Time for real Spankem to stand up

By Adam Hamilton

New trainer Darren Weeks said the former Miracle Mile winner was close to his peak and will certainly get his chance without having King Of Swing to contend with in Saturday night’s Wondais Mate Open Pace (1660m) at Albion Park.

“It’s time to get serious. We looked at the first few runs as getting to learn more about it him, but it’s time to take the gloves off now, the big races are just around the corner," Weeks said.

“He’s come to us to race, you can’t sugar-coat them forever.

“Whatever he does this week will top him off for the big ones, but he’ll driven aggressively and put right into the race.

“He’s a (former) Miracle Mile winner drawn the front row in a sprint race. He gets his chance.”

Spankem was one of NZ’s elite pacers before being sent to Weeks a couple of months back to prepare for the Group 1 double - the $100,000 Sunshine Sprint (July 17) and $250,000 Blacks A Fake (July 24).

He was poleaxed and lost his driver, Kylie Rasmussen, at his first run for Weeks, then won a moderate race before finishing fourth in a race dominated by King Of Swing at Albion Park two weeks ago.

With King Of Swing and Expensive Ego – the two top open-class seeds of the TAB Constellations Carnival – not in the Wondais Mate, the race looms as a litmus test for his strong a factor the best local horses will be in coming weeks.

Spankem (gate five), Colt Thirty One (six) and Turn It Up (11) are three of the top open-class pacers trained in Queensland.

Three-time Queensland Horse of the Year, Colt Thirty One, backs up quickly after returning from a spell with a sound third in the Redcliffe Cup last week.

Turn It Up ran his best race this campaign when second to King Of Swing two week’s ago, but that was from a front row draw and this time he starts from outside the back over the short 1660m.

Further boosting the locals hopes this week, star Kiwi pacer Copy That will need tons of luck from an awkward inside back row draw (gate eight) in the Wondais Mate.

After much deliberation, champion driver Anthony Butt will fly up from Melbourne to drive Copy That this week and stay in Queensland for the next few weeks to avoid quarantining requirements should he return to Victoria.