Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Talented and lightly-raced mare Sheez Our Hope has overcome an unusual problem and she gave a typical example of her splendid natural speed when she charged home from last at the 600m to win the Retravision.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“The angle of her pedal bones is parallel with the sole,” explained part-owner and trainer Mike Cornwall. “There should be a nine degree angle, and without that she doesn’t get the full cushioning.
“X-rays revealed the problem, and she now races with frog pads on her forelegs. I am grateful that veteran farrier Larry Boag is looking after her. Apart from her feet troubles, she is sound. She has small feet but a big heart. They had plenty of reason to run her down in the straight, but they couldn’t.”
Pole marker The Kraken ($5) set the pace, with Angel In White ($7.50) in the breeze, and Medieval Man, the $2.60 favourite, enjoying the one-out, one-back trip.
Sheez Our Hope ($4.40) was not bustled out from barrier seven and Kyle Harper was happy to keep her at the rear. She was last in the field of nine 600m from home when Harper sent her forward, three wide. She sprinted quickly and burst to the front at the 250m mark and won by a half-length from the fast-finishing $5.50 chance Martagon, rating 1.55.9 over the 2130m, with a final 400m in 28.7sec.
The WA-bred Sheez Our Hope has inherited much of the ability of her sire Alta Christiano and dam Easton Swift. Alta Christiano raced only 18 times for 13 wins, two placings and $309,163 in stakes, while the New Zealand-bred Easton Swift earned $123,391 from her 13 wins and 12 placings from 52 starts. She won once from five New Zealand starts, and 11 times for trainer-reinsman Aldo Cortopassi from 47 starts in WA. Sheetz Our Hope has had 18 starts for eight wins, five placings and stakes of $78,118.