Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper has Minos racing in grand style, and the New Zealand-bred five-year-old revealed strong staying qualities when he overcame early trouble to win the $25,000 Hoist Solutions Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Minos was a well-supported $2.90 second fancy from out wide at barrier No. 7, with noted frontrunner Talks Up A Storm the $2.70 favourite from barrier two.
Harper sent Minos forward at the start and the gelding was forced four wide about 270m after the start when Sweet Lucifer ($19) broke into a gallop.
“This cost Minos dearly,” said Harper. “We ended up in the middle of the track after a fast lead time of 35.9sec. and I had to keep going forward (to the breeze) to put pressure on the leader (Talks Up A Storm). Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to beat him. I though Minos was very brave.”
Minos fought on determinedly to take the lead in the final 50m and he held on to beat $19 chance Thelittle Master, who was seventh at the bell before flying home, out five wide, to be beaten by just a half-neck. The winner rated 1.55.6 after final quarters of 27.6sec. and 29sec. Talks Up A Storm finished close up in third place.
“I was disappointed that Minos didn’t get a start in the Lord Mayor’s Cup tonight, a race I had been targeting,” said Harper. “He has now raced three weeks in a row, and I won’t run him in the Pinjarra Cup,” said Harper. “I think I’ll now give Minos a bit of a break while working him in the water walker before his next start.”
Minos has been a revelation since arriving in WA where his first four starts for Harper have produced three wins and a fourth placing to take his career record to 23 starts for eight wins, nine placings and $177,880.
Three weeks ago, five-year-old Kurios Boy had a losing sequence of 13, with only one placing from those outings. But part-owner and trainer Kevin Keys has turned the WA-bred gelding’s fortunes around with two wins and a second placing to Minos at his past three starts.
Kurious Boy was a $9.20 chance from barrier seven in the 2130m HTA Reaching For The Top Pace on Friday night when Deni Roberts drove him to victory over the $1.95 favourite Reset The Bar and Manhattan Moon ($15).
Roberts allowed Kurious Boy to relax at the rear before he surged home from ninth at the bell to get up in the final couple of strides to beat Reset The Bar, who had taken the lead on the home turn after racing on the outside of the pacemaker Heez Good As Gold ($8.50). Kurious Boy now has earned $86,459 from six wins and eight placings from 42 starts.
