Ken Casellas | Photo Credit: Hamilton Content Creators
Talented reinsman Mark Reed continued his wonderful association with veteran pacer Whozwhointhezoo when he drove the giant seven-year-old to victory in the 2130m Tammy, Tara and Dorina Giving Back Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Whoswhointhezoo, who had managed just one win from his previous 66 starts, was not greatly fancied from the outside barrier in the field of eight and was a $16.40 chance.
But he was driven perfectly by Reed who was having his eighth drive behind one of the State’s biggest pacers, and the victory gave him the splendid record of having handled Whoswhointhezoo eight times in a 113-start career for three wins, two seconds, two thirds and a seventh.
Reed won with his first two drives behind Whoswhointhezoo — by a short half-head over Loaded Aussie at Gloucester Park on July 31, 2018 (almost exactly three years ago) and when he led and won at Northam eight starts later, on November 24, 2018.
Polemarker My Sweet Deal ($5.50) held out a spirited early challenge from Heza Head Honch ($31) and led for the first 660m before Shannon Suvaljko sent $4.40 chance Alice Kay to the front. Whoswhointhezoo was then in last position, and with the $2.35 favourite Alta Intrigue left in the breeze Reed dashed his drive forward to obtain a perfect sit, one-out and one-back.
Alta Intrigue got his nose in front with about 300m to travel but was unable to withstand Whoswhointhezoo’s finishing burst which took him to victory by a neck at a 1.57.5 rate.
Whoswhointhezoo was bred and is owned and trained by Karen Thompson, and this was the gelding’s second metropolitan-class success. By Major In Art, Whoswhointhezoo has earned $125,679 from nine wins and 38 placings from 113 starts.
He is out of Art And Soul, who won eight minor events in South Australia before coming to WA in 2009 and having four country runs for Thompson’s husband David, with her only glimpse of form finishing second, seven lengths behind Styx By Me as a $92 outsider at Northam.
Whoswhointhezoo is a half-brother to Debt Free Charlie, who raced 96 times for 126 wins, 27 placings and stakes of $133,594.
Earlier in Friday night’s program David Thompson trained $13 chance Machs Gold, who set the pace and was beaten by a nose in the final stride by Vespa in the Australian Premium Feeds Pace.