16 August 2021 | Ken Casellas
Star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko’s plan to dictate terms in front with Seven No Trumps and to make life difficult for the odds-on favourite Wonderful To Fly in the 2130m Sky Racing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night worked out perfectly.
Seven No Trumps, the $4.50 second fancy, began speedily from the No. 5 barrier and burst straight to the front, while Wonderful To Fly ($1.32) was restrained from the outside barrier in the field of six and settled down last, about seven lengths from the leader.
Suvaljkjo was happy to get Seven No Trumps to amble through the lead time in a slow 39.3sec. and the opening 400m section in a dawdling 31.9sec.
Shane Young eased Wonderful To Fly off the pegs 1400m from home, and Suvaljko immediately increased the tempo, with the colt sprinting the second quarter of the final mile in 29.2sec. and the next section in 28.4sec.
Wonderful To Fly got to within a neck of the leader with 550m to travel but was unable to sustain her effort at her first appearance for 34 days, and Seven No Trumps coasted home with a final quarter of 30.1sec. to win by just under three lengths from $16 chance Hokulani. Wonderful To Fly wilted late to finish fourth.
“Shannon thought that if we could get across (to the front) and get an easy lead time and then slowly increase the speed, we could beat Wonderful To Fly,” said trainer Peter Tilbrook. “We wanted to make it hard for Wonderful To Fly to do the work and come around. And that’s the way it worked out.”
Seven No Trumps, owned by Leanne Lapworth, is enjoying an excellent first season of racing. He made his debut in the first two-year-old event of the season, as a $21 chance in a 1684m event at Pinjarra on January 4. From barrier six, he raced wide early and then in the breeze before winning by a half-length from Eagle Royalty.
He now has had 13 starts for five wins, two placings and $55,406 in prizemoney. “He is healthy and racing well,” said Tilbrook. “And he will have next start here in a fortnight.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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