Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding Collie reinsman Trent Wheeler made the most of the opportunity to handle Whataretheodds in the $30,000 www.westsideauto.com.au Four and Five-Year-Old Westbred Winter Restricted Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night by bringing the gelding home with a whirlwind burst to score a superb victory.
A series of circumstances led to Wheeler being engaged to drive the Ryan Bell-trained Whataretheodds for the first time in a race after the talented pacer had been driven by four different drivers at his four previous starts.
Whataretheodds was an outsider at $23.50, mainly due to his unfavourable draw on the outside of the front line in the 2130m event, and Wheeler wisely restrained the gelding at the start before he followed the three-wide run of $6 chance All Is Well in the final circuit.
Whataretheodds was in last position with 380m to travel before Wheeler switched him five and six wide to storm home to win, running away by just under a length from All Is Well and $12 chance Crowd Control, who had taken the lead 40m from the post.
“From barrier nine we knew that Whataretheodds would be back there at the rear,” said Bell. “Trent has been a good mate for a long time, and I’m proud of the team and the horse who has been sick for much of his life.
“He is in good health at the moment, and I’ve been waiting for a long time for him to show the speed that he did as an early two-year-old.”
Five-year-old Whataretheodds, who is raced by a syndicate of 14, has now had 23 starts for eight wins, seven seconds and two thirds for stakes of $113,359.
“He is still on a relatively low mark, and we will take things race by race,” said Bell.
The 39-year-old Wheeler celebrated the victory by driving a double at Narrogin on Saturday night when he was successful with $88.30 outsider Follow Rocknroll and $7.10 chance Honour The Eagle, pacers trained by his father Brian.
Paul Edward, the $2.05 favourite in Friday night’s feature event, disappointed when he set the pace before fading to finish tenth.