Veteran pacer Brookies Jet, unplaced at his previous eight starts and with a losing sequence of 16, celebrated his 200th start in a race when Emily Suvaljko drove the nine-year-old to an easy victory in the 2536m Retravision Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
A $7.80 chance from the No. 1 barrier, Brookies Jet led for the first 750m before $31 chance Mattjestic Star took up the running. Suvaljko eased Brookies Jet off the pegs 450m from home and the oldtimer hit the front 150m later before running away to beat Valbonne ($13) by two lengths at a 1.56.6 rate.
Brookies Jet’s task was made easier after the $3.20 favourite Shadow Roll and $3.40 second fancy Mr Kiwi locked sulky wheels at the bell and dropped right out of contention.
Brookies Jet’s 200 starts have resulted in 19 wins and 48 placings for stakes of $195,455. He recorded three seconds from five New Zealand starts and a further three seconds from four starts in Victoria before entering the Serpentine stables of Matt Scott, who has prepared the gelding for all his 192 WA starts for his 19 wins.
“Brookies Jet had a mild suspensory problem last year and now he has had about eight runs back, following three to four months in the paddock,” said Scott. “That’s the only issue he has had. He has never had a joint injury or a foot abscess. He has been a very sound horse.”
has never had a joint injury or a foot abscess. I have had him for five years and he has been a very sound horse.”
The win was the first leg of a training double for Scott, who was successful with Rock Me Over in the following event. Later in the night Scott travelled to Kojonup to watch his girlfriend Sarah Bonner ride Messiah in the Kojonup Cup on Saturday afternoon.
“This was her first ride in a race for four years, and I talked her into it,” said Scott. “She rode about 50 winners, including a win with Dainty Tess in a $60,000 race at Ascot in January 2017. She still rides trackwork every morning for trainer Dan Morton.”
Messiah finished third behind the Darryn Pateman-trained Messiah in the Kojonup Cup, and Scott continued his busy weekend by taking five pacers to compete at the Collie trots on Sunday afternoon where he landed a double with Here Comes Sharkie and Carramar Philemon.
Here Comes Sharkie, driven by Shannon Suvaljko, impressed with his victory in a 2700m stand at his first start for Scott, who recently purchased the seven-year-old for a mere $3000. Here Comes Sharkie ended a losing sequence of 33, stretching back to his win at Swan Hill in December 2018.
by Ken Casellas