Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Dont Bother Me None ended a ten-month drought and broke a losing sequence of 15 when he cruised to an easy victory in the 2130m $1 Million Slot Race in April Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
It was an overdue win for a pacer who is bred to succeed, being a full-brother to prolific winners Micky Gee and Anytime.
Friday night’s success completed a double for driver Deni Roberts and was the final leg of a treble for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond.
Dont Bother Me None was the $2.60 favourite from the No. 5 barrier, with the polemarker Gee Smith ($7) holding the early lead from the $2.65 second fancy My Prayer. Roberts quickly dashed Dont Bother Me None forward to race in the breeze.
After Gee Smith ran the third quarter of the final mile in 28.6sec. Roberts sent Dont Bother Me None to the front at the 400m and the horse surged away from the opposition to win by 14m from My Prayer, who ran home solidly from sixth at the bell. The final 400m was run in 28.3sec. and the winner rated 1.55.8.
“I was quite happy to be in the breeze,” said Roberts. “I thought it was the easiest time he’s had for quite a while. Before the race I thought that if he found the front I would have declared him. But I also thought we might get caught in the breeze, which is okay because he can do it tough.
“His work during the week was showing a glimpse of his former self, and he felt really good. And he felt exactly like that tonight.”
Dont Bother me None has done all his racing in WA, and has a record of 39 starts for 14 wins, ten placings and stakes of $119,040. He is by Bettors Delight and is the fourth foal out of the Christian Cullen mare Corbell, who managed just one win (as a three-year-old in a race over 2000m at Addington in March 2011) from 18 starts.
But Corbell has proved herself as a broodmare, having produced Micky Gee and Anytime.
Micky Gee earned $658,893 from 32 wins and 26 placings from 114 starts. He won at six of his 24 New Zealand starts before winning another 26 races in America. Anytime won at three of his 22 New Zealand starts before winning another 22 times in America. He earned $265,012 from 25 wins and 28 placings.