Katja Warwick has ended a wonderful 32-year career as a trainer on a high note with the win of her big pacer Travelban in the $27,000 Happy 40TH Birthday Matty Joss Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The time has come, and I have loved my time here where I have had so many great experiences,” she said.
“I have my galloping licence and I’m training Shaula at the moment, and I intend to concentrate on preparing gallopers. I’ll keep that side alive.
“I got my licence to train pacers here when I was 21, and after that I went to the States where over five years there I trained some very smart horses and won many races when based in the State of Delaware, in New York State and then in Kentucky.”
Among her best performers were Mister Aviator, Costly Legs, Real Tough and Mystic Gold, with Mister Aviator earning the title of the two-year-old and three-year-old of year.
Her 225 winners in Western Australia include three group 1 winners, Straittothehilton (Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies in June 2014), Red Hot Roxy (Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in April 2016) and Askmeilltellya (Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies in May 2019).
She also trained group 2 winners Machnificent (2022 Nights Of Thunder) and Sebastian James (Pearl Class in August 2024) as well as Tommy Be Good, who won two group three feature events, the 2017 Randall memorial Cup at Pinjarra and the 2018 Parliamentarians Cup at Gloucester Park).
Travelban, a big stallion who stands 16.3 hands, and has the stable name of Ghandi (with his dam being World Peace) notched his first metro-class win when he began from the No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s race.
Shannon Suvaljko made every post a winner with Travelban, the $5.10 second fancy behind the $4 favourite Goodtime Louis.
Travelban was smartest to begin and Suvaljko was determined to keep his main danger Goodtime Louis badly hemmed in, with that pacer beginning from the inside of the back line.
“I drove Travelban last week (when he raced three wide all the way and finished tenth behind Captain Confetti in a 1730m sprint) and I said that he would win at his next start,” said Suvaljko.
“And when he came up with (barrier) one, it was a great draw for him. We had the main danger behind us, and I didn’t intend to let him out. I ran a solid time, so the breeze horse (Mister Macedon) was under pressure, and all the others back in the field weren’t going to sprint over me. I had to be clever to keep Goodtime Louis in a pocket.”
Suvaljko restrained Travelban for much of the final circuit to make sure that Goodtime Louis would not get into the clear. That did not eventuate, and Goodtime Louis simply was unable to fight out the finish, finishing fifth.
Travelban is by Fly Like An Eagle and is the sixth foal out of unraced Blissfull Hall mare World Peace. His victory on Friday night took his record to 50 starts for 12 wins, 11 placings and $92,998.
He is following in the footsteps of World Peace’s first five foals Allwood Peacemaker (69 starts for six wins, 13 placings and $69,283), Allwoods Treaty (26 starts for five wins, seven placings and $27,830), Make It Happen (84 starts for 12 wins, 22 placings and $92,891), Per Ardua Ad Astra (123 starts for 18 wins, 29 placings and $130,422) and See The World (42 starts for seven wins, 12 placings and $61,630).
Mrs Warwick has been preparing a stable of twelve pacers, and she said that they would all be gone within a week or two. Winegum has been sold, and Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey has already taken over the preparation of Travelban and World Secret.
By Ken Casellas