Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Hillview Bondi continues to mystify his trainer Ryan Bell, who says that the five-year-old has a mind of his own and won’t compete in races unless he is allowed to do his own thing.
“If you restrain him in a race he simply won’t go,” said Bell. “If you don’t let him run his own race, he won’t compete.
“At home, we can’t get him to go quicker than 3min. 16sec. (over 2400m) or run a quarter faster than 30sec. But then he comes to the races and all he wants to do is to do his thing, and that’s to keep running, and he runs quarters in 28 seconds.”
At Gloucester Park on Friday night Hillview Bondi was the $2.60 second fancy from barrier two in the 1730m Steelos Pace, and Kyle Symington let the five-year-old do his own thing.
After the $126 outsider Ultimate Rocker revealed his normal sparkling gate speed to burst straight to the front from barrier five Hillview Bondi was left in the breeze before Symington gave him his head and he dashed to the front after 550m.
Hillview Bondi sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28.7sec. and 28.2sec. and won by two lengths from Ultimate Rocker, rating 1.55.6. This took his record to eleven wins and 18 placings from 53 starts for earnings of $91,673.
He is by the American sire Somebeachsomewhere and is the twelfth foal out of the Safely Kept mare Maid For Life, who was retired after being unplaced at her three starts as a two-year-old in November and December 2002.
Maid For Life’s full-brother Bank the Money was a hardy performer who raced 246 times for 31 wins, 68 placings and $152,969 in prizemoney. Hillview Bondi’s half-brother Dredlock Rockstar also was a durable performer who earned $283,502 from his 22 wins and 50 placings from 171 starts.