Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ace trainer Kim Prentice was overjoyed at four-year-old Soho Shakedown’s wonderful performance to finish second to superstar pacer Magnificent Storm in the Trotsynd August Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and now he is setting his sights on the $200,000 Golden Nugget on November 6.
“For Soho Shakedown to have his twelfth race start and compete against Magnificent Storm was pretty tough on him, and now it is upwards and onwards towards the Golden Nugget,” said Prentice.
“I’m absolutely stoked with this horse. I trained his father (Soho Tribeca), and I always wanted that horse to throw a really good horse, and this guy (Soho Shakedown) is a really nice horse.
“From barrier one tonight I was hoping Soho Shakedown had the gate speed to hold up (at the start) and then take the sit behind Magnificent Storm.
“This was the first time in the big smoke for Soho Shakedown and Abbey (driver Abbey Vidovich). I was chucking both in the deep end, and they came out swimming very good.”
Vidovich was able to hold up from the No. 1 barrier and Soho Shakedown led for the first 550m before Magnificent Storm surged to the front. Soho Shakedown enjoyed the ideal sit, and he impressed in running home strongly along the inside to finish second, 2m from the winner.
Soho Shakedown, owned and bred in Victoria by Rob Watson, has been most impressive in earning $75,867 from eight wins and two second placings from 12 starts.
His sire Soho Tribeca amassed $1,103,854 from 21 wins and 24 placings from 59 starts, and Soho Shakedown is the third foal out of Soho All Shook Up, who was retired after racing twice as a two-year-old in Victoria for one win, at Maryborough in February 2017.
Soho Tribeca did much of his racing in Victoria, and he was prepared by Prentice for his 17 appearances in Western Australia which produced six wins and eight placings. Highlights of those runs were his win in the Golden Nugget in December 2016 when he defeated Nathans Courage and Chicago Bull, his second to Chicago Bull in the Fremantle Cup in January 2017 and his victory over Chicago Bull in the WA Pacing Cup in January 2018.
Nothing would give Prentice greater pleasure than a win by Soho Shakedown in this year’s Golden Nugget.
“There is a race for four-year-olds next Friday night, and Soho Shakedown will go around in that,” said Prentice. “And after that we will map out a program leading up to the Nugget.
“At home Soho Shakedown is a beautiful-looking horse, but out on the track he looks very small and pretty ordinary because he races with his head down.
“He leaves all his good work for the races. He doesn’t care what happens at home on the track. Any horse can work with him and beat him. But come race day he’s like John Worsfold crossing the white line.
“I have had him since day one and broke him in. He was in the yearling sales in Melbourne, and I was able to persuade Robbie (Watson) to withdraw him and allow me to take him home.”