Former New South Wales and South Australian pacer Bling It Up gave Kylah Madden and Aiden de Campo a torrid time when they drove the experienced seven-year-old at his first two starts in his current campaign.
“He bolted on Kylah when racing first-up at Albany, and then at his next start he bolted on me at Pinjarra,” said de Campo, who took over the training of the gelding after he raced erratically and was retired from the event when handled by Madden at Albany on December 12.
After that Albany run, part-owner and trainer Adrian Shanks sent the pacer to be prepared by de Campo, who produced him when he was an odds-on favourite in a 2185m event at Pinjarra on January 19.
Bling It On fired up badly and overraced fiercely when he set the pace and was a good ten lengths in front during the final lap before fading to finish a distant seventh, more than eight lengths behind the winner Jaspervellabeach.
“After that, I put a pulling bit on him and he is now racing much more comfortably,” said de Campo, who has been happy with his tractability at his three outings since his Pinjarra failure.
Bling It Up was blocked for a clear run until late when a head second to Wicked Hustler at Pinjarra before winning at Gloucester Park at his next two outings. He led and won by three lengths over 2130m last Tuesday week, and then raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before winning by more than two lengths from $51 outsider Im Eugene, rating 1.55.7 in the 1730m Bill and Norma Horn Pace on Friday night. He was the hot $1.50 favourite.
Bling It Up is following in the footsteps of other pacers sent to de Campo by Shanks, including Runningonempty and Rockandrollartist.
Bling It Up is by former champion pacer Bling It On, who was retired with a record of 100 starts for 49 wins, 24 placings and $1,882,957 in stakes, with his most notable successes including the $302,000 Breeders Crown for two-year-old colts and geldings at Melton in 2013, the 2014 Queensland Derby, the 2017 Hunter Cup and the 2019 Victoria Cup.
Bling It Up is the second foal out of unraced Mach Three mare Contessa Stride, and he has earned $97,066 from 20 wins and 18 placings from 74 starts. His nine WA starts have produced two wins and two placings --- after he had 15 starts in NSW for two wins and three placings and 50 starts in South Australia for 16 wins (ten at Port Pirie and six at Globe Derby Park) and 13 placings.
Remarkably, Bling It Up was the first of three winners for Shanks in the space of 45 minutes on Friday night. Shanks landed a double as the owner-trainer of the first two events at the Albany meeting, scoring with six-year-old mares Graces Star and Escapefromreality.
Graces Star, a $7.50 chance driven by Joey Suvaljko, beat Pura Vida by a half-head in the 1832m Reece Plumbing Pace, and Escapefromreality was a $44.40 outsider driven by Madeliene Young who scored by a half-head from Alta Hurrah in the 1832m Albany Stockfeeds Pace.
Bling It Up gave de Campo the first leg of a training double on Friday night, with Dylan Egerton-Green bringing $28.90 outsider Bettor Arcade home with a spirited burst from fifth, three back on the pegs, at the bell to beat stablemate and $1.14 favourite Rockokoko by a metre after that pacer had raced without cover before taking the lead in the home straight.
Emily Suvaljko drove a treble, scoring with Eclipse Line ($3.20) in the Prince Brino Handicap, Majestic Ga Ga ($2.10) in the Good Luck Gary Hall Trot and Blue Blazer ($8) in the Gordon and Cecilia Cox Pace. Eclipse Line and Majestic Ga Ga are trained by Michael Young, and Craig Abercromby produced 11-year-old Blue Blazer in splendid shape for his fast-finishing victory over Leeroy Rox ($11) and The Righteous ($8.50).
