This weekend the action of the Belmont Winter Racing Carnival continues at Belmont Park in WA with the running of the H.G. Bolton Sprint 2014.
The handicap clash has this year attracted a final field of 12 sprinters facing off in the $100,000 Listed H.G. Bolton Sprint (1200m) on Saturday in Race 7.
There is just one last start winner in the mix this year with the David Harrison-trained Pininci.
The Pins five-year-old however has suffered an early blow drawing double digits with barrier 10.
They’ve won two of their past three starts, most recently in a massive upset as a $31 outsider over hot favourite Smoko in the Listed Beaufine Stakes (1000m).
For that effort on July 12 the winning gelding was ridden by Patrick Carbery who also rode them for their two lead-up races at the track and distance.
Carbery however is looking to the skies and with a likely rain-affected Belmont track playing into the equation on Saturday, he has opted not to ride Pininci.
Instead he will jump aboard Harrison’s other HG Bolton Sprint Settle Strada who has better wet track form.
In his place on Pininci then is Glenn Smith riding the galloper for the first time.
Strada five-year-old Settle Strada meanwhile has drawn one inside of their stable mate with barrier nine for Saturday’s showdown.
They are the 57kg second top weight in the field, while Pininci will carry two kilos more than their Beaufine Stakes winning weight with 56kg.
Settle Strada has been out of form in recent times but Carbery is confident with the right ride in the right conditions they can be competitive again and improve on their sixth when defeated nearly three lengths in the Belmont Sprint by Elite Belle here at the end of May.
The H.G. Bolton Sprint field and weights meanwhile are led by the Ted Martinovich-trained Cavallo Pazzo with 59kg.
Drawn in gate eight with Jarrad Noske riding they go up half a kilo from the weight they carried last start when a disappointing seventh to Power Princess in the Group 3 Roma Cup (1200m) on May 18.
One horse drawn better for the clash with barrier three is then the Grant Williams-trained Celebrity Miss, the More Than Ready mare to be ridden by ace Perth jockey William Pike.
A rising six-year-old, Celebrity Miss won back-to-back Belmont races over the 1200m earlier this campaign before her fifth in the Beaufine Stakes last start.
Brad Parnham rode her from the outside alley (10) that day however so from a better barrier with Pike aboard, the pair winning two back on July 5, she’s surely a strong chance again.
Parnham meanwhile still has a ride in Saturday’s feature partnering with his father Neville Parnham’s horse Dominating from barrier five.
The Snitzel four-year-old also isn’t without their claims as they go up in class here after a succession of nice runs in BenchMark 78+ races.
A winner over 1400m at the track last month, they went up in distance to finish third over the mile on July 5 behind Tower Of Lonhro before their last start fourth back over 1300m just last Saturday.
Other notable HG Bolton Sprint hopes this weekend then include Comfysofa for Simon Miller out to improve on their first-up flop when dead last in the Beaufine, the Dan Morton-trained stakes winning mare at Ascot in March Soldier’s Lass and fellow black-type winner Dueton with the outside barrier to overcome here.
See below for the full HG Bolton Sprint 2014 field, barriers, jockeys and weights.
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2014 HG Bolton Sprint Final Field & Barrier Draw
Belmont Park Race 7 (4:02pm local time) – 26/07/2014
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x113x7337x | CAVALLO PAZZO | Ted Martinovich | Jarrad Noske | 8 | 59kg |
2 | 111260×506 | SETTLE STRADA | David Harrison | Patrick Carbery | 9 | 57kg |
3 | 60×2449121 | PININCI | David Harrison | Glenn Smith | 10 | 56kg |
4 | 2180×14115 | CELEBRITY MISS | Grant Williams | William Pike | 3 | 54kg |
5 | 1x016161x0 | COMFYSOFA | Simon A Miller | Jason Whiting | 11 | 54kg |
6 | 7049×27134 | DOMINATING | Neville Parnham | Brad Parnham | 5 | 54kg |
7 | 2x331730x6 | DUETON | Eric Wake | Shaun Mc Gruddy | 12 | 54kg |
8 | 3122x14N8x | HUSSY BY CHOICE | Simon A Miller | Peter Knuckey | 7 | 54kg |
9 | 3150×83467 | MODELLO | Lindsey Smith | Shaun Meeres | 2 | 54kg |
10 | x7491820x9 | ROUGE DIOR | Robert Harvey | Troy Turner | 6 | 54kg |
11 | 130x113x8 | SOLDIER’S LASS | Daniel Morton | Steven Parnham | 4 | 54kg |
12 | 379592356x | WILD CHARGER | Peter & Matthew Giadresco | Shaun O’Donnell | 1 | 54kg |