WA-bred five-year-old Heez Good As Gold is fitted with special three-quarter shoes on his hind hooves to prevent him from hitting his front feet, and he was at an apparent disadvantage when he was forced to race without his back shoes in the $23,000 HTA Taking You To New Heights Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Heez Good As Gold, the warm $2.20 favourite from the No. 1 barrier, cast his nearside hind plate during his preliminary, forcing his driver Shannon Suvaljko to take him off the track and to have the off-side hind shoe removed to keep him properly balanced.
Heez Good As Gold won the start and after a fast opening quarter of 28.1sec. he was restrained to cover the next sections in 29.9sec., 29.3sec. and 29.6sec. before he held on to win by a head from $8.50 chance Tantabiddi, who was tenth at the bell before getting clear in the late stages and flying home between horses to just fail.
“After early challenges, he probably travelled too well,” said Suvaljko. “Then we had to hold the field, and that probably didn’t suit him, grabbing up which probably cut his wind off a bit. The ten horse (Goodtime Louis) was on our back and was the main danger, so I wanted to keep him in a pocket.”
Trainer Mike Reed was relieved after the narrow win, saying: “They went hard early and Heez Good As Gold was under a lot of pressure. And after the fast first quarter I thought we might be in trouble. I’m not sure that racing without his special rear shoes helped or hindered him.
“He bowed his nearside front tendon as a young horse. It wasn’t a bad bow, but I’ve never seen a good one yet. His leg now seems to be okay.”
Heez Good As Gold was bought by Jim Giumelli’s Swandoo Harness Racing syndicate for $50,000 at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, and the Rich And Spoilt gelding has earned $74,598 from six wins and nine placings from 43 starts.
Ekara Navajo completes Hall treble
Ekara Navajo, a comparatively inexperienced five-year-old mare, showed she has the ability to win more city races when she set the pace and scored an easy victory in the $21,000 HTA Setting New Standards In Hoisting Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Fly Like An Eagle pacer was not extended in leading from the No. 4 barrier and setting a moderate early pace before finishing solidly to give star reinsman Gary Hall jnr the third leg of a treble, after winning earlier in the program with Mighty Ronaldo and Ideal Beach to take his season’s tally of winners to 131.
Ekara Navajo, trained by Corey Peterson, was the $3.80 second favourite, with the Dylan Egerton-Green-trained Rebline a well-supported $2.65 favourite.
“The lead time (37.9sec.) was pretty soft and she dropped the bit well,” said Hall after Ekara Navajo had defeated $51 outsider Air Marshall by just over a length, rating 1.59.8 after final quarters of 28.8sec. and 29.5sec.
Sweet Ivy ($11) was third after being tenth at the bell and running home strongly out six wide on the track. Rebline fought on from ninth with a lap to go to finish fifth.
Ekara Navajo has had 26 starts for five wins, seven placings and $43,639. She is the first foal out Lil Miss Lisla, who raced 42 times for seven wins, ten placings and stakes of $33,380. She is related to former smart performers Black And Blue (66 starts for 17 wins, 21 placings and $212,495) and No Blue Manna (105 starts for 41 wins, 25 placings and $628,157).
By Ken Casellas