“Tonight, he showed that he is the toughest horse here,” declared an elated Deni Roberts after driving the mighty eight-year-old Minstrel to a superb victory in the $100,000 J. P. Stratton Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is a special horse to me, and you would think that at eight he would be starting to slow down. But he is getting faster, and I can’t believe he is. I think that Mister Smartee and Magnificent Storm have got Minstrel for speed, but they won’t match him for heart.”
Minstrel, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, showed that he will take a power of beating in the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup next Friday week, when he raced in the breeze before dashing away to win most impressively from Mister Smartee, Gee Heza Sport and Magnificent Storm, rating a slick 1.54.7 after the final four 400m sections of the 2536m journey whizzed by in 29.4sec., 29.1sec., 27.5sec. and 28.1sec.
Minstrel won the 2536m Pacing Cup last November, rating 1.55 and beating Mister Smartee by a half-length before going on to finish second to Don Hugo in the Interdominion Championship final at Menangle in December and setting the pace and finishing third behind Mister Smartee and Gee Heza Sport in the Nullarbor slot race last April.
“Comparing Minstrel with how he was when he won last year’s Pacing Cup, I don’t think he has ever gone better than he is going now,” said Roberts. “He’s a super star.”
Minstrel, the $1.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier on Friday night, was beaten for early speed by the $4.60 second fancy Magnificent Storm, who flew out from barrier seven to burst straight to the front.
This left Minstrel with a perfect trail behind Magnificent Storm, but Roberts made the wise decision to ease him off the pegs and move to the breeze after 300m.
“I didn’t want to get off the pegs because Minstrel would have had a nice trip sitting behind Magnificent Storm, but that would have enabled Storm to go too slow, and then Minstrel wouldn’t be able to outsprint him,” said Roberts. “Minstrel hasn’t got the speed of Magnificent Storm, but he has superior stamina, so we had to get off (the pegs) and make it a staying test.”
Minstrel finished powerfully and got to the front 120m from the post on his way to beating $9 chance Mister Smartee by a length, with Gee Heza Sport ($14) fighting on to finish third, a half head behind Mister Smartee, who raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before charging home from seventh at the 100m mark.
Magnificent Storm was a close-up fourth ahead of $41 chance Never Ending, who was tenth at the bell and impressed in flying home, out five wide. Penny Black ($6.50) trailed Magnificent Storm and was hopelessly blocked for a clear run over the concluding stages. She went to the line, bolting, in seventh position and showed that she is worthy of gaining a Pacing Cup start.
Others who were badly hampered for room in the late stages included Waverider (sixth), Menemsha (ninth) and Mighty Ronaldo (tenth).
The New Zealand-bred Minstrel has amassed $1,765,723 in prizemoney from 30 wins and 26 placings from 77 starts. Roberts has enjoyed a wonderful association with the Rocknroll Hanover gelding, having driven him 28 times for 13 wins, seven seconds, three thirds and five unplaced efforts. The stage is now set for what promises to be an enthralling WA Pacing Cup on Friday week.
