Pacing: Giles Inwood-trained Bravo Christiano sprints home to upstage favourite

Giles Inwood’s four-year-old Bravo Christiano emphatically snapped his maiden status on Wednesday afternoon at Donaldson Park. Driven by Gary Hall Jr, Inwood’s gelding scored by 2m over pre-race fancy Scuttlebutt in the Nexus Maiden Pace (2100m), after utilising the sprint lane in the dying seconds. Busselton-based Billyjames ran third for trainer Barry Howlett. Both pacers wrestled for supremacy throughout the journey, although Terry Ferguson’s favourite appeared to have enough in the tank, after Chris Voak brought Scuttlebutt forward and led comfortably as the field got the bell. With less than 400m to run, Voak pushed the button on the two-year-old, who raced clear by 5m heading into the top of the straight. However, with the sprint lane readily available, Hall Jr delicately removed Bravo Christiano off the leader’s back and with daylight in front of him, proved too strong. Earlier in the afternoon, it was a South West training trifecta in the Benchmark Horsefeeds 2YO Fillies Pace (1609m), with Dylan Egerton-Green (Harvey), Aiden De Campo (Capel) and Justin Prentice (North Boyanup) tasting early success. It was pacing diehards only in attendance, with the concourses and lawn mostly empty, although this will likely change in the warmer months ahead. The focus now shifts to Friday night at Gloucester Park, where De Campo will aim to pilot his filly Miss Hepburn to glory in the $100,000 GPHR 2YO Fillies Diamond Classic (2130m). Aside from having won or placed in three of her four career starts to date, the Capel trainer-reinsman has received a brilliant draw — with gate one a perfect springboard to figure in the finish alongside other fancies Xceptional Arma and Water Lou.