Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Hail Deni Roberts. She stands tall as the first woman to drive the winner of the prestigious WA Pacing Cup.
The 29-year-old Roberts stuck rigidly to her plan of setting the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Minstrel the task of racing without cover in the $450,000 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the Rocknroll Hanover gelding simply proved too tough and too talented for his eleven rivals.
Minstrel, a $7.90 chance, raced on the outside of the pacemaker Pinny Tiger ($4.40) before forging to the front about 600m from home and winning by a half-length from Mister Smartee, who shared favouritism at $3.80 with Captain Ravishing.
Not only was this a triumph for Roberts and the tough as teak stayer Minstrel, it also was an outstanding achievement for master trainers Greg and Skye Bond, who produced the gelding in superb condition and at his peak for his testing assignment over 2536m at his first appearance for four weeks.
The Bonds and Roberts planned to set Minstrel the task of racing in the breeze from the No. 2 barrier after conceding that he had little or no chance of getting to the front in the early stages, with brilliant beginner Pinny Tiger certain to lead from the coveted No. 1 barrier.
Jumpingjackmac ($16) mustered excellent early speed in a bid to get to the front, or to the breeze, but Roberts was in no mood to surrender the breeze, forcing Stuart McDonald to restrain Jumpingjackmac back to the rear.
“We couldn’t win if we handed up,” said Mrs Bond. “Minstrel loves the breeze, and I was confident he was fit enough, even though it was not ideal having an interrupted preparation.”
The Bonds certainly had good reason for not being concerned at the prospect of Minstrel doing all the work in the Cup. He had worked in the breeze in nine of his previous Gloucester Park wins, including the Golden Nugget in February 2021 (when he set a race record of a 1.54.7) and he also raced in the breeze when a head second to Mighty Ronaldo in the Fremantle Cup in January 2023 and when second to Catch A Wave in the Nullarbor slot race in April this year.
“This was a very pleasing result and was better than when Mighty Conqueror won the Pacing Cup for us (in January 2020),” said Greg Bond. “And that’s because Minstrel didn’t have the best lead-up (after suffering a minor colic attack and being forced to be scratched from the Stratton Cup a fortnight ago).
“Skye reads the play with Minstrel and is a bit unorthodox with him. She hoppled him this morning and gave him a good solid workout over 2400m.”
Mrs Bond said that her highly irregular decision to give Minstrel a hoppled workout on the morning of a race has worked particularly well for the pacer.
“He didn’t miss much work due to his colic attack, so we weren’t chasing our tails going into tonight’s race,” she said.
Greg Bond said that he was yet to make a decision regarding a trip to Sydney for Minstrel to contest the Interdominion championship series, with the opening set of heats due to be run on November 29.
“We will probably decide within a week or so if we want to take him to Sydney for the Inters,” he said. “It’s in the melting pot at the moment.”
Minstrel already has had one trip to race in Sydney. After winning the Golden Nugget in February 2021 he contested the rich Chariots Of Fire at Menangle in which he finished ninth behind Expensive Ego.
There was little change in the first two laps in Friday night’s Cup, with Pinny Tiger leading from Minstrel, Sangue Reale ($51) behind the pacemaker, and Mister Smartee poised in the one-out, one-back position.
Aiden De Campo had Captain Ravishing following Mister Smartee, and with 1000m to travel Kyle Symington sent $18 chance Swingband forward from the rear, flushing out Captain Ravishing three wide and giving Swingband a good trail for the final circuit.
Roberts sent Minstrel to the front entering the back straight the final time, when the overracing Pinny Tiger began to fade. Minstrel quickly established a good break on his rivals, with Mister Smartee being briefly hampered for room.
Gary Hall Jnr got Mister Smartee into the clear at the 400m, and the four-year-old fought on determinedly to finish a half-length second, with all honours going to the winner. Mighty Ronaldo ($23) finished strongly, out three wide, to be an eye-catching third after being shuffled back from three back on the pegs to the rear in the back straight. Captain Ravishing was fourth.
For Roberts, this was her fourth Group 1 success. She has enjoyed a splendid association with Minstrel, having driven the gelding 15 times for eight wins, two seconds, one third, one fourth and for three unplaced efforts.
“Minstrel is an absolute machine,” she said. “I thought that at the top of the straight he was going to get rolled, but he found another gear.”
Minstrel now has raced 64 times for 25 wins, 19 placings and stakes of $1,298,288. He had ten starts in New Zealand for four wins, five placings and $40,525. He made his debut, as a three-year-old, when he was a $13.20 chance who burst straight to the front from barrier five and then trailed the pacemaker and used the sprint lane to win in a three-way photo in a 1980m event at Addington on August 16, 2019.
Greg Bond showed an early interest in Minstrel, saying: “We liked him as a two-year-old, but he failed a vet test. Then we watched him race as a three-year-old and still liked him. Someone else tried to buy him but again he failed a vet test for the same reason, knee issues.
“In the end, we took a punt, and I rang Davey Butt, one of the owners, and put a number (price) on him. I said ‘here’s my offer: we buy half, and you keep half, and we will share the pain or share the gain.’
“So, Davey spoke to the other owners, and they agreed, and we’ve all been winners.”
Greg and Skye Bond share the ownership in Minstrel with Rob Gartrell, Davey Butt and his wife Catherine, Davey Butt’s parents Robin and Jackie, and Tony Hickman and his wife Penny (Robin’s daughter).
Minstrel is the third foal out of the Mach Three mare Ovaride, who raced 14 times for one win (as a three-year-old over 2200m at Ascot Park in September 2012), four placings and $10,580 in stakes.
Minstrel’s half-sister The Achiever (by Bettors Delight) had 16 starts (all in WA) for four wins, two placings and $23,671 before being retired. Minstrel’s half-brother Rollova had 51 starts for eleven wins (three in New Zealand and eight in Victoria), eleven placings and $96,828. Ovaride’s final foal is four-year-old Over The Top, who has had three starts for one win (at Alexandra Park) and one placing (a third at Menangle 14 months ago) for earnings of $7853.