Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Victorian-bred pacer Gee Smith, regarded in Western Australia as a standing-start specialist, showed his ability as a mobile performer when he gave a spirited performance to win the Emily And Elise Stampalia Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“We haven’t had a lot of luck in recent stands, and his form had dropped off a little bit, so we thought we would try the mobile,” said trainer Matt Scott, who races the five-year-old Sportswriter gelding in partnership with Tony Maguire.
“It was a good drive by Shannon Suvaljko,” said Scott. “He drove him positively — and got the money. He was dropping in class, and he was probably going to finish midfield in the San Simeon Classic a week earlier. But broken gear knocked him out of the race.”
Gee Smith was a $4.80 chance from the No. 5 barrier. He raced three wide for the first 500m and then in the breeze before Sameplace Sametime dashed forward in an unsuccessful challenge for the lead after a lap, thus giving Gee Smith an ideal passage, one-out and one-back.
Suvaljko sent Gee Smith forward, with a three-wide burst at the bell, and the gelding sustained a strong effort to get to the front about 50m from the post to win by a half-length from $17 chance Texas Tara, who finished powerfully from the rear at the bell.
Maguire bought Gee Smith for $10,000 about 15 months ago after the gelding had won at four of his 23 Victorian starts, all in mobiles. Gee Smith’s win on Friday night took his WA record to 35 starts for seven wins, 16 placings and stakes of $76,136 to improve his career record to 58 starts for 11 wins, 19 placings and $99,050 in prizemoney.
Friday night’s win was some compensation for Maguire, who purchased a three-year-old thoroughbred filly about a fortnight ago, only to lose her last Thursday when an operation to an eye resulted in her death.
Gee Smith, a four-time winner and a 16-time placegetter in stands in WA, is out of Our Burning Desire, a mare who earned $81,250 from 13 wins, 11 seconds and one third from 50 starts.