Starting a hot favourite, the iron pacer Minstrel from the West was up against the state’s best mare, Penny Black, as well as his great rival Magnificent Storm. Add to that the proven classic winner Mister Smartee and newcomers Waverider and Gee Heza Sport and we are assured of one great race. And how it turned out to be just that, with the mighty Minstrel (Rocknroll Hanover) asserting his superiority with a tough and courageous performance to take home the winning honours.
To the surprise of many a Magnificent Storm with dizzying speed, he just got rid of Minstrel and Penny Black and held on to the inside from the pole draw. Deni Roberts didn’t want to get caught behind the leader and she came off the fence to race outside the leader.
Minstrel’s stablemate Gee Heza Sport had a one out and one back, with Mister Smartee pushing through the pack early to secure the one out two back and Waverider three back on track. Minstrel didn’t seem to care about racing away from the leader, in fact he was looking at Magnificent Storm in several stages. Gee Heza Storm went three wide, but at the business end of the race, as he turned for home, Minstrel switched gears and showed all his class to win by three meters ahead of Mr Smartee, who finished a close second for Gee Heza Sport.
MINSTREL NOVEMBER 28 REPETITION
Minstrel returned 1.54.7 for the 2536-metre journey, including his final two quarters in 27.5 and 28.1 seconds.
Despite Minstrel’s great efforts, there were a number of bad luck stories. Penny Black looked everywhere for a run on the home straight and Waverider also hit dead ends. An illustration of how competitive the race turned out to be was the fact that Mighty Ronaldo, who only beat two at home, was kept on track with five men in an attempt to complete a clear run.
Deni Roberts was full of praise for Minstel.
I didn’t hesitate to get away from the inside and I thought he would get away with it. I had mapped out my lead times and didn’t want anything slower than 1.07. He is such a strong horse and he can run that tour from start to finish. And I thought I could get Storm up to speed, he has speed early on. He’s just the bravest horse. When he’s completely out of it, he finds something else that other horses just don’t have. For me it is a special horse.
On the back of that winning performance, Minstrel will undoubtedly start a short-priced favorite and repeat his success from last year at this year’s Premier event, the $450,000 Group 1 Western Australian Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park on December 12.
Trained by Greg and Skye Bond Minstrel has a truly formidable record with 30 wins and 26 placings from 78 starts and more than $1.765 million in stakes.
Minstrel has that special quality you see in horses like Leap to Fame, Swayzee and lately Kingman, with the ability to ruthlessly grind his rivals into the ground even after putting in a lot of work.
When he’s in the front row, it’s hard to see him getting beat. Perhaps the only prospect is that something is on his back with an easier run and then outsmarts him at the finish. That could very well turn out to be a pacesetter like Mr. Smartee, but again, it would depend on the draw and how the run turns out.
By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink
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