Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Up-and-coming New Zealand-bred gelding Golden Lode showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the rich feature events for four-year-olds later in the year when he worked hard before winning the $25,000 Rotary Club of Fremantle Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Making his first appearance for seven weeks, Golden Lode, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and driven by Deni Roberts, was the $3.80 second fancy from the outside of the back line of three runners.
Roberts was rewarded with her aggression. Golden Lode settled down at the rear before Roberts quickly dashed him forward with a three-wide burst to get to the breeze 550m after the start, with Gully Gum ($6.50) setting a solid pace.
Gully Gum dashed over the final three 400m sections in 28.7sec., 28.6sec. and 27.4sec. but found Golden Lode too strong, finishing a length second to that pacer.
“I wanted to punch through as hard as I could to get forward of the better ones, and we managed to do that early,” said Roberts. “Golden Lode is a good horse, and he can do it all.
“He hasn’t had much luck in the draws and there’s always been a horse wanting to hold the breeze.”
Blaze On, the $2.30 favourite from out wide at barrier No. 8, settled down at the rear before starting a three-wide run after a lap. He was forced to work hard for the rest of the race and finished sixth.
Friday night’s win gave Golden Lode his first success as a four-year-old after he had won at ten of his 19 starts as a three-year-old. He is by Always b Miki and is the sixth foal out of Yankee Dream, who earned $277,214 from 15 wins and 18 placings from 56 starts.
Golden Lode has earned $151,321 from eleven wins and 13 placings from 33 starts.
For five-year-old New Zealand-bred Blaze On, this was his final appearance in Australia. A winner at twelve of his 38 starts he has been sold and will do his future racing in America.
His trainer Michael Young said that Blaze On was a victim of the national handicapping system, saying: “Under the system he had to draw out wide every week, and that left no future for him here.”
Horses sold to the United States by Young include Vespa, Orlando Blue, Watts Up Sunshine, Watching Our Coin and Acushla Machree.