Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
The oddly-named Goodtime Pe Rabbit is quite an extraordinary horse. All his 69 starts have been as a trotter, which is highly unusual for a horse whose sire and dam are pacers.
The Victorian-bred seven-year-old’s sire Shadyshark Hanover was an outstanding pacer in America where he amassed $771,172 in prizemoney from six wins and eleven placings from 28 starts.
Goodtime Pe Rabbit’s dam Eastern Art is by champion pacing stallion Art Major. She was a natural pacer but did not race. Apart from Goodtime Pe Rabbit, Eastern Art produced pacing performers Pippa Maree and Huey Trevor.
Goodtime Pe Rabbit, owned and prepared by the unconventional 75-year-old Byford trainer Tony Svilicich, emerged as a strong prospect for the $50,000 Choices Flooring Trotters Cup, a 2503m stand at Gloucester Park on January 28 when Chris Lewis drove him to an effortless all-the-way victory in the 2503m Direct Trades Supply Trot on Friday night.
Favourite at $1.90, Goodtime Pe Rabbit was not seriously challenged at any stage, and after a slow lead time of 40.9sec. and slow quarters of 32.3sec. and 31sec. he dashed over the final 400m sections in 29.8sec. and 29sec. to win by four lengths from $61 outsider Malabar Spur. Goodtime Pe Rabbit, a winner of three races in Victoria and one in South Australia, has had 12 starts in WA for four wins and six placings.