Down to the Wire for mare
CLASSY mare Life on the Wire looms as one of the best bets on the strong nine-race program in Launceston tonight.
Life on the Wire will line up in the Drummond Golf Open Handicap over 1200m — the same journey as the Group 3 Bow Mistress for fillies and mares that she won so convincingly two starts back in Hobart.
The Scott Brunton-trained five-year-old is one of the more seasoned sprinters in the field and this race is sure to serve as an entree to races interstate in the coming weeks.
Life on the Wire was third to former Victorian mare Twitchy Frank in the Group 3 Vamos Stakes (1400m) at her most recent outing at the end of last month, so this assignment is a slight drop in class.
The mare has drawn well in barrier four and she also receives some weight relief courtesy of a 1.5g claim for apprentice Chris Graham which means she will lug 57.5kg, giving her a 2kg advantage over the top weight Blaze Forth from the John Blacker stable.
Blaze Forth has been very competitive without winning of late, but two of those outings were in weight-for-age events in which he finished third and fourth respectively and was only beaten just over three lengths on both occasions.
“This is a very nice race for Blaze Forth and I would be very surprised if he didn’t win,” Blacker said.
“He just needs it to be a race run at a solid tempo and if that happens he is definitely the one to beat.”
The Barry Campbelltrained Fragment also needs plenty of speed up front be- cause he does his best when coming off a good tempo and his rider Craig Newitt believes this is a very winnable race for the Barry Campbell-trained gelding.
Fragment’s stablemate Chillout usually goes forward in his races and Apriano could give them all something to catch because he is a known frontrunner.
Apriano has drawn the in- side barrier and he will carry only 51kg courtesy of a 3kg claim for visiting Victorian apprentice Trent Germaine.
Liffeybeau, prepared at Spreyton by Adam Trinder, comes off a last-start third to Lord Da Vinci in a quality handicap (1200m) in Launceston on Cup day.
So if he can secure cover when searching for a spot from his wide gate (seven), he should make his presence felt at the business end.
Germaine won two races at the last Launceston night meeting when visiting for the national apprentices’ series which encouraged him to make a decision to ride at the remaining four night meetings in Launceston over the next two months.
Germaine’s best winning hope looks to be the Julie Rich- ards-trained Manilenya that won a benchmark 72 handicap (1600m) two starts back and last start she was run down in the last few strides by Pelagia.
Manilenya lines up in a benchmark 72 over 2100m and while she failed at her only try over the trip in the Brighton Cup in Hobart in January, she has always given the impression she would stay, so she deserves another chance.