A two-kilo weight swing and a more favourable alley are expected to work in favour of Twisted Steel in this Saturday’s Listed $125,000 H G Bolton Sprint (1200m) at Belmont with punters supporting him in his quest to reverse the form on Immortal Bliss.
In the Beaufine Stakes (1000m) two weeks ago, both Twisted Steel and Immortal Bliss were caught off the track but presented with eye-catching runs at the top of the straight.
Twisted Steel was the first to strike but Immortal Bliss covered the move and swept to join him at the 200m before gradually gaining the ascendancy through the final furlong, scoring by three-quarters of a length.
From the worst barriers in that race, the pair are both more advantageously positioned this weekend with Twisted Steel in gate two and Immortal Bliss in six.
Twisted Steel did jump on terms with the leaders in the Beaufine Stakes, suggesting he can take a tactical position if required and he has been backed from $3.40 down to $2.90.
Immortal Bliss was not slow but not as briskly into stride that day and he has eased from $3.40 to $3.90.
However, he is still a clear second favourite from Twisted Steel’s Simon Miller-trained stablemate Madhi Girl, who has also eased from $4.80 to $6.
Madhi Girl was tapped for early toe in the Beaufine and after being cluttered up against the inside, she struggled to gain clear running until the 150m when the bird had flown.
She has again drawn low and starts from barrier one, while the final starter under double-figure odds also fared well in the barrier stakes.
Luana Miss has been $9 into $7 and starts from gate five as she bids to turn around the two-length deficit imposed by Immortal Bliss on her in the Beaufine.
That day, she could not match the early tempo and eventually found herself on the back of Immortal Bliss to improve into the race.
However, when that runner was asked to quicken, she could not match his excellent finishing burst and was left in his wake.
She crossed the line with fellow mare Jaz Session ($14), who had raced underneath Immortal Bliss through the contest and ground away solidly through the late stages.
Snowdome ($15) had begun best in the Beaufine but was unable to get across from barrier 13, working three wide without cover throughout.
He eventually faded into seventh place and beaten almost three lengths without being disgraced.
Twain’s Angel ($17) was slowly into stride in that race and never fully recovered but did pick off some tiring runners to be ninth and defeated four lengths, while 11th placegetter Final Siren ($31) was a little unlucky after being trapped on a weakening runner’s heels midway up the straight.
Yonga Lass ($81) is the final runner to come out of the conventional lead-up race but was not dangerous and finished 13th after settling at the tail.
Fluro Neuro ($23) has been freshened since finishing 11th in the Hyperion Stakes (1600m) on May 30, while resuming Grant and Alana Williams-prepared stablemate Spacewalk ($31) has not been sighted at the races since sixth in the Colonel Reeves (1100m) last November.
However, he has had two trials at Lark Hill but was safely held in both those June appearances.
Man Crush ($41), who has blinkers equipped for his first-up run, enters this race without a prior trial in his quest to reach $1 million in career stakemoney. He is currently on $933,577.
Puli and Sinful Living, who both contested the Beaufine Stakes, will instead opt for a 1000m race earlier on the programme.
They will meet Haida Gwaii, a seven-time winner from 14 starts who has had three trials in the lead-up to this.
Perhaps the most interesting runner in the event is Long Service Leaf, a three-year-old who will start from barrier one and bear just 54kg.
Some of the state’s most progressive three-year-olds will do battle in the following race, a 1400m clash headlined by Western Miss.
Western Miss has loomed as a filly to watch with three victories at her past three appearances, including as recently as last Saturday.
Her last two successes have been over 1700m and 1650m, however, and she must now contend with the lesser distance.
Moonwalk has proven adept at 1400m at her last two starts despite racing over longer journeys prior to that.
Desert Ora stepped up to 1400m last time and extended her winning sequence to four in the process, while Partay ran riot with a three-and-a-half-length victory over this distance at her last start.
+ Hotly Pursued looks distinctly hard to beat in Friday’s free-for-all at Gloucester Park after drawing gate five and inside his main dangers.
The six-year-old sat in the one-out, two-back position last week before making a move at the 400m to swiftly gobble up his rivals and score by almost 8m.
One of his greatest assets is his early zip and he should be able to charge to the front and make a bold bid for glory.
Sweet Pins (barrier six), Youre So Fine (seven), Justcallmemiki (eight) and Mighty Ronaldo (nine) therefore will be unable to get ahead of him at the start, dampening their prospects of beating him.
Moreover, second-row starters such as Alta Tribute (10), Thelittle Master (11) and, most importantly, Bettors Pride (12) are also at a significant disadvantage.
Kylah Madden, who drives Hotly Pursued, also has live claims of securing the second race aboard Art Ideal.
Madden recently flew to Queensland for three successive weeks to partner the formerly Phillip Henwood-trained Captain Ravishing and will again team with that trainer to steer Art Ideal, another bold front-running type.
Despite being drawn in gate seven, Art Ideal has a good chance of obtain the early lead and from there, looms as the one to beat.
+ Cannington hosts the Winter Cup Final (520m) on Saturday night with tried-and-true conveyance Iconic Jet ($2.60f) heading last week’s heat winners.
Iconic Jet was able to see off Sunset Caligula ($3.40) when they met in those qualifiers and the two are at the top of betting this weekend, while fellow heat victors Our Ozzie Salute ($4.40) and Just A Piastri ($4.60) are next in line.
The remaining starters under double-digit odds appear unlikely to get starts as Tattooed Beat ($8.50) and Iconic Guess ($4.20) are first and second reserves after missing qualification through third and fourth placings respectively.
+ Former WA-based gelding Cosmic Crusader ($3.40f) is expected to prove hard to toss in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Last seen when a neck second behind Rey Magnerio in the Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot last December, Cosmic Crusader has been transferred to Pakenham-based trainer Andrea Leek, wife of notable trainer John Jr.
He had a jumpout at Caulfield a few weeks ago and impressed onlookers when crossing the line with stakes-performed sprinter Pop Award.
Winnasedge ($3.60), who landed the Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) a fortnight ago, is expected to take the most beating.
Miraval Rose ($5.50), Watchme Win ($6) and Zou Sensation ($9) follow those two primaries in the betting.
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