Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding driver Deni Roberts notched her maiden Group 1 victory when she guided Vegas Strip to a decisive win in the $150,000 Channel 7 Golden Slipper at Gloucester Park on Friday night and she is now looking forward to achieving her next goal, driving 200 winners in a season for the first time.
Her season’s tally stands at 154, and if she maintains her current strike rate, she will meet her target in late December.
Roberts, who celebrated her 28TH birthday the previous weekend, has blossomed this year after gaining the position as the No. 1 stable driver for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond. She has seized this heaven-sent opportunity with both hands and her skill and great professionalism has enabled her to be ranked in the top shelf of WA’s best drivers.
She made full use of Vegas Strike’s excellent gate speed by dashing the inexperienced two-year-old gelding straight to the front from the No. 4 barrier and then was able to get him to relax and coast through the lead time in 37.4sec. and the opening quarters in 31.1sec. and 30.6sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.1sec. and 28.3sec. to win by a length and a half from $12 chance Brought To Light.
Brought To Life, driven by Chris Voak, trailed Vegas Strip all the way and fought on gamely to give Busselton trainer Katie Howlett the distinction of preparing a Group 1 placegetter with the first pacer she has started in a race.
Vegas Strip was the $1.70 favourite, and he now has earned $110,134 from three wins and two placings from six starts. He was bred in New Zealand by Les and Barbara Pettifer, who race the American Ideal gelding in partnership with the Bonds and Victorians Liz and Graham Williams.
Friday night’s victory gave the Bond camp its third success in the prestigious Golden Slipper, following the wins of Ohokas Bondy in 2010 and Mitch Maguire in 2016.
Vegas Strip is out of Vegas Delight, who raced 36 times for five wins, 14 placings and $48,071 in prizemoney. He is a full-brother to Double Up and a half-brother to I’m Themightylucy.
Double Up, a winner of two races in New Zealand and 13 races in WA for the Bonds in 2021 and 2022, is now racing in America. His record stands at 59 starts for 16 wins, 17 placings and $199,289. Im Themightylucy has had 27 starts for eight wins, four placings and $68,000.
“Vegas Strip has plenty of high speed and a bit of bottom to him, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he comes back as a three-year-old next year after he has a spell,” said Greg Bond.
“This is his last run as a two-year-old, and he should develop into a WA Derby horse next year. Skye liked him from the very start. His gate speed helped him tonight to get to the front comfortably.”
Bond was also delighted with the performance of $19 chance Thelittle Master, who settled down in ninth position before sustaining a spirited three-wide burst to finish third behind Vegas Strip.
“His was a great run, to lead up the three-wide line from the bell when they ran home in 56.4sec.,” said Bond. “His final 800m would have been in the 55s.”
Grevis, the $7.50 third favourite, was an unlucky fourth. He started from the inside of the back line, raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, and was hampered for room in the final circuit.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice, attempting to win the Golden Slipper for the fourth year in a row, was delighted with the performance of his runner, Manhattan Moon, who was eighth in the one-wide line at the bell and 11TH at the 100m mark before running home fast, out wide, to finish fifth.