Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Star pacer Lavra Joe was much more switched on when he contested the $31,000 Aardiebytheseaside Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night than he was when he won the previous Friday night.
“He felt more interested than he was a week earlier,” said driver Maddison Brown. “And he felt like he really wanted to be there. He is still big in condition, but he has trimmed up over the past week.
“The one thing that concerned me before the race was that he wouldn’t attack the line. But he travelled well and hit the line pretty good.”
Lavra Joe was the $2.20 second fancy from barrier six, with four-year-old Lusaka the $1.85 favourite from the No. 2 barrier.
Lusaka, driven hard by Deni Roberts, got his neck in front early but was unable to cross the polemarker and $13 chance Hillview Bondi. Lavra Joe was trapped out wide in the early stages before dropping back to last in the field of seven.
Brown made a snap decision to dash Lavra Joe forward, three wide, after 520m, and the WA-bred six-year-old moved to the breeze after a lap, with Brown happy to let him relax in the breeze almost two lengths from the pacemaker.
Lavra Joe finished strongly to get to the front 100m from the post and he won by a half-length from Hillview Bondi, with Lusaka a metre back in third place. The final 800m was covered in 57.4sec. and Lavra Joe rated 1.56.1 over 2130m.
“I had no intention of leading,” explained Brown. “I expected Hillview Bondi to lead from barrier one, with Lusaka in the breeze. I knew Hillview Bondi would bowl along, and I thought that if I went forward to the breeze, it would give Lusaka the one-one sit and prove to be a big danger.
“But when Lusaka had done so much work early, I decided to go to the breeze earlier than I had planned.”
Owner-trainer Ray Jones was pleased with Lavra Joe’s performance, and he said that the gelding would continue racing in Free-For-Alls. “Runs like that tonight will get him fitter,” he said. “He is still heavy but a bit lighter than he was last week.”
Lavra Joe now has earned $790,734 from 35 wins (27 at Gloucester Park) and 17 placings from 79 starts.