A classy pacer who has won a $100,000 group 1 event and has been placed in four other harness racing group events make his West Australian debut when he starts off the front as an M1-classified performer in the Slater Gartrell Sports Allira and Jett Bond Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is seven-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding Besotted, a recent addition to Gary Hall senior’s Serpentine training establishment, who should relish the standing-start conditions and make a successful start to his new career in WA, with Clint Hall in the sulky.
His appearance — and his clash with the exciting Simply Susational and the Easter Cup winner Znana and runner-up Sonic Classic — should be a highlight of the ten-event program.
Illustrating the massive drop in class for Besotted is the fact that he contested the $250,000 group 1 Auckland Cup at Alexandra Park at his most recent start, last December 31. He finished well back in a quality field, but two starts earlier he finished second to Hughie Green in the group 3 Summer Cup over 2200m at Alexandra Park.
His group 1 victory was achieved in the Taylor Mile at a 1.53.5 rate over 1700m at Alexandra Park in May 2013 when he defeated Elios and the champion mare Adore Me.
Besotted has earned $271,545 from 15 wins and 19 placings from 59 starts. He has raced twice in Australia — at Melton in August 2013 when he finished third in a heat and a head second to Ideal Scott in the Breeders Crown final for four-year-old horses and geldings.
He is comparatively lightly raced because he has broken down twice with suspensory ligament damage to a fore and hind leg. He arrived in WA in mid-January, but his WA debut debut has been delayed because of a highly unusual injury.
“We’ve had a few problems with him,” said Gary Hall jun. “He had a big abscess in a back foot and it didn’t seem to be getting any better for ages. We couldn’t work out why and finally we got the farriers to have a look.
“They dug it right out and discovered a 5cm chunk of wood embedded in his foot. It could have been there for who knows how long. He wasn’t happy about it, which is understandable.
“He is all good now and is working in good style. He raced in some pretty high-class races in New Zealand and he’ll be winning if he steps. Even if he doesn’t lead I think he should win. He sat outside Pacific Warrior in a Byford trial on Sunday morning and beat him. Simply Susational is a nice horse and looks the hardest to beat.”
Besotted dashed over the final quarter of the 2150m mobile trial in 28.6sec. on a heavy rain-affected track.
Simply Susational, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, is an up-and-coming star who cannot be underestimated. He will start off the back mark of 20m and Ryan Warwick is sure to put the five-year-old into the race in the middle stages.
Simply Susational has raced 37 times for 13 wins and eight placings and he was most impressive last Friday week when he raced in eighth position before charging forward, three wide, from sixth at the bell to burst to the front 250m from home on his way to winning easily from False Promise in a 2503m stand, with final quarters in 28.8sec. and 28.1sec.
Znana and stablemate Sonic Classic will also have admirers after fighting out the finish of the 2902m Easter Cup on Thursday of last week. Znana set the pace and held on to win from the fast-finishing Sonic Classic. Trainer Nathan Turvey has engaged Micheal Ferguson to drive Znana and Jocelyn Young to handle Sonic Classic. He will drive Flyalong Falcon.
Ken Casellas