Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Five-year-old Sweet Lou gelding Soho Moonraker made the most of a significant drop in class when Mitchell Miller drove the Kim Prentice-trained gelding to victory in the $21,000 Interdominion Winner Ultimate Sniper Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was a heavily-supported $1.70 favourite who began from the No. 5 barrier and settled down in fifth place before Miller urged him forward to foil Gary Hall junior’s spirited bid to charge to the front.
Soho Moonraker took the lead after 500m after a fast lead time of 36.3sec. and he sustained a strong pace before winning by a half-length from dead-heaters Mega Mach ($81) and Gota Good Warhol ($101), rating 1.56.
Soho Moonraker, a winner of four races on Victorian country tracks, had won only once from nine WA starts before Friday night’s race, and he appears set to develop into a smart performer who now has earned $67,467 from six wins and seven placings from 27 starts.
“The pressure came a bit earlier than I expected,” said Mitchell. “They got a bit closer than I would have liked. He switched off late, but that probably was my fault because I let him knock off.
“With that win on the board hopefully he now gets more respect.”
Soho Moonraker is the sixth foal out of Bettors Delight mare Aussie Made Lombo, who earned $578,456 from 22 wins, 19 seconds and seven thirds from 62 starts.
Aussie Made Lombo’s third foal Soho Interceptor was retired after her 41 starts produced five wins, 12 placings and $177,643. Her victories included two Group 1 events, the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in March 2018 and the Westbred Classic three months later.