Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Rob Gartrell is enjoying his hobby as a breeder of pacers, and his latest runner Lady Camel looks set for a fruitful career following an impressive performance at Gloucester Park on Friday night which saw her score an easy win in the $21,000 Fly Like An Eagle Pace over 2130m.
This improved Lady Camel’s record to 17 starts for four wins, four placings and $86,384, and Gartrell is looking forward to the four-year-old mare emulating the career of her elder full-sister Rattlin Lilly, the first pacer he has bred.
Lady Camel is a big, strong filly who is at her best when she sets the pace. She is trained by Greg and Skye Bond and was the $2.10 favourite from barrier five in Friday night’s event. Deni Roberts dashed Lady Camel to the front after 450m, after her main rival and last-start winner Miki Made Monty ($3.30) galloped in the mobile score-up and spent extra energy to catch up and to get away almost on terms with her eleven rivals.
Miki Made Monty raced three wide early to move to the breeze before gaining a sit in the one-out, one-back position in the middle stages when Malakie surged forward from the rear to race outside the pacemaker.
Miki Made Monty battled on doggedly to finish second, three lengths from the winner, who rated 1.57.6 after a 58.6sec. final 800m.
“Lady Camel is a big rolling type who will improve,” said Roberts. “She is pretty immature, and I don’t know how good she is. At the moment she doesn’t have that real turn of foot that quality mares have.
“She paces better than Rattlin Lilly, who would have been a top mare if her action was better. Lady Camel is a delight to train; she has no head check and races in a big, long hopple.”
Rattlin Lilly and Lady Camel are by star American sire Always B Miki and are the first two foals out of the Bettors Delight mare Baileys Gold, who was raced in partnership by Gartrell and earned $74,019 from her 12 wins and 11 placings from 67 starts in WA.
Rattlin Lilly has raced 31 times for eight wins, 12 placings and $86,384, while Lady Camel has earned $37,224 from four wins and four placings from 17 starts. Gartrell has also bred Baileys Gold’s third foal Koh I Noor Camel (by For A Reason) who has had two starts as a two-year-old for a debut victory at Northam in February this year.