Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Top-flight pacer Tenzing Bromac dominated betting as the $1.20 favourite in the $31,000 Vale Darren Kinninmont Free-For-All over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he gave his supporters many anxious moments before getting up in the final stride to snatch victory by a half-head from the pacemaker Mighty Ronaldo ($7).
He began from barrier two and was unable to hold up against Mighty Ronaldo, who began speedily from the outside barrier in the field of eight and burst straight to the front.
Deni Roberts, not wanting to be held up in a pocket behind the frontrunning Mighty Ronaldo, eased Tenzing Bromac off the pegs and into the breeze after 580m.
Mighty Ronaldo then dashed over the final three 400m sections in 28.7sec., 27.7sec. and 28.6sec. and just failed to hold out the gritty Tenzing Bromac, who was having his second start after a spell.
“Tenzing Bromac has never been known for brilliant gate speed,” said Roberts. “Tonight, it was one of those things where there was no stagger out of the gate to help him, and Mighty Ronaldo is very fast.
“Then he had to do it a bit harder than we would’ve liked. Once he got settled and got a bit of a breather it was game on, and he was in it for the fight. At the top of the straight I thought we weren’t going to win. But he finds that good horse gear that other horses don’t have.”
Tenzing Bromac, a New Zealand-bred seven-year-old by Bettors Delight trained by Greg and Skye Bond and raced by Team Bond, has earned $347,009 from 20 wins and 16 placings from 48 starts.
His stablemates performed well in Friday night’s event, ten-year-old Mighty Conqueror ($15) running home powerfully to finish a close-up third, and 12-year-old Galactic Star ($101) coming from sixth at the bell to be a close fourth.