Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Brilliant young driver Emily Suvaljko continues to be a shining light in the sport of harness racing, and she has decided to become more involved in the preparation of pacers by joining outstanding Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice’s stables.
“I started there ten days ago and I’m happy to win with stable runners El Chema last Friday night and with Bettor Get It On tonight,” the 22-year-old Suvaljko said after causing an upset by guiding $22.40 chance Bettor Get It On to a half-head victory over the $2.30 favourite Eighteen Carat in the $26,000 Perth’s Number One Station Nova 93.7 Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Suvaljko, who plans to live in Jelorup, just outside Bunbury, said that she heard that Prentice was looking for a worker. “So, I thought I should give it a crack,” she said. “There will be only me and Justin who work the horses, and I have no mighty title.”
Suvaljkjo, who landed a double with Bettor Get It On and Seven No Trumps on Friday night, kept up the good work on Saturday night when she steered the Michael Young-trained Miss Serenade to victory at Gloucester Park, taking her season’s tally to 118 winners.
Suvaljko, whose father Shannon has driven 141 winners this season, is a keen student of form, driving tactics and the preparation of pacers. “When I was 14 I used to go to Greg and Skye Bond’s stables on weekends, and I have worked for Colin Brown and Nathan Turvey as well.”
Bettor Get It On began from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night, and Suvaljko, who was driving the mare for the first time, made sure that she kept her in the firing line throughout the race.
Bettor Get It On raced in the breeze outside the polemarker Fifty Five Reborn, keeping Eighteen Carat out three wide until Gary Hall Jnr got that mare into the breeze 500m after the start, this enabling Bettor Get It On to enjoy the ideal one-out, one-back position.
Eighteen Carat finished with great determination and she and Bettor Get It On and Fifty Five Reborn crossed the line locked together, with the photo revealing that Bettor Get It On had scored by a half-head from Eighteen Carat, with Fifty Five Reborn a head away in third place.
“Emily drove a super race,” said Prentice. “She followed the ideal plan we had in mind. We wanted to come out pretty hard and hold our position and try to make sure that Eighteen Carat was the only one to get in front of us.”
Suvaljko said that Prentice had told her that Bettor Get It On was a bit one-paced was best suited by being as forward as possible. “We didn’t want to be any further back than one-out and one-back,” said Suvaljko. “I made Junior work for it (to get to the breeze) and I wasn’t just going to grab hold and let him get there.”
Bettor Get It On won twice from 15 starts in New Zealand and she has had 31 starts in WA for seven wins and 15 placings, taking her career record to 46 starts for nine wins, 17 placings and 137,790.
Prentice said that Bettor Get It On would contest the $50,000 Christmas Belles on December 23. “After that I will probably freshen her up and then get her ready to defend her Empress Stakes crown in March.