Ace trainer-reinsman Chris Voak is excited at the way Sweet Vivienne is racing, and he praised her win in the $31,000 Kersley Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, saying: “She has gone to another level over the past three weeks.”
Five-year-old Sweet Vivienne was a $8.90 chance from the No. 2 barrier, and she was not extended in winning from the tenacious Hillview Bondi ($6) and the $3.40 favourite Bettors Pride, rating 1.56.4 after final 400m sections of 28.2sec. and 27.9sec.
“They went a bit slower (in the first lap) than I wanted her to go,” said Voak, who used Sweet Vivienne’s splendid gate speed to set the pace for the first 220m before relinquishing the lead to noted speedster Longreach Bay ($8).
“After that (early) speed, she had another 800 metres in her after winning the race.”
Sweet Vivienne, who had set the pace at ten of her twelve wins before Friday night, enjoyed the perfect trail behind the frontrunning Longreach Bay before Voak eased her off the pegs 220m from home and switched her three wide on the home bend. She finished powerfully to defeat Hillview Bondi, who had hit the front with 220m to travel.
Voak is now seriously looking at setting Sweet Vivienne for the $150,000 Mares Classic on November 21.
Voak completed a double when Aldebaran Boyd, the $1.60 favourite, outclassed his rivals in the $21,000 Taste Of WA Handicap over 2503m. The former Victorian trotter began from the front line, dashed to an early lead, and showed outstanding speed for a square gaiter when he sprinted over the second last 400m section in 28.5sec. before coasting over the final quarter in 30.7sec. to beat the $4.20 second fancy Majestic Ga Ga, who began from 30m and ran home strongly from fifth at the bell.
Aldebaran Boyd raced 75 times in Victoria for ten wins and 18 placings before he was purchased for $17,000 by several stable clients, and the six-year-old gelding has shone in WA with his seven starts in the State producing four wins, one placing and $29,207 in stakes.
“He is getting better and better and has already exceeded my expectations,” said Voak. Aldebaran Boyd’s record now stands at 82 starts for 14 wins, nine placings and $120,175.
Meanwhile, Star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko lauded astute trainer Mike Reed for his ability to produce his pacers in top shape for their first-up assignments after driving the Reed-trained Mikis Pride to a splendid victory in the $27,000 Thank You Gino Monaco Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Making his first appearance after a seven-week absence, Mikis Pride was a $17.80 chance from barrier two on the back line, with Waverider the $2 favourite from the No. 4 barrier on the front line.
Cams Boulder ($23) dashed to an early lead, while Mikis Pride settled down in eighth place and was seventh in the one-wide line at the bell before he unleashed a powerful burst, out wide, to get up in the final couple of strides to beat $8.50 chance Insta Gator, who, after enjoying a perfect trail in the one-out, one-back position, took the lead 30m from the post. Waverider raced in the breeze before taking the lead 110m from home and then wilting to finish fifth.
The final three quarters were run in 29.8sec., 27.7sec. and 29sec. and Mikis Pride rated 1.56.3.
“Mick (Reed) always has his horses spot on for their first-up runs,” said Suvaljko. “Mikis Pride proved his versatility tonight. He can lead; he can sit or go to the breeze. Tonight, sitting him up and going 1.56.3 shows he is a good horse.
“I’ll have plenty to think about when choosing which horse to drive in the feature events for four-year-olds later this year. The Reed stable has outstanding four-year-olds in Bettors Pride, Mikis Pride, Water Lou and Lion Queen. And there are many other good four-year-olds.
“Probably Bettors Pride is better than Mikis Pride because he has superior gate speed. Mikis Pride has good gate speed, but Bettors Pride flies out. It will take a good horse to beat Bettors Pride or Mikis Pride if either horse leads in a race.”
Suvaljko also was fulsome in his praise of Bettors Pride, who finished a close third behind Sweet Vivienne and Hillview Bondi in a 2130m event on Friday night. Bettors Pride began out wide at barrier eight and was eighth early and sixth at the bell.
“If I didn’t get pushed five wide down the back Bettors Pride probably would have won,” said Suvaljko. “He hit the line better than anything and would have come home in 27sec. flat.”
Suvaljko completed a double when he drove $5.70 chance Take A Hike to victory in the $21,000 Rex Far Too Good Pace, rating a slow 2.1.2 over the 2130m trip.
Take A Hike began from barrier seven and surged forward three wide early to race in the breeze outside the pacemaker and $1.80 favourite Local Resident. Take A Hike got on terms with Local Resident 400m from home and went on to score by just under a length from $41 outsider Fireplay, with $61 chance Hotfoot It running on into third place.
Suvaljko revealed that owner-trainer Robin Zec wanted him to go back at the start and take a sit with Take A Hike. “But the pace was so slow (with a lead time of 38.3sec.) and I knew that there was no breeze horse in the race that I decided to go forward where I knew I would be able to control the race from the breeze,” he said.
The 73-year-old Zec bought Take A Hike for $10,000 last November, and the seven-year-old has now had 13 starts in WA for two wins, five placings and $24,290. Take A Hike won once from 27 New Zealand starts and his 46 runs in New South Wales produced two wins and 16 placings. He has earned $89,142 from five wins and 28 placings from 86 starts.
By Ken Casellas