Big Boost For Keys
Veteran trainer Kevin Keys was at home on Friday night recovering from heart surgery when his brilliant four-year-old mare Fabulous Dream scored a splendid all-the-way victory in the 2130m Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace at Gloucester Park.
“Kevin is out of hospital and is going okay,” said Fabulous Dream’s owner Jim Giumelli, who said that the mare had fully recovered from a damaged hock, an injury which kept her out of action for three months before she resumed racing at Gloucester Park last Tuesday with a dazzling victory, charging home from eleventh at the bell to score an easy win after being forced five wide 300m from home.
“Ryan Cummins is looking after the stable while Kevin is recuperating,” said Giumelli, who declared that Fabulous Dream was the fastest horse in the Keys stable at Henley Brook.
“She has assumed that mantle from Lion Queen (a five-year-old mare who has won at nine of her 28 starts, earning $147,884).”
And Giumelli has high hopes that Fabulous Dream will exceed the deeds of Lion Queen and her five-year-old stablemate Water Lou, who has amassed $456,406 from 21 wins and seven placings from 43 starts.
Fabulous Dream, a small, slightly-built mare, was purchased by Giumelli for $190,000 at the New Zealand national standardbred yearling sale at Karaka in February 2023, and she is on the doorstep of a wonderful career after racing 13 times for six wins, three placings and $42,771 in prizemoney.
“Fabulous Dream is the horse that my wife said, ‘we’re not leaving New Zealand without her,’” said Giumelli, who enjoys driving the stable’s pacers in trackwork.
Star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko has a high opinion of Fabulous Dream, not only because of her natural ability but because of her excellent versatility. He got the mare, the $1.40 favourite, away smoothly from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night and after a slow lead time of 38.4sec. and an ambling first quarter of 31.1sec. she dashed over the final quarters in 29sec., 28.5sec. and 28.9sec. and won by 4m from the $6 second fancy Kinky, who fought on gamely after racing without cover over the final 1250m. The winner rated 1.57.8.
Fabulous Dream is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the seventh foal out of the unraced Christian Cullen mare Christian Dreamer and is a full-sister to Chase The Dream and Amazing Dream.
Chase The Dream won three races in WA and was retired with earnings of $604,589 from 24 wins and 25 placings from 113 starts.
Amazing Dream was a champion pacer who won 19 times in New Zealand and five times in Australia before being successful six times in America and retiring with earnings of $1,967,140 from 30 wins and 29 placings from 78 starts.
Difficult Dilemma For Roberts
Outstanding driver Deni Roberts faces a perplexing situation later this week when she will have to make a difficult choice between Mad Monday and Golden Lode as her drive in the $50,000 Four and Five-Year-Old Championship at Gloucester Park next Friday night.
She was full of praise for Mad Monday after driving the star four-year-old to an emphatic victory in the $31,000 Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, but she also has a high opinion of the brilliant five-year-old Golden Lode, whose past two runs have resulted in a second to Max Delight in the Nullarbor slot race and a second to Magnificent Storm in the Fremantle Cup.
The stablemates are prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who are expected to also nominate Belly Up and Thelittle Master for next Friday’s feature event.
“Mad Monday’s work during the week was out of this world,” declared Roberts before driving the gelding, the $2.70 favourite, to a most impressive win on Friday night. “He is a brilliant frontrunner, and it was nice to see him come from behind. He is the full package.”
Mad Monday has a winning sequence of five, including successes at his four starts as a four-year-old. A $41,000 purchase by Team Bond at the 2023 Melbourne Nutrien yearling sale, Mad Monday has earned $166,078 from ten wins and five placings from 23 starts.
The New Zealand-bred Golden Lode has amassed $489,308 from 13 wins and 17 placings from 48 starts.
On Friday night Mad Monday was making his first appearance in Free-For-All company, and he passed the test with flying colours. He began from the No. 2 barrier on the back line and Roberts did not bustle him early and he settled down in eighth place while the $4 second fancy Bettors Pride was setting the pace after a fast lead time of 36.1sec. during which he had to work hard to get to the front from the polemarker and $5.50 chance Im Lightning Banner.
Roberts bided her time before sending Mad Monday forward, out three wide, with about 300m to travel. The gelding sprinted quickly, got to the front 50m from the post and beat Im Lightning Banner by just under a length, with Bettors Pride a close-up third.
Wave Rebellion’s Remarkable Run
Lightly-raced WA-bred mare Wave Rebellion put up a remarkable performance to win the $21,000 Pick Your Name Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she came from a virtually impossible position.
“That was the widest I have ever been to win a race,” said admiring trainer-reinsman Stuart McDonald, who is contemplating a major rise in class by setting the four-year-old against the State’s best mares in next Friday night’s $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes.
Wave Rebellion, the $2.10 favourite from the No. 6 barrier, settled at the rear and was in last position passing the 400m post before being switched out seven wide and sprinting fast in the home straight to score an easy win, beating $31 outsider Blitzar by almost a length.
“About ten times in the race I was about to lose my cool (and take off),” said McDonald. “She had no luck at all from the thousand (metres) onwards. I was thinking about going to the inside, but nothing was working, so I just went to the outside and she finished strongly.
“On the corner (home turn) I thought that if she would finish fourth or fifth, I’d be pretty happy. If she ran in the top four it would have been a massive effort.
