Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Brilliant WA-bred six-year-old Lavra Joe is looming as a major candidate for the $1,250,000 Nullarbor slot race on April 19, following his superb victory in the $31,000 Allwood Stud Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Starting at the generous odds of $3.50, Lavra Joe rated a smart 1.53.8 in beating the $3.30 favourite Swingband by a half-length and left his owner-trainer Ray Jones smiling contentedly.
Lavra Joe’s win came four days after he had raced fiercely at the rear of the field and finished a well-beaten tenth behind Minstrel in the 2692m Pinjarra Cup when having his first start for two months.
“He is on target for the Nullarbor,” said Jones. “He needed the Pinjarra run when he was a bit above himself, wouldn’t settle and pulled hard. He will now run in the Mount Eden Sprint (a $48,500 event over 1684m) at Pinjarra on Monday week (March 18).
“After that, depending on how he pulls up after that sprint race, he will contest the Bunbury Cup (a Group 3 $50,000 event on March 30) before the Nullarbor.”
Lavra Joe began out wide at barrier seven on Friday night and Kyle Harper was content for the powerful gelding to race three wide for the first 550m before moving to the breeze, with $7.50 chance Hampton Banner overracing in front after a fast lead time of 35.9sec.
This gave Swingband an ideal trail in the one-out, one-back position. Lavra Joe forged to the front with 550m to travel, with Swingband giving chase.
A 28.3sec. second quarter of the final mile was followed by final 400m sections of 27.9sec. and 28.2sec.
Harper, who was driving Lavra Joe for the sixth time in a race, was full of praise for the gelding, saying: “It was the real Lavra Joe tonight. He was excellent and that was the first time he felt like the iron horse that he is.
“I expected him to be good enough tonight to sit in the breeze and win. The plugs were in, and he ran away from them. Swingband is a very nice horse to have sitting on your back, but I wasn’t worried at any stage. I haven’t had that feeling from him before.”
Lavra Joe now has earned $633,374 from 33 wins and 13 placings from 66 starts.