Ken Casellas | Race Replay
Ten-year-old The Righteous, the oldest runner in the Westside Autos Fair Price Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night, celebrated his 176TH start when he led his eight rivals on a merry dance when he scored an all-the-way victory as a $19.90 chance.
He was driven for the first time by Gary Hall Jnr for lessee owner and trainer Peter Anderson. Hall’s previous winner for the Anderson stable was when eight-year-old Parnevik led and beat Everton Star by two lengths in a 2609m stand at Pinjarra on January 25, 2010. That was the only time Parnevik was handled by Hall.
The Righteous mustered early pace from barrier three and took up the running from the polemarker Reddy To Fly ($4.20) after 120m.
Hall stole a march on the other runners when The Righteous was able to meander through the lead time in a very slow 39.4sec. and the opening 400m section in a dawdling 33.1sec.
It was after the funereal lead time that Shannon Suvaljko sent the $3.80 favourite Heez Good As Gold forward to move to the breeze after a lap, with the second quarter being run in a modest 31.5sec.
Hall then made life tough for the opposition when The Righteous sped through the third quarter of the final mile in 27.9sec. The veteran pacer then was able to run the final 400m in a comfortable 29.5sec. to win by a half-length from Reddy To Fly, with Goggins ($20) running on from last at the bell to finish third, a half-length ahead of the wilting Heez Good As Gold.
Suvaljko was nominated as the driver of The Righteous, but he opted for Heez Good As Gold. Hall is the 26TH driver to have handled the evergreen The Righteous, who now has earned $129,987 from 17 wins and 41 placings from 176 starts.
The Righteous is by American sire Rock N Roll Heaven and is the second foal out of unraced Righteous Hanover mare Righteous Ann, a half-sister to Anderson’s former star pacer Buck The Odds, who won a heat of the Interdominion Championship at Gloucester Park in March 2004, beating Flashing Red and Holmes D G.
Buck The Odds was retired with earnings of $307,547 from 31 wins, 29 placings from 121 starts.
Suvaljko will resume as the driver of The Righteous when he contests a standing-start event at Pinjarra on Monday. This will be the old gelding’s first appearance in a stand since he finished fourth behind Ventura as a $61 outsider at Pinjarra on November 6, 2023.
The Righteous has run in mobiles at his past 68 starts and has yet to win from 15 runs in stands. But Anderson is hoping to put an end to that record and continue his purple patch which began at Gloucester Park last Tuesday when his five-year-old mare State My Case, driven by Liam Elliott, overcame the outside barrier by surging home from last to win a 2130m event as a $44.20 outsider.