Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Serpentine trainer Matt Scott enjoys a busy life, and he was at Gloucester Park at 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon with a team of six horses, after a long day on Thursday when he drove to Albany with his thoroughbred mare Cherokee Miss.
“I left at 9.30 in the morning with Cherokee Miss, who won the second-last race when ridden by Tash Faithfull, and I got home with her at 9.30 last night,” said 48-year-old Scott.
“I’m working three gallopers and several pacers, and the Albany win on Thursday was my 20TH with a galloper.”
After a second placing with En Pariant Sur in the opening event at Gloucester Park on Friday night Scott was successful in race two, the $21,000 Shop Budget Stockfeeds In Oakford Pace over 2130m with $12.60 chance Bet On The River to give him his 610TH harness racing winner.
Bet On The River, driven by Tom Nally from the inside of the back line, had a perfect trail behind the polemarker and pacemaker Minor Catastrophe, the $2.50 favourite, before he got into the clear and finished solidly to take the lead 120m from the post and win by two and a half lengths from $34 chance Pocketful Of Opals, who raced four back on the pegs before finishing with a spirited burst.
“Bet On The River is an opportunist who got the right run tonight,” said Scott.
Eight-time WA premiership trainer Ross Olivieri purchased Bet On The River for $20,000 at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale, and the youngster made a perfect start, winning on debut for Olivieri at Pinjarra as a two-year-old in January 2022 when he sprinted over the final 400m of the 1684m event in 27.2sec.
Olivieri raced Bet On The River with John Ellis and Don McLean, and the youngster broke down with a tendon injury which kept him out of action for 16 months before he resumed with a well-beaten fifth at Bunbury in February 2024 which kept him on the sidelines for ten and a half months.
“Ross told John and Don that Bet On The River was not viable for him, and he said ‘you guys can take over my share,’” explained Scott.
“John looked after him and jogged him up, and he asked me to take him to race in the stands at the Busselton carnival last December and January where I gave him four starts for three wins, including the Busselton Cup.
“The deal was that John should resume as the trainer after the Busselton venture, and he gave the gelding four starts for two placings before he (John) had back surgery and returned the horse to me. Bet On The River was having his third start for me in this preparation when he raced on Friday night.”
Bet On The River has had only 17 starts for six wins, three placings and $42,113, and Scott is confident the five-year-old will win more races, particularly when used as a sit-sprinter.