Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
A $5000 investment three years ago has proved quite profitable for Mark Lewis, who enjoyed watching nine-year-old Athabascan score a narrow victory in the Sunrise On Seven Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The veteran Mach Three gelding has now raced 57 times for Lewis for seven wins, 15 placings and earnings of $90,509. He has been prepared by his mother Debra Lewis at her Hopeland property.
Athabascan, driven by Jocelyn Young, was a $21.40 chance from the No. 3 barrier on Friday night. He burst straight to the front and gave a strong frontrunning performance to win by a head from $4.40 chance Cordero, who finished solidly along the inside after having trailed the pacemaker throughout.
Athabascan rated 1.57.9 over 2536m and he improved his career record to 116 starts for 17 wins, 35 placings and stakes of $157,670.
It was sage advice from Young that influenced Mark Lewis to purchase Athabascan in June 2019. “I recommended him to Mark after Matty (trainer Matt Saw) was sick of him and was putting him up for sale for $5000,” said Young.
“Athabascan has been a bit of a headache. He occasionally wants to buck out of the gate and during a race.”
Lewis said that he bought the gelding ages ago, revealing: “Jocelyn told me to buy him. He was cheap, and for no good reason I bought him. He did well and then fractured his nearside fore pedal bone and was out for a long time.”
Athabascan damaged his pedal bone in a race at Gloucester Park in June 2020 and he was out of action for 16 months.