Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
It was business as usual at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the enduring combination of owner Tim Blee, trainer Matt Scott and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko got the meeting underway with the victory of Mydadtheterror in the $21,000 Westside Auto Cars Pace over 2130m.
This continued a remarkable run of successes over the past eight years, a tally of 59 wins for the trio, with Suvaljko scoring with eleven pacers owned by Blee and trained by Scott.
All the winners have been chosen by Blee, a retired schoolteacher and a keen harness racing enthusiast.
Heading the list of winners for the trio are Neighlor and Cut Above, with Suvaljko driving Neighlor to 14 wins and Cut Above to 12 wins. Suvaljko’s other wins for Blee and Scott are as follows: Awaitinginstructions (seven), Son Of A Tiger (six), Follow The Music (four), Glens Of Tekoa, Clarenden Hustler, Belonero and Mikipelo (three each) and Miss Taken and Mydadtheterror (two each).
Suvaljko, who celebrated his 56TH birthday last Wednesday, said: “Tim is my old science teacher at school, and to win a race for him is lovely.
“Mydadtheterror’s previous run (seventh in a field of eight behind Ronald Scott at Bunbury two Tuesdays ago) was too bad to be true. And once he found the right spot tonight, he was dangerous, and he proved his true worth.”
Mydadtheterror was a $6.30 chance from the awkward barrier at No. 7, and he settled down in eighth position, with the polemarker and $6 chance Courage Of Lombo setting a solid pace.
When Aiden De Campo sent $12 chance Alfredi forward approaching the bell to move to the one-out, one-back position, Suvaljko was happy to follow that pacer who started a three-wide move 450m from home and then took the lead 150m later. Mydadtheterror finished strongly to get to the front in the final 60m before beating the fast-finishing $3.50 favourite Cee Dee Three by 2m.
Mydadtheterror had 52 starts in New Zealand for four wins and seven placings before he was purchased by Blee last September.
“He then had a spell before his first start in WA when he won first-up in Busselton on December 26,” said Scott. “He is a good sit-sprinter and will be a good earner. He is an opportunist, and there are no major aims for him. He will now probably go back to race in the country.”
Mydadtheterror is a six-year-old by former start New Zealand pacer Terror To Love and is the first foal out of Artistic Jewel, who was retired after being unplaced at her first two starts. Mydadtheterror has earned $60,736 from six wins and eight placings from 61 starts.