Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Talented five-year-old Bettors Pride has turned the corner and is racing in the best form of his career, so much so that his driver Shannon Suvaljko gives the Victorian-bred gelding a realistic chance of winning the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on December 11.
Suvaljko was in a buoyant mood after driving Bettors Pride to a brilliant all-the-way victory in the $50,000 Nova Winter Cup over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He is getting better and stronger and the more runs he has is just what he needs to toughen up for the big races,” said Suvaljko, who has won the WA Pacing Cup with Vanlo Yorker (January 2008) and Vultan Tin (December 202).
“This horse (Bettors Pride) is a lot better than both those horses. Vanlo Yorker was only a claiming horse, but he had the right attitude and struck form at the right time.
“Vultan Tin was a sluggish horse who needed the race run to suit when he won the Cup. There was pressure on in that race, and Vultan Tin came over the top to beat Chicago Bull.
“Bettors Pride is lightly raced and is very capable. He is fast and versatile, and it doesn’t matter where he draws. In big races they always run along, and he always has that 27-second quarter up his sleeve.”
Bettors Pride was the $1.70 favourite in Friday night’s race when he began smartly from the No. 2 barrier and relished his pacemaking role. He coasted through the opening quarters in 30.4sec. and 29.8sec. before sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 27.3sec. and was not extended in winning by two lengths from $41 outsider Im Lightning Banner, who finished solidly from sixth at the bell.
“Once Bettors Pride got to the front he relaxed,” said Suvaljko. “He got an easy enough lead time (70.2sec.) and was able to cruise into it and was far too good for the others. He ran home in 27.3sec. and could have gone a half second faster. He was just jogging and hit the line like he could have run another lap.”
Sweet Pins ($10) raced without cover until Justcallmemiki ($8.50) dashed forward to move to the breeze in the middle stages. Sweet Pins battled on to finish sixth, while Justcallmemiki wilted to finish last.
Never Ending, the $4.80 second favourite from barrier five, raced at the rear and did not threaten danger, finishing in eighth place at his first appearance for seven months.
Bettors Pride, trained by Kevin Keys, has earned $180,076 from ten wins and nine placings from 30 starts. He is by Bettors Delight and is the eighth foal out of Art Start, who raced in Queensland between 2004 and 2007, earning $45,935 from 14 wins and 12 placings from 56 starts.
Art Start, a daughter of American sire Perfect Art, is the dam of nine winners of 124 races, including Expensive Ego (68 starts for 26 wins, 15 placings and $1,002,667) and Bodhi Tree (111 starts for 26 wins, 25 placings and $192,854).