Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“He has always been a bit of a weirdo, with probably more ability than he has shown,” said Mitch Miller after driving Soho Dow Jones to an easy win in the $23,000 Trotsynd Syndication Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“But he has really come on this year and has matured a lot,” said Miller.
“Soho Dow Jones led a couple of starts ago when he probably should have won and ran a disappointing fourth. And then last week he raced in the breeze and probably should have run last, but he ran a good fourth. Tonight, he had the perfect trip and was good enough.”
Soho Dow Jones, trained by Kim Prentice, was the $3.70 third favourite from the No. 2 barrier, with the polemarker The Code Breaker, unplaced at his previous eleven starts, the $2.65 favourite.
The Code Breaker set the pace, with Alcopony ($2.80) in the breeze, and Soho Dow Jones enjoying a perfect trail behind the leader. The Code Breaker ran the third quarter of the final mile in 28.3sec. before wilting in the home straight when Soho Dow Jones dashed to the front and won by almost two lengths from $10 chance Street Hawk, who finished strongly from last at the bell. The Code Breaker held on to finish third.
Soho Dow Jones, who won the Group 2 Vicbred Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Bendigo in October 2021, has been a good money spinner for his breeder and owner Rob Watson, having earned $244,794 from 16 wins and 17 placings from 68 starts. He is by American Ideal and is the second foal out of Art Major mare Soho New York, who had 27 starts for ten wins, four placings and $65,710.