Veteran Henley Brook trainer Kevin Keys has a special affinity with promising pacer Gentlemans Promise, who recorded his initial win at his fifth start when Chris Lewis drove him to a smart all-the-way victory in the $21,000 Allwood Stud Breeding Tomorrow’s Champions Westbred Consolation for two-year-olds over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He also trained Gentlemans Promise’s dam Sarah Goody and granddam Forrest Interlude, with Sarah Goody having 50 starts for 16 wins, 12 placings and $209,691, and Forrest Interlude having 45 starts for six wins, nine placings and $22,026.
Lewis also has a connection with those mares, having won five times at Gloucester Park with Sarah Goody, and winning once with Forrest Interlude in November 2002.
Sarah Goody won the group 3 Westsired Pace for three-year-olds in June 2007, three starts after her second to Maczaffair in the WA Oaks. And as a five-year-old Sarah Goody won the group 3 Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra in March 2019, beating Our Alfie Romeo and Our Major Mama.
Gentlemans Promise was a $4.30 chance from the favourable No. 2 barrier (after the fillies The Sea Siren and Shoo Boozy were scratched after drawing the two inside barriers).
Lewis sent Gentlemans Promise straight to the front and the gelding ambled through the lead time in 38.4sec. and followed with slow opening quarters of 32sec. and 31.3sec. before lifting the tempo with final 400m sections of 29.6sec. and 28.6sec. He rated 2.0.8 and beat the $2.75 favourite Some Line by 5m after racing in the breeze.
By Ken Casellas