26 October 2017 | Ken Casellas
Speedy mare The Spinster has led at eight of her nine wins in a burgeoning 25-start career and Millendon trainer Sonia Zucchiatti is confident that the five-year-old will set the pace and win the $25,000 The Preux Chevalier Final at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Reinsman Shannon Suvaljko is hopeful that he will celebrate his first drive behind The Spinster with a victory. Zucchiatti engaged Suvaljko because the mare’s usual driver Dean Miller will be in the eastern states on an end-of-season football trip.
The Spinster has drawn favourably at barrier three on the front line and Suvaljko (who has taken an early lead on the drivers’ premiership table for the 2017-18 season) will be anxious to use the mare’s sparkling gate speed in a bid to burst to an early lead.
The Spinster revealed dazzling early speed from barrier five when she charged to the front after 100m and relished the frontrunning role to win by almost two lengths from She Could Be Good, rating 1.55.5 over 1730m last Friday week. A week earlier, she finished strongly from fifth, three back on the pegs, at the bell to be second to She Could Be Good over 2130m.
“It is a very good draw for her,” Zucchiatti said. “And with her speed, she should cross to the front. Her form has turned around. She had a few little issues, but we’ve sorted them out and she’s back to her best.
“I have a friend in New Zealand and a mate of his goes around to the trials to look at the youngsters. I got a phone call and a recommendation to buy an unraced three-year-old filly who had just won a trial. We looked her up and liked what we saw, so we bought her for $30,000.”
Zucchiatti races The Spinster in partnership with Steve Schmedje, Peter Yewers, Darren Wright and Riwai Williams. The American Ideal mare who is closely related to Bellas Boy, winner of the Group 1 Victoria Derby in 2003, is proving a sound investment, with her 25 starts producing nine wins and seven placings for earnings of $69,831.
“When she arrived here she certainly looked the part,” Zuchiatti said. “We went to the races, first-up, at Pinjarra (in October 2015) and she did a few things wrong at the start, galloped and lost 150 metres. She caught the field and pulled out and ran third. We thought ‘gee, we’ve got something here.’ And she has done a great job.
“The way she’s going and if she keeps improving I’ll definitely look at running her in the feature events for mares later this year.”
Zucchiatti, who has a team of 11 in work, is delighted at the successful comeback to racing by seven-year-old Major Donegal, who returned to racing after an absence of three years when he won at 15/2 in a 2100m stand at Kellerberrin on Sunday. Major Donegal was driven by Zucciatti’s 22-year-old daughter Deni Roberts, who maintained her splendid form in the sulky with wins behind Glowing Report at Pinjarra on Monday and Torrevean Mio at Gloucester Park on Tuesday evening.
Sarah Goody and Bettor Boa appear to be among the main dangers to The Spinster in an even field. Sarah Goody will be the only runner on the back line and Bettor Boa is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven.
Chris Lewis said he was expecting the Kevin Keys-trained Sarah Goody to improve on her shock first-up defeat when favourite at 5/1 on last Friday night when she dashed to the front from barrier two, shied at marks on the track after 300m, but still set the pace before being passed by Bettor Boa with 350m to travel.
Bettor Boa, a 33/1 chance driven by Gary Hall Jnr, was tenth at the bell before she unwound a brilliant burst of speed at the 600m mark to race past Sarah Goody, who then fought back gamely to finish just over a length behind Bettor Boa.
Sarah Goody led when an easy trial winner at Byford on Sunday morning.
“She’s drawn in behind on Friday night and, hopefully, she’ll run a bit better,” Lewis said. “Last time in, she was a bit the same. In front she tended to go away with the fairies a little bit, early in the piece and then by the end of her prep she was able to run in front and sprint home.
“Last Friday night she should’ve been able to hold up in the back straight. But she wasn’t able to do so. However, she got going again and finished on okay. So, I would think she will definitely go well from behind. She has always gone well from behind. In her following races I wouldn’t be overly concerned if she led. I think she will switch on again. She just needs to click in on her brain what she has to do.”
Bettor Boa, trained by Nathan Turvey, will again be driven by Hall on Friday night. She will start out wide at barrier seven and if she reproduces the brilliance she revealed last Friday night she will be hard to beat.
Tajie Baby, trained at Byford by Harry Ashby, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier and should be prominent. She trailed the pacemaker Bebrave and did not get a clear run until late when a sound second to Extreme Prince last Friday night. “She’s a good place chance this week,” declared reinsman Chris Voak.
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