Hawkins Regains His Zest For Pacing
Former successful jockey and talented trainer-reinsman Kristian Hawkins has rekindled his love of harness racing, and he celebrated his first win at Gloucester Park for six and a half years when he prepared veteran pacer Jamie Kim for his victory in the $21,000 Westside Auto For Your Tyres Pace over 2130m on Friday night.
“I’m in the process of getting more pacers to train,” he said after Jocelyn Young set the pace with Jamie Kim, an $8 chance who led from the No. 2 barrier and was able to dawdle through the lead time in 38.6sec. and slow opening quarters of 32.2sec. and 30.8sec.
Young then increased the tempo, and Jamie Kim covered the final 400m sections in 29.4sec. and 29.1sec. and scored by a half-length from $4 chance True Grit, who fought on from sixth at the bell.
This gave the 46-year-old Hawkins his first win at Gloucester Park since he trained and drove Runaway Three for a half-head victory over Soho Thunderstruck on December 23, 2019.
Hawkins is the seventh trainer to have prepared Jamie Kim during his career of 141 starts for eleven wins, 24 placings and stakes of $108,267. Hawkins has now trained 148 winners.
He relinquished his licence as a trainer-reinsman in March 2020 when he was appointed as a cadet harness racing steward, and after a year in that job he travelled to Port Hedland where he worked for five and a half years at an iron ore facility.
“At the moment I’m working Jamie Kim and two gallopers, Desert Edge and Manhattan Strip, and am looking forward to Jamie Kim performing well when he contests a standing-start event at Pinjarra on Monday,” he said.
“Then in a couple of weeks I’ll hit the road with the two gallopers who will be set for the Broome, Roebourne and Port Hedland Cups. While I am away Possum (Jocelyn) will train Jamie Kim.”
Jamie Kim, a seven-year-old by Art Major, is the first foal out of Just Jamie, a mare Hawkins purchased and raced in partnership with several mates, one of whom is Mal Whyte, who owns Jamie Kim with his brother Bill.
Perfect Panacea For Harper
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper was at home on Friday night nursing a couple of broken ribs when he received a perfect panacea for his woes when his son Kyle drove Hold The Ammo to an overdue victory at Gloucester Park.
Harper Snr was laid low recently when a recalcitrant horse lashed out in a paddock and fractured his ribs, injuries which will keep him out of the sulky for several weeks.
Kyle Harper, having his first drive in a race behind Hold The Ammo, was not particularly confident about the winning chances of the four-year-old who went into the race with a losing sequence of twelve and as a $6.10 chance from out wide at barrier No. 7.
However, a blistering lead time of 34.7sec. suited Hold The Ammo, who was given an easy time early when he settled down in last position in the field of nine.
“Hold The Ammo has shown promise but hasn’t quite delivered,” said Kyle Harper. “He got his chance a few starts ago when he led, but he overraced and finished last.
“On a Twitter interview on the way out on to the track tonight I said that Hold The Ammo hadn’t been trying very hard, and I suggested like they say in the form guide ‘others preferred’ but I would be happy to be proved wrong.
“When the 34sec. lead time came up I realised I might have given punters a bum steer. I was content after that fast time all he had to do was to try a little bit, and things unravelled perfectly for him.
“I was also worried that he usually promises the world but produces only an atlas. However, to his credit he delivered tonight and ran through the line with the plugs in.”
Hold The Ammo was still in last place with 250m to travel before Harper urged him forward. He responded and went five wide on the home bend before bursting to the front 70m from the post and winning by a length and a half from the pacemaker Jingling Jewels ($16) who fought on doggedly after being involved in the early speed battle.
Hold The Ammo is owned by Tom Erceg, who purchased him for $140,000 at the 2023 Perth APG yearling sale. He now has raced 31 times for eight wins and five placings for earnings of $70,144. He is by boom sire Sweet Lou and is the first foal out of unraced Somebeachsomewhere mare Invidia.
Invidia is a full-sister to Red Hot Roxy, who earned $162,550 from 13 wins and eight placings from 32 starts, with the highlight of her career being her victory in the Group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in April 2016.
Erceg is now hoping that Hold The Ammo will follow in the footsteps of some of his former smart pacers, including Straittothehilton, Rascal and Tommy be Good.
