Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Veteran trainer Kevin Keys is gaining great satisfaction with the wins of Alcopony, a four-year-old gelding he bred and races in partnership with first-time owners Mark Tonkin, Catherine Yap and Jo Jo and Aaron Van Vliet.
Alcopony, an $18.30 chance, notched his fourth win from his past seven starts when he finished strongly and caused an upset in beating the hot $1.40 favourite Street Talk in the $30,000 Warwick Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Alcopony was driven perfectly by Mitch Miller, who quickly manoeuvred the gelding into the one-out, one-back position, trailing Street Hawk, who was working in the breeze with $6.50 chance Ifeel Sikdarl setting a solid pace.
Street Hawk finished determinedly and hit the front with 25m to travel. But he just failed to hold out the fast-finishing Alcopony, who got up in the final couple of strides. Ifeel Sikdarl held on to finish third, well ahead of the fourth placegetter, the $126 outsider Justlike Turbo.
“Alcopony is a handy and honest horse, and when he gets a run to suit him, which we thought he would tonight, he’s a winning chance,” said the 74-year-old Keys.
Alcopony, who is by the American sire Betting Line, has earned $81,545 from nine wins and nine placings from 32 starts.