Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran trainer Kevin Keys has Bettors Pride at his peak, and he is confident the five-year-old will prove hard to beat in both the upcoming Group 3 $50,000 features, the Winter Cup next Friday night and the August Cup six weeks later.
“I’m looking forward to Bettors Pride contesting both those Cups,” said Keys after Shannon Suvaljko had driven the gelding to an impressive victory in the $25,000 Westside Auto Cars Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It was a good effort tonight after he did a bit of work early and then was held up a bit and received a bit of interference.”
Bettors Pride was the $2.10 favourite from barrier five and he raced three wide early before gaining an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position while the polemarker Lucca ($4.60) was setting the pace with Maximum Rock ($15) in the breeze.
“We had to bide our time, and when he got the run, he took a while to wind up,” said Suvaljko. “But then he hit the line really strongly. He has always been fast and now he has got a lot stronger in this preparation, and he has definitely gone to another level.
“In the big races he will be hard to beat if he leads or if he races three back on the rails.”
Bettors Pride unwound a spirited finishing burst to get to the front in the final few strides and beat $8 chance Petes Honour, who trailed the pacemaker all the way and issued a strong challenge on the home turn.
Bettors Pride has now earned $151,366 from nine wins and nine placings from 29 starts. One of his rivals in next Friday night’s Winter Cup is sure to be Youre So Fine, who scored a smart win in the $31,000 Westside Auto 24/7 Online Free-For-All on Friday night.
Youre So Fine, driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Gary Hall Snr, was a $5.20 chance from barrier four, and after racing three wide early he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position while the $3 favourite Chivalry was overracing badly in the lead.
Youre So Fine began a three-wide move 700m from home and was driven patiently by McDonald before he got the upper hand approaching the home turn and went on to win by a neck from $8 chance Justcallmemiki, who finished strongly from eighth at the bell. Water Lou, resuming after a spell, raced three back on the pegs before charging home out five wide to finish third.
“Youre So Fine is an old horse and this is the right time of the year to be racing in Free-For-Alls,” said McDonald. “His injuries are not affecting him, but they are preventing him from being at his absolute best.
“He has damaged a tendon a few times but is going good enough to be competitive in these winter races.”