Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop has concentrated on racing Heavenly Wage on South-West tracks with plenty of success, and he was rewarded for his decision to start the five-year-old gelding at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Of Heavenly Wage’s previous 45 starts in WA only three had been at Gloucester Park, resulting in unplaced efforts at tote odds of $9, $101 and $126.
And Heavenly Wage was a rank outsider again on Friday night, starting at the handsome quote of $78, despite his strong-finishing second to Blaze Coops over 2185m at Pinjarra eleven days earlier.
A skilful drive by Deni Roberts played a vital part in Heavenly Wage’s neck victory over the pacemaker Rockmyster ($9).
Chivalry, the popular $1.80 favourite from the prized No. 1 barrier, was surprisingly beaten for early speed by $126 outsider Dominus Factum (barrier eight) and Rockmyster (barrier five), with Rockmyster taking up the running.
Lindsay Harper settled Chivalry down behind Rockmyster, and then Aiden De Campo restrained Dominus Factum and attempted to take his pacer to race three back on the pegs. But it was here that Roberts made the winning move.
She was determined not to allow Dominus Factum to get to the pegs and she drove Heavenly Wage hard to deprive De Campo of this favourable position.
Soon after that Harper eased Chivalry off the inside to move to the breeze after 450m, thus enable Heavenly Wage to get the ideal run behind the frontrunning Rockmyster. Meanwhile, Dominus Factum was able to obtain a perfect sit in the one-out, one-back position.
The middle quarters were run in 28.9sec. and 28.3sec. and when Chivalry began to weaken Roberts was able to get Heavenly Wage off the pegs and into the clear with 125m to travel. Heavenly Wage sprinted strongly and got up to win by a neck from Rockmyster, rating a smart 1.54.2, after a final 400m of 28.9sec.
“A lot of people think that Heavenly Wage is only a one-lap horse, having excelled in the new 1177m sprint events at Pinjarra (where the gelding’s 13 starts over 1177m over the past eleven months have resulted in six wins, one second, four thirds and two fourths),” said Mellsop.
“He can run but he can’t do too much work. But up to a mile he can. He has always had a motor, but he has had a shocking attitude and is not a lot of fun to work with.”
Thoroughly enjoying Heavenly Wage’s victory were part-owners Geoff and Dorothy Bottoms, over in Perth from the eastern states on holidays.
Heavenly Wage is by American sire Rock N Roll Heaven and is the only foal out of Tinted Cloud mare Gee Tee Wage, who raced 49 times for ten wins, 11 placings and $51,835.