Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Owner-trainer Ray Jones patted Lavra Joe fondly on the nose after the powerful gelding had crushed his rivals in the Group 2 Bill Newman Four-Year-Old Championship at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he declared that his pacer simply loved racing.
“The plan is for him to run in the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic next Friday week and then contest the $200,000 Golden Slipper a fortnight later,” he said.
“I reckon he’ll then have a couple of weeks off before getting ready for the $300,000 Fremantle Cup on January 13 and the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup two weeks later. He loves racing, and he’ll tell me when he gets sick of it.”
Lavra Joe, hot favourite at $1.30 from the prized No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s $50,000 feature event, led for the first 200m before $126 outsider Stamford charged forward with a brilliant burst from the outside barrier (No. 9) to hit the front, with a fast lead time of 35.8sec.
However, champion reinsman Chris Lewis was in no mood to allow Aiden De Campo to dictate terms in front, and he immediately eased Lavra Joe off the pegs and accelerated to regain the lead 250m later.
Lavra Joe then relaxed and after opening quarters of 30.3sec. and 29.3sec. he dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.7sec. and 28.2sec. to win by just over a length from $11 chance Jumpingjackmac, who settled down in ninth position before surging forward, out three wide, with 1050m to travel and sustaining a spirited burst from sixth at the bell.
Mighty Ronaldo ($23) followed Jumpingjackmac and finished solidly to be third, 2m ahead of Stamford. Lavra Joe rated 1.55 over the 2130m.
Lavra Joe now has amassed $472,119 from 28 wins and 11 placings from 49 starts. “He was short of a run when he won at Pinjarra eleven days earlier (when he set the pace and held on to beat El Chema and Jumpingjackmac at a 1.55.6 rate in a group 3 classic),” said Jones. “And that run topped him off for tonight’s race.”