Smackwater Jack Was a Bargain

Retired schoolteacher Tim Blee has no regrets about his decision to purchase Smackwater Jack three weeks ago and the six-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding looks a strong chance in the $18,000 Bill Brindley Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

At his first appearance for Blee, a Manjimup resident, and for Serpentine trainer Matt Scott, Smackwater Jack enjoyed a perfect trail in the one-out, one-back position before dashing to the front 350m from home and winning by three lengths from Davinci Diamond over 1730m last Friday night.

With Shannon Suvaljko in the sulky, Smackwater Jack will start from the outside of the back line and looks set to be doing his best work at the business end of the race.

“We saw Smackwater Jack advertised for sale for $8000 on the internet and Tim negotiated on a price with one of the owners and purchased him for $6000, plus $1000 for his first win,” Scott said. It was 11 days after arriving at Scott’s stables that Smackwater Jack won and earned $10,881.

However, it was not all plain sailing for Scott, who was concerned after jogging the gelding three days after he had entered his stables. “All he wanted to do was to canter and carry on,” Scott said.

“The next day chiropractor Dean White came out and manipulated his neck and back muscles. And after that I worked the horse over two one mile heats at Jandakot and I double checked my watch after the second heat and he had gone faster than Always Arjay, Neighlor and Glenferrie Typhoon.

“Then on the Wednesday morning before his first run for me I drove Smackwater Jack on the track and John Ellis drove Neighlor and Neighlor couldn’t get near him. I couldn’t believe it, and then he came out and won, rating 1.56.1 on the Friday night.”

Blee has always been interested in harness racing, going back to his teenage days when he used to help Cannington trainer-reinsman Jack Jones in the late 1960s and early 70s. Blee has bought six pacers over the past 15 months and has given them to Scott to prepare for racing.

Neighlor is Blee’s first pacer. The New Zealand-bred gelding by Bettors Delight cost $45,000, plus GST and freight. Neighlor is proving to be a sound buy. An hour before Smackwater Jack’s victory, Neighlor, also driven by Suvaljko, unwound a spirited finishing burst to win from Tanaka Eagle, also rating 1.56.1 over 1730m. That improved his record for Blee to 31 starts for 11 wins and seven placings for stakes of $71,870. Blee has also won races with Lady Azalea and Riri Rihanna.