Suvaljko Praises Bettors Pride
Talented five-year-old Bettors Pride has turned the corner and is racing in the best form of his career, so much so that his driver Shannon Suvaljko gives the Victorian-bred gelding a realistic chance of winning the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on December 11.
Suvaljko was in a buoyant mood after driving Bettors Pride to a brilliant all-the-way victory in the $50,000 Nova Winter Cup over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is getting better and stronger and the more runs he has is just what he needs to toughen up for the big races,” said Suvaljko, who has won the WA Pacing Cup with Vanlo Yorker (January 2008) and Vultan Tin (December 202).
“This horse (Bettors Pride) is a lot better than both those horses. Vanlo Yorker was only a claiming horse, but he had the right attitude and struck form at the right time.
“Vultan Tin was a sluggish horse who needed the race run to suit when he won the Cup. There was pressure on in that race, and Vultan Tin came over the top to beat Chicago Bull.
“Bettors Pride is lightly raced and is very capable. He is fast and versatile, and it doesn’t matter where he draws. In big races they always run along, and he always has that 27-second quarter up his sleeve.”
Bettors Pride was the $1.70 favourite in Friday night’s race when he began smartly from the No. 2 barrier and relished his pacemaking role. He coasted through the opening quarters in 30.4sec. and 29.8sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 27.3sec. and was not extended in winning by two lengths from $41 outsider Im Lightning Banner, who finished solidly from sixth at the bell.
“Once Bettors Pride got to the front he relaxed,” said Suvaljko. “He got an easy enough lead time (70.2sec.) and was able to cruise into it and was far too good for the others. He ran home in 27.3sec. and could have gone a half second faster. He was just jogging and hit the line like he could have run another lap.”
Sweet Pins ($10) raced without cover until Justcallmemiki ($8.50) dashed forward to move to the breeze in the middle stages. Sweet Pins battled on to finish sixth, while Justcallmemiki wilted to finish last.
Never Ending, the $4.80 second favourite from barrier five, raced at the rear and did not threaten danger, finishing in eighth place at his first appearance for seven months.
Bettors Pride, trained by Kevin Keys, has earned $180,076 from ten wins and nine placings from 30 starts. He is by Bettors Delight and is the eighth foal out of Art Start, who raced in Queensland between 2004 and 2007, earning $45,935 from 14 wins and 12 placings from 56 starts.
Art Start, a daughter of American sire Perfect Art, is the dam of nine winners of 124 races, including Expensive Ego (68 starts for 26 wins, 15 placings and $1,002,667) and Bodhi Tree (111 starts for 26 wins, 25 placings and $192,854).
Machnificent Ends A Lengthy Drought
Veteran pacer Machnificent ended an 18-month drought and broke a losing sequence of 24 when he snatched a thrilling last-stride win in the $25,000 Fresh Hits and Throwbacks on Nova Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Though the eight-year-old had been unplaced at his previous 18 starts, he shared favouritism at $4 with Insta Gator, mainly because he had drawn the prized No.1 barrier.
Lucca (barrier three) and Cams Boulder (barrier nine) beat out Machnificent but were unable to cross to the front, and Machnificent led for the first 450m before Trent Wheeler was happy to surrender the front to $10 chance Lucca after a fast lead time of 35.3sec.
Insta Gator raced in the breeze and Machnificent was hopelessly hemmed in behind Lucca and was blocked for a clear passage before Insta Gator began to wilt about 130m from the post, and then Wheeler was able to get Machnificent into the clear.
Machnificent sprinted strongly to overhaul Lucca, a $10 chance, right on the line and win by a head, rating 1.56.8. Tiger Royal ($12) sustained a spirited three-wide burst to finish a neck farther back in third place, just a nose in front of the fast-finishing $19 chance Hale Saint Louie.