He bought Straittothehilton as a yearling for $6000 and she won the Group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies in June 2014 and was retired with earnings of $157,415 from ten wins and 22 placings from 68 starts.
Straittothehilton’s first foal was Rascal, who raced 73 times for 16 wins, 14 placings and $170,084 from 73 starts. Tommy Be Good had 115 starts for 18 wins, 32 placings and stakes of $253,708.
High Price Ends A drought
Seven-year-old High Price ended a 15-month drought and ended a losing sequence of 21 when he unwound a flying finish to come from ninth position 250m from home to score a comfortable win in the 2130m Christmas In July Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
High Price, trained at Northam by Garry Sayers and driven by Aiden De Campo, appreciated a drop in class and was excellent value at $15.90.
After High Price was restrained at the start and racing at the rear De Campo explained how he changed his tactics, saying: “I was planning to go forward and to find a hole.
“But during the warm-up I thought that there would be a good bit of speed on, so I ended up restraining the horse. They ran hard the whole way, and that suited him.”
Beyond The Sea, the $1.65 favourite, dashed to the front after 100m and withstood a challenge in the first circuit from Hunger Strike ($5.50) before there was little respite for the leaders with $18 chance Paroquet working hard, out three wide outside Beyond The Sea and Hunger Strike.
Chaco Eagle ($8) raced in eighth place before trailing the three-wide run of Paroquet approaching the bell and getting to the front 270m from home. But he was unable to hold out the fast-finishing High Price.
High Price, a gelding by former star pacer Alta Christiano, has been a handy performer who has raced 87 times for 12 wins and 25 placings for earnings of $197,679.
He is raced by Mike and Lyn Pike, who enjoyed further success when their three-year-old filly Lianaka, trained by Sayers and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, won a 2190m event at Northam’s Burwood Park on Saturday night.
Lianaka, a $52,500 yearling by Art Major, set the pace and held on to beat Torrevean Envy Me by a half-head.
Cups On The Agenda For Bettors Pride
Veteran trainer Kevin Keys has Bettors Pride at his peak, and he is confident the five-year-old will prove hard to beat in both the upcoming Group 3 $50,000 features, the Winter Cup next Friday night and the August Cup six weeks later.
“I’m looking forward to Bettors Pride contesting both those Cups,” said Keys after Shannon Suvaljko had driven the gelding to an impressive victory in the $25,000 Westside Auto Cars Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It was a good effort tonight after he did a bit of work early and then was held up a bit and received a bit of interference.”
Bettors Pride was the $2.10 favourite from barrier five and he raced three wide early before gaining an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position while the polemarker Lucca ($4.60) was setting the pace with Maximum Rock ($15) in the breeze.
“We had to bide our time, and when he got the run, he took a while to wind up,” said Suvaljko. “But then he hit the line really strongly. He has always been fast and now he has got a lot stronger in this preparation, and he has definitely gone to another level.
“In the big races he will be hard to beat if he leads or if he races three back on the rails.”
Bettors Pride unwound a spirited finishing burst to get to the front in the final few strides and beat $8 chance Petes Honour, who trailed the pacemaker all the way and issued a strong challenge on the home turn.
Bettors Pride has now earned $151,366 from nine wins and nine placings from 29 starts. One of his rivals in next Friday night’s Winter Cup is sure to be Youre So Fine, who scored a smart win in the $31,000 Westside Auto 24/7 Online Free-For-All on Friday night.
Youre So Fine, driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Gary Hall Snr, was a $5.20 chance from barrier four, and after racing three wide early he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position while the $3 favourite Chivalry was overracing badly in the lead.
Youre So Fine began a three-wide move 700m from home and was driven patiently by McDonald before he got the upper hand approaching the home turn and went on to win by a neck from $8 chance Justcallmemiki, who finished strongly from eighth at the bell. Water Lou, resuming after a spell, raced three back on the pegs before charging home out five wide to finish third.
“Youre So Fine is an old horse and this is the right time of the year to be racing in Free-For-Alls,” said McDonald. “His injuries are not affecting him, but they are preventing him from being at his absolute best.
“He has damaged a tendon a few times but is going good enough to be competitive in these winter races.”
