Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Memories of champion pacer Baltic Eagle were revived at Gloucester Park on Friday night when his close relation Baltic Ace won the $20,250 The West Australian Pace.
Baltic Ace has proved a bargain for Pinjarra trainer Tracy Reay, who bought him for $5000 in May 2021, and the New Zealand-bred seven-year-old has now had 37 starts for Reay for eight wins, 13 placings and stakes of $64,404.
Baltic Ace was the $3.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s 1730m event when he was beaten for early speed by $9 chance Our Shelley Beach, who set a fast pace for Shannon Suvaljko.
Emily Suvaljko drove patiently behind the pacemaker before getting Baltic Ace into the clear 200m from home. Baltic Ace sprinted strongly to win by a half-length from Our Shelley Beach, rating a smart 1.54.4.
Baltic Ace is the third foal out of the unraced mare Baltic Art, whose half-brother Baltic Eagle was a superstar who raced 40 times for 21 wins, seven placings and stakes of $795,332. Baltic Eagle, trained and driven by Kim Prentice, won the WA Pacing Cup in January 2003 before winning the Interdominion Championship final at Addington three months later.
“I was a fan of Baltic Eagle,” said the 55-year-old Reay. “He was a lovely horse and I watched him every time he raced. Baltic Ace won twice (at Cranbourne and Geelong in October 2020 from 19 starts in Victoria) and I was able to buy him for $5000.
“I bought him from his New Zealand breeder Richard Brosnan after Nathan Turvey suggested that he would be a good horse for me. Mr Brosnan said that Baltic Ace was not performing as he should be in Victoria and that the horse needed a change of scenery. I’m a lover of Bettors Delight, and as long as his progeny are not too big, I’m happy.”
The win on Friday night provided Reay with her first metropolitan-class winner since Tenno Sho was successful in the Group 3 Trotters Sprint in March 2021.
Baltic Ace is a smart frontrunner, but Reay was not unduly concerned when he was crossed at the start on Friday night. “I was not really worried as long as Emily was following the leader,” she said. “I knew Baltic Ace could run the time. The only worry was getting out.”