Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Rich feature events for mares next month are on the agenda for Bettor Get It On, who gave a tough staying performance to win the 1730m Laurie Kennedy Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Outstanding trainer Justin Prentice said that he would be setting the New Zealand-bred six-year-old for the $50,000 Lombardo Pace over 2130m on March 10 and the $75,000 Empress Stakes over 2536m on March 31.
Bettor Get It On, who won the Empress Stakes last April when she defeated the brilliant Savvy Bromac, was surprisingly good value at $8.90 from barrier three in Friday night’s $50,000 Group 3 event in which she was having her first start for seven weeks.
Prentice produced Bettor Get It On in fine fettle, and he was not particularly concerned when she failed in a bid for the early lead and was left in the breeze outside the noted frontrunner Vivere Damore ($3.50).
Bettor Get It On led by a half-length early but was unable to cross to the front. Emily Suvaljko rated Bettor Get It On perfectly in the breeze and she resisted the temptation to make a serious challenge for the lead approaching the home turn because such a move would have enabled $7 chance The Amber Hare (who was following Better Get It On) to get into the clear.
After a 27.8sec. third quarter, Bettor Get It On sprinted strongly in the home straight to overhaul Vivere Damore in the final 10m and win by a half-length, with The Amber Hare finishing fast to be a head away in third place.
Bettor Get It On rated 1.55.9 and improved her record to 49 starts for 11 wins, 13 seconds and five thirds for earnings of $186,495.
Bettor Get It On, who won at two of her 15 New Zealand starts, is by Bettors Delight and is the first foal out of the Art Major mare Its All On, who raced 12 times for two wins and two placings. She is raced by a syndicate of 12, mainly first-time owners who play cricket for the Marist Brothers team in Bunbury.
Nevermindthechaos, the $3 favourite on Friday night, started from the outside of the back line and had no luck. She settled at the rear before Gary Hall Jnr sent her forward with a three-wide burst 1050m from home.
But she was racing in restricted room at the 600m when she was inconvenienced and paced roughly for a couple of strides, losing momentum and valuable ground before fighting on, three and four wide, to finish in sixth place. She struck herself at the 600m and received a cut to the inside of her fore cannon.