Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Steel The Show, a $23.70 outsider from the No. 5 barrier in the $31,000 The Trots WA Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, stole a march on his seven rivals with an explosive start.
Deni Roberts then was able to dictate terms in front before Steel The Show sprinted over the final 800m in 56sec. and scored a comfortable one-length victory over Blitzembye ($18), with $31 chance Himself a half-head away in third place.
The winner, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, rated 1.58.6 over 2536m and showed that he would be a strong candidate in the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on November 10.
The polemarker Diego was a hot $1.28 favourite, who was beaten for early speed and was sixth in the one-wide line at the bell before being switched three wide at the 550m mark and then being pushed four wide. He failed to make ground out wide in the fast-run final stages and finished last.
Greg Bond said that the flying start was the pre-race plan. “We did our homework and were confident that we could cross to the front,” he said. “We went in thinking that if we could cross Diego we were going to be super hard to beat — and Steel The Show went to the line with the plugs in.
“Himself had been working great at home and he just failed to run second after being parked (in the breeze). We are very happy with him. He is not the flashest looking horse in the barn but he has a great will to win.
“All our seven Free-For-All horses will be heading for the two $100,000 lead-up races before the Pacing Cup. Everything is structured around this program, and hopefully the form of our horses stands up and we will get three or four or five runners in the Pacing Cup.”
Steel The Show, a six-year-old by Bettors Delight, has raced 56 times for 12 wins, 18 placings and $302,794 in prizemoney.