Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Heez Our Perseus, unplaced at his four starts in New Zealand, as a three-year-old in 2018, is proving to be an excellent moneyspinner in Western Australia.
The six-year-old gelding was a hot $1.20 favourite from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Garrard’s Horse And Hound Australia And NZ Wide Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Maddison Brown gave his supporters no cause for concern by driving him to an effortless victory.
Heez Our Perseus jumped straight to the front and relished his pacemaking role after a slow lead time of 38.1sec. He dashed over the final 800m in 56.6sec. to give his rivals little chance of even getting close to him. He won by two lengths from the $9 second favourite Shadow Roll, who raced in the breeze early before enjoying an ideal trail in the one-out, one-back position. Rupert Of Lincoln ($26) who moved to the breeze in the first lap, fought on doggedly to be third.
Trainer Gary Hall Snr said that he had been contemplating selling Heez Our Perseus to race in America on behalf of the gelding’s owners, his wife Karen, Maddison Brown and Glen Moore. “But we have been unable to get the right price,” he said. “We’re not going to give him away, and he should earn more stakemoney in WA.”
Heez Our Perseus has now earned $150,090 from 14 wins and 16 placings from 61 starts. He is by Alta Christiano and is the second foal out of the Elsu mare Sweet Perrier, who raced only three times for unplaced efforts as a two-year-old before being retired to the breeding barn.
Sweet Perrier’s first foal is Sweet N Fast, who was placed at two of his five New Zealand starts before having 39 starts in Western Australia for 12 wins and six placings. He left WA in December 2019 to race in Canada where he has recorded another nine wins.