Machnificent was having his 13TH start for veteran Byford trainer Peter Anderson, and he improved his record to 97 starts for 19 wins, 19 placings and $320,48 in prizemoney. His most notable victory was in the Group 2 Nights Of Thunder when he rated 1.52.4 in beating Ideal Agent by a head over 1730m in January 2022.
“Trevor Warwick and Ross Waddell bought him for $20,000 at the 2019 APG Perth yearling sale and when Trevor got out of the game last year, Ross bought out Trevor’s share, and had the horse gelded and gave him six months off before he gave him to me train,” said Anderson.
“Machnificent has been drawing out wide but was still going good, and drawing one tonight emphasised the advantage of inside barriers at Gloucester Park. He is a beautiful old horse and is 100 per cent sound.”
Anderson, who turns 69 in November, has trained about 960 winners. “I’d love to get to a thousand,” he said.
Machnificent is by Mach Three and is the sixth foal out of Northern Luck mare Honorable Daughter, who finished at the rear at her six starts during a two-month period in 2010 when she was handled by six different drivers.
Honorable Daughter is out of New Zealand-bred mare Mulan, a winner of three minor events from 20 starts, and is a half-sister to ten winners, including Changeover (66 starts for 29 wins, 16 placings and $2,321,676) and Change Stride (258 starts for 46 wins, 77 placings and $769,254), with 15 of his victories being achieved in WA in 2015 and 2016.
Tactical Change Proves Successful
On the surface WA-bred four-year-old Mysta Moon Walker went into the Smooth FM Perth on Digital Radio Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night with little hope, considering that he had finished last at his two previous outings.
But Henley Brook trainer-reinsman Robbie Williams made a decision to give the gelding a winning chance by altering his racing pattern.
“His past two runs were not as bad as they seemed,” he explained. “I went back at the start of those races, and the leaders were getting away with murder, so tonight I planned to go forward (from barrier six).”
Fireplay, a $71 outsider from the No. 2 barrier, revealed his normal early brilliance to lead for the first 250m before Mysta Moon Walker charged to the front, with the lead time a slow 38sec.
“I was a bit worried because he didn’t get across quite quick enough,” said Williams. “But we then got a very soft first quarter (32.1sec.) which helped him.”
Maddy Rocks, the $1.85 favourite from the outside of the back line, settled down at the rear before Aiden De Campo sent the old mare forward approaching the bell, and she sprinted fast down the back straight and loomed as a serious threat. However, Mysta Moon Walker survived the challenge and beat Maddy Rocks by a head.
“Maddy Rocks had a lot of trouble getting around the final corner, which helped us and probably cost that mare’s chances,” said Williams.
Mysta Moon Walker is by the New Zealand-bred stallion Foreclosure and is the first foal out of the Art Major mare Salacious Gossip, who raced 56 times for seven wins, 12 placings and $60,291. Mysta Moon Walker has now earned $53,729 from five wins and seven placings from 32 starts.
Kyle Symington finished Friday night’s ten-event program in fine style when he drove the winner of the final two events, scoring with the Sarah Wall-trained Flyin Disco ($8.30) and the Katie Howlett-trained Major Moves ($3.80).
Symington was quite content to race in the breeze with Flyin Disco, who took a narrow lead on the home turn and went on to win the 2130m the Kate Mac For Breakfast Pace by a half-length from the pacemaker Jingling Jewels ($7), rating a modest 1.59.4 after a final quarter of 28.5sec.
The New Zealand-bred Major Moves ($3.80) relished his frontrunning role to win the 2130m More Music On Smooth FM Pace by a metre from $9 chance Gentlemans Promise, who trailed him throughout. The $2.30 favourite Lincoln Lover raced in the breeze for most of the way and fought on tenaciously to finish a half-head away in third place.
Katie Howlett kept up the good work when her four-year-old mare Autumn Lady, a $2.20 chance driven by Liam Elliott, was successful at Bunbury on Saturday night.
