Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Chivalry was seen in his familiar role of pacemaker when trainer Lindsay Harper took full advantage of the No. 1 barrier and drove him to a smart all-the-way win in the $23,000 HTA Reaching For The Top Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“We’re heading for the big races, and hopefully he will do the job,” said Harper, referring to the rich feature events for four-year-olds later this year.
The New Zealand-bred Chivalry, the $1.70 favourite, has done all his racing in Australia for 11 wins, six placings and $78,457. He won once from two starts in New South Wales and was successful at three of his seven Victorian appearances before entering Harper’s stables, with his 16 WA starts producing seven wins and two placings.
Chivalry was able to coast through the opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.9sec. before dashing over the final 400m sections in 27.8sec. and 29sec. on his way to winning by a length from the $3.80 second favourite Soho Dow Jones, who battled on gamely after racing in the breeze.
Chivalry is by boom sire Sweet Lou and is the fifth foal out of Artsplace mare Bedtime, who earned $56,798 from nine wins and nine placings from 38 starts.
His half-sister Dontstopbelievin won once from six New Zealand starts before winning ten times from 45 starts in Western Australia. She then travelled to America where she has won another 14 times, and now boasts a record of 130 starts for 25 wins, 30 placings and stakes of $230,975.