Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Diminutive pacer Awaitinginstructions caused a surprise when he ended an 18-month drought and broke a losing sequence of 21 when he overcame the disadvantage of the outside barrier before flying home to win the 2130m Twinkly Tinsel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Awaitinginstructions, prepared by Serpentine trainer Matt Scott, was driven perfectly by Kyle Harper, who quickly got the seven-year-old from barrier eight to the favourable one-out and two-back position in fifth place while Major Freeway ($8) was setting the pace from Major Jay ($11) in the breeze.
The polemarker and $2.30 favourite Hengheng trailed the pacemaker before getting into the clear approaching the home turn, with Awaitinginstructions still in sixth or seventh place.
“Before the race it looked hard for Awaitinginstructions from the wide barrier, but it proved to be not that bad,” said Harper. “Nearing the home turn Hengheng pulled out and I jumped on to his back. The others were going up and down on the one spot.”
Awaitinginstructions, an $11.30 chance on the tote, was a $31 outsider on the fixed market. He flashed home out four wide to beat Hengheng by a length at a 1.58.8 rate.
The Victorian-bred Awaitinginstructions, whose previous win was at Gloucester Park in June 2023, won at nine of his first eleven starts in WA. He now has a record of 81 starts for 16 wins, 13 placings and $126,344.
He is by Courage Under Fire and is the eleventh foal out of Armbro Operative mare Indigenous, who had 21 starts for 14 wins (13 in Victoria and one in New South Wales) for earnings of $112,245. A highlight of her brief career was her second placing to Oaxaca Lass in the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Moonee Valley in August 2002.