Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Veteran trainer Murray Lindau was not surprised at Beyond The Sea’s brilliant victory at an outside quote of $42.30 in the $20,250 Chinese New Year Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he was full of praise for Kyle Harper’s performance in the sulky.
“Kyle has done a marvellous job; he has driven her world perfect,” said Lindau after Beyond The Sea surged home from twelfth and last at the bell to burst to the front in the final 25m to beat Alta Allure by a length at a 1.57.3 rate over 2130m.
“Beyond The Sea’s trackwork the other day (at Jandakot the previous Friday) was colossal, and I thought that if she drew a (favourable) barrier she would be a real big chance. Her times (in her workout) were as good as those by some of the better horses I’ve trained.
“I was praying that we would get a nice barrier draw. But getting barrier six was not ideal. I put the hood back on her tonight when the plan was that we weren’t going to gas her out of the gate. We planned to go back and see how things panned out.
“She was last at the bell and then moved to the three-wide train, three back. And on the home turn I thought she was going to run a place.”
Alta Queen, the $2.90 favourite, set the pace, with the brilliant filly Cyclone Charlotte in the breeze after dashing forward from her outside draw at barrier No. 9. Cyclone Charlotte got to the front 225m from home before wilting slightly to finish third.
Beyond the Sea was having her third run after a spell, and she now has had 23 starts for six wins, five placings and $55,148 for her owner-breeder Trevor Lindsay. She is by American stallion Sunshine Beach and is the second foal out of the Christian Cullen mare Robyns C C who earned $122,578 from 13 wins and 22 placings from 56 starts.
Robyns C C won three races in New Zealand before her ten WA wins included six in a row in the space of three months in 2013.
It was quite surprising that she was neglected by punters on Friday night, considering her two wins earlier this season and her three wins as a two-year-old, including when she led and won easily from Taking the Miki 12 months ago, rating 1.55.2 which smashed the 2130m course record for two-year-old fillies which was 1.56.7 and held by Wonderful To Fly.
“Beyond The Sea is the first horse I have trained for Trevor Lindsay,” said Lindau. “I broke her in, as well as another three-year-old filly, the unraced Recover Lover, who ran on to win a three-horse trial at Pinjarra yesterday (Thursday).”