Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Victorian-bred six-year-old October Reign bounced back to his best form when he relished his frontrunning role and won from The Watch Maker and Per Ardua Ad Astra in the 2130m Pat Harding Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His victory as the $1.50 favourite for trainer Michael Young and reinsman Gary Hall Jnr was some compensation for unlucky efforts at his previous few starts.
October Reign began well from barrier four and raced three wide before getting to the front after a smart lead time of 36.9sec. and then relaxing with an opening 400m section of a pedestrian 31.4sec. He dashed over the final 800m in 56.2sec. and rated 1.56.6 in beating $13 chance The Watch Maker by a half-length after the ten-year-old had worked hard in the breeze all the way.
“His past few runs have been very good,” said Young. “In any race in which he can find the front he’s going to be competitive. He struggles a bit back in the field.”
Young said that October Reign’s stablemate Watching Our Coin had been sold to do his future racing in the United States. The New Zealand-bred six-year-old finished strongly to win the Northam Cup at his final WA appearance and goes to America with a record of 49 starts for 11 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $158,555.