Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Gambit maintained his excellent form with a decisive victory in the $30,000 Nova 93.7 Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night — and his driver Stuart McDonald declared: “He can win the WA Pacing Cup.”
Gambit, trained by Gary Hall Snr, was the $6 second fancy behind his much-heralded stablemate Prince Of Pleasure, who was the $1.95 favourite, attempting to extend his winning sequence to eight — and to remain undefeated from seven Australian starts.
But Gambit reigned supreme and beat Prince Of Pleasure on his merits.
Polemarker Babyface Adda ($26) set the pace, with Fanci A Dance ($31) racing wide early before moving to the breeze after about 400m. Gambit was seventh in the one-wide line after a lap, and McDonald sent him forward, three wide, 1050m from home, with Gary Hall Jnr following the three-wide run with Prince Of Pleasure.
Fanci A Dance took the lead with 650m to travel before Gambit surged to the front at the 400m, with Prince Of Pleasure running on. Gambit then carried too many guns for Prince Of Pleasure and he beat his stablemate by a length, rating 1.56.4 over the 2536m. Fanci A Dance held on doggedly to finish third, two lengths ahead of $14 chance Mighty Conqueror, who finished solidly from tenth at the bell.
“I was very happy with the way Gambit went,” said McDonald. “He is in the zone and is absolutely flying. He went to the line as good as anything. He can be a bit of a lazy horse, so I pulled the plugs half-way down the back, to start chasing the leader.
“He is better off rolling and taking the sprint out of the legs of the horses behind him than he is being held up and trying to sprint. I’m hoping to drive him in the Cups (Fremantle Cup and WA Pacing Cup) in January. He can win a Pacing Cup; he just needs a little bit of luck to go his way. He can make his own luck, and the others will know that Gambit is in the race.”
McDonald has formed a good association with Gambit. He has handled him at his past ten starts for two wins and six placings. Gambit is by the American sire Shadow Play and is the eighth and last foal out of Whata Breeze (38 starts for four wins, 12 placings and $42,639).
He has earned $294,706 from 14 wins and 20 placings from 51 starts. He raced 22 times in New Zealand for six wins and six placings, and his 29 WA starts have produced eight wins and 14 placings.