Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Former star juvenile pacer Jaspervellabeach emerged from the wilderness at Gloucester Park on Friday night when a flying start from the outside barrier in the field of six paved the way for his victory in the $21,000 WA Hall Of Fame Submissions Due Pace.
Jaspervellabeach, a Victorian-bred seven-year-old, was third favourite at $8.20, and Shannon Suvaljko got the gelding away brilliantly to burst straight to the front, and after a swift lead time of 35.8sec. he relaxed and ambled trough the opening quarter of the final mile in 31.6sec.
Then followed quarters of 29.7sec., 28.5sec. and 28.9sec. to give his rivals little hope of overhauling Jaspervellabeach. He went on to win by a half-length from the $1.45 favourite Watching Our Coin.
Watching Our Coin settled down in fourth position in the Indian file affair before Gary Hall Jnr eased him off the pegs after a lap to race in the breeze. He battled on doggedly.
Jaspervellabeach is trained in Pinjarra by Gary Elson, who said the win followed two encouraging efforts, a fast-finishing sixth behind Vultan Tin and a second to Arma Xfactor.
“He has had a few issues, mainly with his feet,” said Elson. “He has a partly club foot in his near foreleg and I race him with square toe shoes on his front legs because you can’t get a normal shoe to fit his troublesome hoof.
“He grows a leg in front, and that was the plan to lead tonight.”
Jaspervellabeach is owned by Elson’s daughter Kristy, who was on holidays in Tasmania and missed Friday night’s race. Jaspervellabeach ended a losing sequence of 25 which included only one placing.
Jaspervellabeach was an outstanding juvenile performer who won the Group 2 Champagne Classic and the Group 1 Golden Slipper as a two-year-old in 2019. He now has raced 92 times for 17 wins, 16 placings and $300,020.