Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Memories of Chris Lewis driving Sea Me Smile for eleven of her 15 wins were revived at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the legendary reinsman guided Sea Me Smile’s second foal Waves Of Fortune, the $2 favourite in the $21,000 Westral Honeycomb Blinds Pace over 1730m.
Waves Of Fortune, a colt by Poster Boy and bred and prepared by Lewis’ wife Debra (who trained Sea Me Smile throughout her 183-start career) set the pace from barrier two and dead-heated for first with $2.45 second fancy Toby George, who finished determinedly after racing in the one-out, one-back position for Gary Hall Jnr.
It was indeed a moment to savour, watching the champion reinsmen locked in a titanic battle in the home straight, and adding to their respective records and combined win totals in excess of 9300 and earnings of $104 million.
“It was hard to tell which horse had won as we crossed the line,” said Lewis. “I think Waves Of Fortune is going to prove a nice, consistent type. He is very relaxed, and this was the first time I had asked him to come out at the start.”
Waves Of Fortune has had three starts for two wins and a second placing, and Toby George has had four starts for three wins and one second. They look set for further exciting battles when they clash in upcoming Westbred feature events.
“Toby George has sorted his greenness out himself, but he is still not a hundred per cent,” said his trainer Michael Young. “He will be better when he figures it all out.”
Lewis has had a strong association with Waves Of Fortune’s ancestors. Apart from his lengthy association with Sea Me Smile (183 starts for 15 wins, 57 placings and $220,136) he has driven the dam and the granddam of Sea Me Smiles.
He drove Rylee Jo, the dam of Sea Me Smiles, twice in that mare’s 95-start career, for a victory at Gloucester Park on August 8, 1995, when Rylee Jo defeated Iluvuzall, driven by Hall. And Lewis drove Rylee Jo at her final start when she finished third behind Jefferson (driven by Hall) in a 2170m event at Pinjarra on July 2, 2007.
Rylee Jo’s dam, the New Zealand-bred Butlerish was driven by Lewis at two of her 41 starts for a third at Harvey in December 1995 and a second at Katanning in April 1996.