/1 tote outsider, finished a 2m second to Charlotte Church.
Serene Dreamer won three races in WA and was retired with a record of 66 starts for six wins and 12 placings. Her only foal is Bhagwan, who has raced 58 times for eight wins, 11 seconds and ten thirds for $65,343 in prizemoney.
He has been a consistent performer for Lloyd, who now has a low profile in harness racing after the heady days of the 1980s and 90s when he prepared champion mares Line On and Norms Daughter.
Line On is well remembers for her third placing behind Village Kid and Vanderport in the interdominion championship final at Brisbane’s Albion Park in April 1986 and Norms Daughter, the 1994 WA Oaks winner, achieved fame for her victory in the $400,000 Miracle Mile at Harold Park in June 1996.
Tommy Sheehy has driven Bhagwan at nine of his past ten starts and at 37 of his past 49 starts, but his daughter has also formed a strong association with the gelding, having driven him seven times, including an easy all-the-way victory over Deluxe Edition and Vultan Tin over 2185m at Pinjarra four starts ago when he sped over the final quarters in 27.9sec. and 28.3sec.
Champion trainer Gary Hall sen. and star reinsman Gary Hall jun. will be hoping that history will repeat itself by winning the Cranley Memorial from the prized No. 1 barrier with Scuba Steve. Soho Jackman was favourite at 3/1 on from barrier one last year when Hall jun. drove him to an all-the-way victory from stablemate Crusader Banner, rating 1.56.8 over 1730m.
This gave the Halls their second success in this feature event. They combined to win with 7/4 second fancy El Padrino, who raced without cover before getting to the front 520m from home and holding on to defeat the fast-finishing Dhoni by a nose in 2012 after thirds with Im Themightyquinn in 2008 and My Jasami in 2011.
Scuba Steve, who will be having his third run after resuming from a spell, possesses good gate speed. Hall jun. used his pace from out wide at barrier nine in a 1730m event last Friday night, but after racing four wide early, the eight-year-old was forced to race three wide before wilting from third at the bell to finish a distant last behind Mexicano.
This followed a promising first-up effort three weeks earlier when the gelding raced wide in the middle stages and then in the breeze before finishing third behind Max Meridius.
The Ross Olivieri-trained Pelusiac also has sound claims from the No. 3 barrier. Chris Voak drove the New Zealand-bred five-year-old to a dazzling win over the talented Kiwi Legend five starts ago when the gelding sped to an early lead from barrier three and rated 1.53.3 over 1730m after sectionals of 28.1sec., 29.8sec., 27.6sec. and 27.9sec.
Since then Pelusiac has run two seconds and was a last-start winner when he set the pace over 2100m at Bunbury last Saturday week.
Fernleigh Rebel warmed up for this week’s event when he began speedily from barrier six and burst to the front after 250m before setting a brisk pace and winning at a 1.55.3 rate over 1730m from Lord Lombo and Lunar Tide. He will be tested, but not discounted, from the outside barrier.
The Ken White-trained Fernleigh Rebel will again be handled by Chris Lewis, who has won the Cranley Memorial twice — with Smarty Arty in 2005 and Mister Veejays Fella in 2009.
Ken Casellas