Ken Casellas | PACEPIX
Princess Katie is enjoying her best season of racing with four wins and four placings from 14 starts, and she is ready for a strong effort when she resumes after a spell in the $30,000 WASBA Classic for four and five-year-old mares over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She will be driven by Emily Suvaljko from the favourable barrier No. 2, with part-owner and trainer Michael Young saying: “I’m looking forward to getting her back in action. She is working really good, as good as Penny Black works.
“She hasn’t drawn to lead very often, but she goes well in front.”
Four-year-old Princess Katie has been off the scene since she raced the one-out, two-back position for Kate Gath in the 2536m Empress Stakes on April 11 when she disappointed in fading to finish last in the field of eleven.
She faces a stern test against five-year-old Candy Apple, who is racing in wonderful form for trainer Michael Munro and reinsman Toby Lynn, and is handily drawn at barrier three. Candy Apple’s past seven starts have resulted in three wins, three seconds and one seventh (when she had a tough run without cover).
Hunt The Magic, trained by Ian Gossage and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, also is in fine form. She trailed the pacemaker Cee Dee Three in the 2130m Higgins Memorial last Friday night and was most unlucky when she was badly hampered for room in the home straight and finished fifth, just over a half-length from Major Jay and Onesmartfella, who dead-heated for first.
Bakers Hill trainer Mike Williams has four-year-old Loch Tay racing in career-best form, with wins at Narrogin, Gloucester Park and Northam at her past three outings. She is awkwardly drawn at barrier six and will be driven by Ryan Warwick.
Michael Young also has high hopes for Blaze Away, despite the four-year-old starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line in the Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace over 2536m.
Young has called on junior driver Abbey Vidovich to use her novice claim to handle Blaze Away in this event.
“Blaze Away is some chance (of winning), and the 2500m helps him to get into it,” said Young.
Blaze Away ran a good trial for this week’s race when he began from the back line, dashed forward to the breeze after 550m and fought on doggedly to finish second to the pacemaker Candy Apple, who rated 1.56.8 over the 2130m, with final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 28.2sec.
Toughest for Blaze Away to beat appear to be Sound Wave and Cee Dee Three, who performed strongly in the Higgins Memorial last Friday night.
Sound Wave charges home from eleventh at the bell to finish a desperately close third behind the dead-heaters Major Jay and Onesmartfella, while Cee Dee Three set the pace and finished an extremely close fourth.