by Wayne Currall
The Glenn Elliott-trained Soho Wall Street would have to be one of the most improved pacers going around in Western Australia. The Four Starzzz Shark gelding’s biggest payday came more than 12 months ago when he led all the way for Chris Lewis to win the $25,000 3YO Colts & Geldings Sales Classic Pace (2130m) at Gloucester Park. It was a strong win and there was much optimism in the horse’s camp that he would progress to bigger and better things.
However since his victory in the Sales Classic, Soho Wall Street has promised to deliver plenty, without actually delivering much at all. The horse had won twice in 21 starts since mid November last year – once at headquarters and once at Narrogin – and finished in the placings on a number of occasions. Soho Wall Street was frustrating Elliott, connections and punters, who had all but labelled the four-year-old as a “gay deceiver”. That was, however, up until about six weeks ago.
The turning point came at GP in early May when Soho Wall Street tramped three deep, then sat in the breeze before cruising home his last 400m in a slick 27.8 to annihilate his 11 rivals and Soho Wall Street has gone on with the job since then. At his very next start, Soho Wall Street was trapped three-wide throughout in a 1730m scamper, but had the audacity to take the lead at the top of the straight before being run down late. Two more sterling victories followed and then a gutsy second behind Naughty Maravu after doing all the work in the breeze.
The Hopeland-based Elliott, considered to be non-committal around the media, opened up to GPTV’s Gareth Hall last week when he was “ambushed” while watching a race on a TV monitor at Gloucester Park. “I’m pretty happy with him,” Elliott said of Soho Wall Street. “He’s definitely on the improve – we’ll just see where it all ends. He’s trained on well since his last run.”
While serious judges gave Soho Wall Street little chance of beating Chicago Bull last week, he didn’t disgrace himself by finishing a workmanlike fourth behind the little champ. Elliott told Hall during the interview that he didn’t really know how Soho Wall Street had “turned it all around”.
So to Friday night when Soho Wall Street goes around in the Gloucester Motel & Restaurant Pace (2130m) at the ribbon of light. Champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, who has driven the horse to most of his wins, gets back in the spider after reining Chicago Bull to victory.
Soho Wall Street, now an M3-class pacer, has drawn out wide in gate eight in the preferential barrier draw against a quality field and will probably have to work hard to win but it would take a brave man to suggest this much-improved pacer won’t take the next step and progress to fast-class ranks.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
