Gloucester Park will be alight tonight with plenty of pacing action. This includes the New Seasons Pace as well as the Whole Body Vibration Pacer of the Year Discretionary Handicap SS Pace. It’s an M2 or better race over a distance of 2,503 metres. Scheduled as race number eight on the card, this harness racing event will start at 8:50pm.
The $17,500 event has drawn an impressive field of top contenders, though there are three frontrunners that should give fans a show. Truckers Ruffnut turned a few heads last season with seven first place finishes in 16 starts. The Gary Hall-driven colt also managed three second place finishes and two third. Truckers Ruffnut has a decent history on the Gloucester Park track with is most recent appearance resulting in a win by an astounding 7.9 metres. The upcoming race will have him starting from barrier number five.
New Zealand’s Our Mercurio is certain to be a tough test. The Michael George-driven horse also has seven first place finishes in 18 starts. Not only has the bay gelding placed more often than Truckers Ruffnut, but he also set a slight better best winning mile rate last season. Our Mercurio will be starting in barrier number six with a 20-metre handicap, which could be a tough hurdle to cross. His most recent appearance at Gloucester Park came in July. The gelding put up a strong effort to come in behind Themightyquinn to take third place.
Check out the odds on the upcoming races at Gloucester Park at SportsBet, including the Pacer of the Year Discretionary Handicap this Friday, September 3. You won’t find better odds anywhere else and, thanks to the convenience of betting online, it couldn’t be easier to place your bets.
Field and Barrier Draw:
| No. | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36568 | Turkish | PO Berglund | Callan Suvaljko | C9 M2 | FT |
| 2 | 85896 | Last Left | CL Cummins | Michael Tenardi | C10 M2 | FT |
| 3 | 8918s | Crusaders Crest | RA Olivieri | Chris Lewis | C7 M2 | FT |
| 4 | 9s188 | Spiritwithing | PJ Fletcher | Aldo Cortopassi | C11 M3 | 10m |
| 5 | 22113 | Truckers Ruffnut | MA Hansen | Gary Hall (Jnr) | C14 M3 | 10m |
| 6 | 11535 | Our Mercurio NZ | GFJ Bond | Michael George (C) | C12 M4 | 20m |
| 7 | 5211s | Albert Jaccka | GE Hall (Snr) | Kim Prentice | C12 M5 | 20m |
| 8 | 2109s | Ohoka Rebel NZ | GE Hall (Snr) | Chris Butt (C) | C12 M4 | 20m |
| 9 | 61353 | Mister Odds On NZ | SA Bond | Colin Brown | C12 M4 | 20m |