Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Twenty-one-year-old Joey Suvaljko had the choice of driving any one of his mother Sarah’s three runners, Isaidboo, Peter Romeo and Classnsmart, in the 1730m Larkhill Vets Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But he made the right decision when he chose to handle Beyond Bling for Northam owner-trainer Lang Inwood.
Beyond Bling was a $9.70 chance from the No. 5 barrier, and Suvaljko drove a perfect race to land the New South Wales-bred gelding a narrow winner over the $3.60 second favourite Eve Crocker.
Beyond Bling settled down in sixth position after Classnsmart, a $17 chance driven by Suvaljko’s uncle Shannon Suvaljko, had charged straight to the front from the outside barrier in the field of nine.
When Corey Peterson moved Eve Crocker forward into the one-out, one-back position Joey Suvaljko eased Beyond Bling off the pegs to take a favourable trail behind that mare.
Eve Crocker burst to the front with 380m to travel and looked the winner when she held a two-length lead 220m from home. But Beyond Bling finished with a determined burst to snatch victory by a neck, rating 1.56.1. The victory gave the young Suvaljko his 39TH success in the sulky.
“Joey made the right choice ahead of his mother’s runners,” said Inwood, who purchased beyond Bling for $14,000 last December. The five-year-old now has had 21 starts for Inwood for two wins, five placings and $18,906 in stakes, taking the gelding’s career record to 60 starts for nine wins, 17 placings and $73,511.
Beyond Bling is by former star pacer Bling It On, who earned $1,882,957 from 49 wins and 24 placings from 100 starts, with his victories including the 2014 Queensland Derby and the 2017 Hunter Cup and 2019 Victoria Cup at Melton.
Beyond Bling’s dam Abovenbeyond raced 70 times for 16 wins, 20 placings and $55,840.