Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Veteran pacer Rock Me Over continues to enhance his reputation as one of harness racing’s greatest bargains.
The seven-year-old gelding lined up at barrier No. 1 in the 2130m Catalanotrucks.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night for his 158TH start. He was the $2.10 favourite, and he ended a losing sequence of 27 when Shannon Suvaljko drove him to an all-the-way victory over Illawong Mustang ($15) and Pocket The Cash ($4.20).
He was purchased in February 2019 for $6000 by his trainer Matt Scott and Tony Maguire and his son Ian, and his 108 starts for his new owners have resulted in ten wins, 21 seconds and 19 thirds for stakes of $223,127, taking his career record to 158 starts for 23 wins, 53 placings and $348,680.
Rock Me Over is a younger half-brother to the 2017 WA Derby winner Handsandwheels, who has had 83 starts for 28 wins, 26 placings and $666,739 in prizemoney.
Rock Me Over was able to coast through the lead time in a slow 38.5sec. before modest opening quarters of 31.1sec. and 30.6sec., followed by final 400m sections of 28.4sec. and 28.5sec.
His victory followed fast-finishing placings on each of the three previous Fridays, with Scott attributing the gelding’s excellent burst of form to a change in training, with the son of Rock N Roll Heaven enjoying wading in the ocean in recent weeks.
Rock Me Over’s win completed a double for Suvaljko, who had won earlier in the night with Deeorse. Suvaljko kept up the good work at Northam on Saturday night, winning with Dardy Boy ($1.90), and at Williams on Sunday when he scored with Only Five Starzzz ($11) and Whos The Dad ($1.06).
Scott also maintained his winning form when he won the Williams Cup with $8 chance Awaitinginstructions, who was driven by Hayden Hancock.