Driving an unfancied horse at long odds from the No. 3 barrier is proving extremely lucky for 22-year-old Joey Suvaljko, the rising star in WA harness racing.
Last Friday week Suvaljko caused a major upset when he came from last with 550m to travel to guide $84.80 outsider Menemsha to a thrilling victory over Rolling Fire in the group 3 August Cup, and then at Gloucester Park on Friday night he scored a half-head victory with $60.40 outsider Rockandrollartist in the $31,000 WATA Members Sprint over 1730m.
Each winner began from the No. 3 barrier and are prepared by star trainer Aiden De Campo.
“Rockandrollartist went pretty well last week when he didn’t get a run (and finished an unlucky seventh behind Thenu Came Along),” said Suvaljko. “It worked out well this week when we got out late and ran home strongly to win.”
Rockandrollartist made an unsuccessful challenge for the lead, with the polemarker and $1.70 favourite Steel The Show holding him at bay. Paul Edward, a $91 outsider from out wide at barrier eight, mustered considerable early pace to dash to the front after 400m, and then Suvaljko was able to get Rockandrollartist into the favourable one-out, one-back position behind the breeze horse Arma Xfactor ($6.50).
Arma Xfactor got to the front 220m from home before being overhauled in the final couple of strides by Rockandrollartist and Alcopony.
Rockandrollartist was bred and is owned by Albany trainer Adrian Shanks, who sent the horse to be prepared by De Campo after having given him 44 starts for three wins at Albany and wins at Narrogin, Northam and Pinjarra.
The gelding now has had 32 starts for De Campo for seven wins, with De Campo saying: “Adrian didn’t have the cattle down there (in Albany) to push the horse through the grades.
“When he comes back from a spell, he is pretty ordinary for his first four or five runs, and then once he hits his straps, he is a very nice horse. He went across the line bolting last week.”
Rockandrollartist is a half-brother to seven winners, including Heez On Fire (52 starts for 20 wins, eight placings and $287,607) and Papinik (25 starts for 14 wins, seven placings and $145,511).
Rockandrollartist, who ended a losing sequence of eleven on Friday night, has earned $150,915 from 13 wins and 24 placings from 76 starts. He is by Rock N Roll Heaven and is the tenth foal out of Perfect Art mare Artists Impression, who was placed at one of her three starts before being retired to the breeding barn.
Suvaljko’s golden run continued at Kellerberrin on Sunday when he drove $3.90 chance Elegant Eagle to victory in the Christine Worrall Pace, and then three races later he prepared his first winner as a trainer when Abbey Vidovich drove Shes A Lucky Penny ($1.50) to score a good win over Lets Rock Tonight in a 2130m event.
Suvaljko races Shes A Lucky Penny in partnership with Vidovich. The eight-year-old mare was Suvaljko’s first runner as a trainer when she finished a close third behind Dream Control at Pinjarra on Monday of last week.
By Ken Casellas