Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
The New Zealand owners of Carana decided to retire the gelding after he pulled up in a distressed condition with a lap to go in a 2400m stand at Methven in October last year.
But champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond have resurrected Carana’s career, and the six-year-old has won at five of his six starts in Western Australia.
Carana maintained his splendid form with an easy victory in the 2503m The Nullarbor Slot Race Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the favourite in a field of 15 in a race on the grass track at Melton 12 months ago when he led early and was trailing the pacemaker at the bell before he suffered an atrial fibrillation and had to be pulled up.
“He was then going to be retired,” said Greg Bond. “I had tried to buy him earlier, but was not successful, and the owners sent him for a spell in May last year before preparing him for that race in October. The owners were going to retire him after that race, so I negotiated with them to buy a share in him. We did a deal and they sent him over to us. He is now a ‘free’ horse.”
Carana, a rising seven-year-old, raced nine times in New Zealand for two wins and four placings, and his five wins in WA have boosted his career record to 15 starts for seven wins, four placings and stakes of $52,886.
He is truly a standing-start specialist, having contested stands in all but one of his 15 starts. His six WA starts have all been in stands.
Carana was the $1.30 favourite in Friday night’s race in which he began smoothly and set the pace, with the final three 400m sections being covered in 28.6sec., 28sec. and 29.1sec. He won comfortably by just under two lengths from the $7.50 second fancy Love On The Rocks, who fought on gamely after racing in the breeze over the final two laps.
The victory completed a wonderful night for Deni Roberts. It was her fourth win, after driving Getyn Wiggy Withit, Minstrel and Lusaka to victory earlier in the program. It was her 163RD win for the season, and it gave the Bonds their 134TH success for the year.