Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper went into the $30,000 Warwick Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night with an open mind with consistent five-year-old Chivalry, who was favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier.
“I had two options, to lead or to drop back and sit behind the favourite Spicey Major,” he said. “But it was an easy decision after Spicey Major galloped at the start from barrier one.
“I thought that Spicey Major was a risk because he was crossed from barrier one the previous Friday night, and when he galloped tonight it made it easy for us, and once Chivalry led, he was going to be hard to beat.”
Chivalry, excellent value as a $12.50 chance, bounced straight to the front, while Spicey Major ($1.22) dropped back to last in the field of eight.
Once Chivalry dawdled through the lead time in 38.5sec. and enjoyed an easy opening quarter of 30.2sec. his rivals had little chance of overhauling him. Chivalry dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 28.7sec. and won by a neck from $14 chance Soho Santorini, who trailed the leader all the way.
Spicey Major, owned by Mick Boots, finished last. But Boots was far from dismayed. He also owns Chivalry, who ended a losing sequence of 12 and took his record to 12 wins, 11 placings and $125,874 in prizemoney.
“Chivalry is a quality horse, and I expect him to graduate to open class company,” said Harp