Also successful at the Bunbury meeting was American Blaze, a four-year-old gelding trained and driven by Michael Munro, who drove a confident race to win the Fitzy, Wippa and Kate Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night when $5.10 chance Paroquet raced without cover in the middle stages and finished strongly to beat the fast-finishing Raklou ($5.50) and the pacemaker Illawong Mustang ($41).
Captains Creek Keeps Up The Good Work
Christian Creek managed only two third placings from 17 starts in New Zealand but she is proving her worth as an excellent broodmare.
Her tenth foal Captains Creek took his earnings to $70,955 when he won the 2130m Nathan, Nat and Shaun For Breakfast Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when starting the $4.20 third favourite.
Four-year-old Captains Creek has now raced 32 times for nine wins and ten placings and looks set for further successes after he finished strongly from sixth at the bell to take a narrow lead 250m from home before beating the $1.85 favourite Captain Said So, who fought on grimly after racing in the breeze outside the pacemaker and $2.60 second fancy Sheer Rock Lady.
Captains Creek was driven confidently by Deni Roberts for trainers Greg and Skye Bond, with the gelding confirming that Team Bond was justified in outlaying $85,000 to buy him at the New Zealand national standardbred yearling sale in February 2023.
The Bonds were no doubt influenced in the decision to purchase Captains Creek when they considered the brilliance of Wainui Creek, an older half-sister to Captains Creek who raced 20 times for the stable in 2020 and 2021, when her eight wins included the Group 2 Norms Daughter Classic in November 2020 and the Group 2 Empress Stakes in March 2021.
Wainui Creek, the winner of the Group 1 Breeders Stakes at Addington in February 2020, was retired with earnings of $395,169 from 17 wins and 20 placings from 61 starts.
The ability of Gary Hall Jnr to get Eastbro Chrissy and Artful Major to get to an early lead and then dictate terms paved the way for their victories on Friday night.
Eastbro Chrissy, a newcomer to Hall’s Serpentine stables, was a $4.70 chance in the Nova 93.7 Pace when the mare stole a march on her rivals by bursting straight to the front from barrier five, leaving the $1.80 favourite Blaze Away locked up behind her.
Blaze Away was blocked for a clear passage until late, when he ran home strongly to finish a 4m second. Eastbro Chrissy has had five WA starts for three wins and a second placing, taking her career record to 64 starts for 15 wins, 17 placings and $116,437 in prizemoney.
“Eastbro Chrissy’s work at home suggests she could take the next step and race in Free-For-Alls for mares,” said Hall.
Hall said he viewed the start of the Joel Creasey Show Handicap over 2503m as extremely vital, and his ability to get Artful Major to the front after about 500m set the stage for his victory.
Artful Major, trained by Justin Prentice, and the Michael Young-trained last-start winner Stormy Vista began alongside each other on the 20m line, and they shared favouritism at $2.60.
“It looked a race in two on paper,” said Hall. “So whichever horse was able to get to the front was going to prove hard to beat.”
Hall rated Artful Major perfectly, and the five-year was not extended in winning easily from the 40m backmarker Chivalry ($31) and Stormy Vista.
“At his previous start Artful Major was hanging badly on the last bend,” said Hall. “He has always been a horse with a few tricks up his sleeve, so when we got to the front it counteracted some of those.”
Leading trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo set the pace with the $3.90 favourite Up And Alive, who fought on grimly to win the 1730m Brekky Show On Nova 93.7 Pace by a head from $4.80 chance Full Swing Denario, who fought on determinedly after working hard in the breeze.
De Campo was also successful on Friday night with Last King Of Capel, driven by Aaron Suvaljko, winning the 2242m opening event at Narrogin before Aaron’s brother Joey landed a treble with Capture The Moment, Heavy Metal Hammer and Thomson Bay.
Then on Saturday night de Campo trained and drove a double at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park, scoring with Write Rite Right ($1.60) and El Raes Girl ($2.60).
