Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Lightly-raced New Zealand-bred four-year-old Blitzembye continued his rise to fame with another devastating victory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Blitzembye, the $1.30 favourite, gave a superb frontrunning exhibition to win the 2536m You Beauty Sammy Pace by four and a half lengths from $26 chance Deeorse to give Jim Giumelli’s Swandoo Harness Racing syndicate and trainer Mike Reed the first leg of a double.
It was also the first leg of a driving treble for Shannon Suvaljko, who was successful later on the program with the Reed-trained and the Swandoo syndicate’s Caveman and the Michael Young-trained Vespa.
Reed, the Swandoo syndicate and Suvaljko kept their winning streak going when Suvaljko drove the three-year-old Art Major colt Hoppys Way to an all-the-way victory by five lengths in a 2190m event at Northam.
Hoppys Way ($1.06) was one of three winners at Northam for Suvaljko, who was also successful behind Sundance Rainbow ($1.38) and Zyanya ($3.90). The six winners (at Gloucester Park and Northam) took Suvaljko to the top of the WA drivers’ premiership table with 30 wins.
Reed is delighted at Blitzembye’s sparkling form, saying: “He is getting better and better. Shannon loves him. I’ll race him sparingly and will probably give him a couple more starts before he has a little break.”
Blitzembye, who is emerging as a major prospect for the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic and the $200,000 Golden Nugget in December, has gone from strength to strength and his 12 starts in Western Australia have produced eight wins.
Caveman, the $3.20 second favourite at his second appearance after a spell, revealed considerable strength and excellent fighting qualities in scoring a narrow victory in the 2536m Longest-Priced Winner Pat Harding Pace.
From the No. 4 barrier Caveman settled down in sixth position in the one-wide line, with $31 outsider Dominate The Dojo setting the pace from the $2.90 favourite Carrera Mach in the breeze.
Suvaljko urged Caveman forward, three wide, at the 1000m, and the five-year-old took a narrow lead 550m from home before holding on grimly to beat $8.50 chance Rock Me Over by a nose, rating 1.58.9. Rock Me Over was seventh at the bell and he flew home, out wide, to fail by a couple of centimetres.
Caveman, a $47,500 purchase at the 2018 APG Perth yearling sale, has had 40 starts for 13 wins, ten placings and stakes of $114,626.