“Wave Rebellion has plenty of ability, but she has an issue with her palate. She can flip her palate, so we will never be able to use her out of the gate. She always has to go back and sit up. The worst draw will be barrier one.
“She has had surgery which didn’t really work and if she keeps showing what she is showing maybe we will try again. We have put some gear on which is helping. She is not overly tough but is fast.
“I will be putting her in the open event for mares next week when she will be way out of grade. But if she gets a start, it would be good for her to go back and sit, and she has got a good finishing turn of foot and could finish in the first half dozen.”
Wave Rebellion is by American sire Betting Line and is the third foal out of Parsons Den mare Mizuno, a handy performer who raced 74 times for nine wins, 19 placings and $70,597 in stakes.
Wave Rebellion, bred and owned by Matt Young and his wife Kayla, has earned $46,094.
Pearl Classic Is The Aim
Promising New Zealand-bred gelding In Rare Air ran an encouraging trial for the three-year-old $50,000 Pearl Classic on May 22 when he unwound a powerful burst to win the Free Entry Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
In Rare Air, trained by Greg and Skye Bond and driven by Deni Roberts, was a $7.30 chance who was not bustled early and was eighth at the bell before running home strongly to gain a last-stride victory over $5.50 chance American Machine, with the $2 favourite Ideal Beach a length farther back in third place.
Ideal Beach began from the No. 7 barrier and was trapped three wide early before being restrained back to last and then going forward after 700m to take the lead with 1200m to travel.
In Rare Air, a Bettors Delight gelding, has raced 13 times for four wins, six placings and stakes of $44,230. He has a bright future.
His victory was the first leg of a winning treble for the Bond stable and Roberts, who combined later in the evening for the wins of Heres Herbie and Mad Monday.
Heres Herbie, the $1.04 favourite, was not extended in winning the 2130m $9 Swan Draught Pints Pace, scoring by eight lengths from $41 chance Chase Me and rating a smart 1.55 after final quarters of 28.3sec. and 27.6sec.
Heres Herbie began from the back line, and Roberts sent him forward to take up the running after 650m. “He was a bit lackadaisical about getting to the front,” said Roberts. “Once he got there it was like trackwork.
“We have made a couple of gear changes and put a gaiting strap on him to help him get around the corner,” said Roberts. “He is a big boy who has trouble getting around tight corners. So, this helped him and he was a lot more tractable tonight.”
Roberts and the Bond stable continued in fine form at Kellerberrin on Sunday when their two starters When In Vegas and Chugach were successful.
Sammy Sufferall Loves Leading
Victorian-bred pacer Sammy Sufferall was an unplaced performer at short at odds on the two previous Friday nights before he bounced back to his best with an easy all-the-way victory in the Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Kyle Symington took full advantage of the favourable barrier at No. 2 by taking the five-year-old, the $2.10 favourite, straight to the front and setting a solid pace before winning by just under four lengths from $14 chance Pocket The Change, who trailed him throughout.
Unfavourable draws resulted in his unplaced efforts at his two previous appearances when he faded to seventh behind Rellim after being forced to cover a lot of extra ground and then was badly blocked for a clear passage when eleventh behind Rellim (again) the following week.
“He is more of a frontrunner, up on the speed,” said part-owner Claire Cummins, who leases the gelding in partnership with trainer Gary Butler from Victorian owner-breeder Michael Azzopardi.
Sammy Sufferall is by Goodtime Sammy, a stallion by American sire Somebeachsomewhere, and is the sixth and best foal out of Dream Away mare Edith Piaf, who won twice in Victoria and five times in Western Australia before being retired with earnings of $43,148 from seven wins and eight placings from 26 starts.
Little-known stallion Goodtime Sammy was retired after winning at his four starts as a two-year-old in 2015, with three wins in Victoria and one in New South Wales.
Sammy Suffarell has raced 17 times for five wins (all in WA), three placings and $37,701 in prizemoney, and he looks set for more wins.
Thirty-year-old Harvey trainer Logan Egerton-Green notched his 31ST winner when Joey Suvaljko drove $17.80 chance Priddah to victory over Frankensteinsbride ($51) and Sugar Street ($9) in the 2130m Trotsynd Shares Available Now Pace.
Eight-year-old Priddah ended a losing sequence of 16 when he ran home solidly from eighth at the bell to score by two lengths, notching his ninth victory from 105 starts.
Speedy New Zealand-bred four-year-old Lincoln Lou is in line to be sold to American interests after revealing his characteristic sparkling pace to win the Book Into Steelo’s Pace over 2130m, rating 1.56.4. Driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, Lincoln Lou ($4.10) was seventh at the bell before charging to the front with 220m to travel and winning by a length from $7 chance Chivalry, who raced in the breeze and took the lead at the bell.
Madam Maggie, a $6.70 chance for owner-trainer David Gravolin, was rated perfectly in front by Kyle Harper before holding on to win in a three-way photo finish from Jill Mach ($10) and Dat Lovely ($6) in the 2130m Book Into Christmas In July Pace.
Trainer-reinsman Chris Voak hinted that WA-bred five-year-old Maximum Rock’s future could be in Adelaide after the Rock And Roll World gelding, a $5.70 chance, had given a bold frontrunning display to score an easy win in the 2130m The Ule Hoof Oil Pace, rating 1.57.6.
