Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Brilliant young driver Emily Suvaljko is riding on the crest of a surging wave, and she continued her golden run with four winners at Gloucester Park on Friday night to follow her quartet the previous Friday night.
The 24-year-old Suvaljko completed her quartet on Friday night with yet another masterly performance to score with problem young square gaiter Majestic Ga Ga in the $21,000 Westral Verishade Curtains Trot over 2130m.
The victory as the $3.70 second favourite gave Mardella horseman Michael Young his 50TH success for the season, and he completed a double in the following event when Toby George dead-heated for first to extend his lead on the WA trainers’ premiership table, with his tally of 51 wins putting him well clear of Aiden De Campo (38), Greg and Skye Bond (31) and Lang Inwood (30).
“I’m quite surprised,” said Suvaljko. “This has been a bigger shock than it was last week when I had a few nice chances and made the most of them. I’m not sure why I have struck this sort of form, but I have had a few nice drives and I’m probably driving with a bit more confidence.”
Suvaljko said that the four-year-old Majestic Ga Ga, a recent stable acquisition from Victoria, had behaved poorly at her first few starts in WA when she broke in running.
“It has been quite frustrating, and I was holding my breath out there tonight when she did everything right and reeled off some good sectionals,” she said. “In trackwork she doesn’t miss a beat.”
Suvaljko, who was successful earlier in the night with Sound Wave ($14.60), Quinton ($10.70) and Douseeme ($2.90), took her number of winners this season to 53 to be second behind Gary Hall Jnr (81) on the State drivers’ premiership table.
Majestic Ga Ga began speedily from out wide at barrier seven before Suvaljko made a split-second decision to restrain the mare and was able to slot her into seventh spot in the one-wide line with $18 chance Mriya Dream setting a solid pace.
Suvaljko sent Majestic Ga Ga forward 850m from home with a three-wide burst, and the mare sprinted strongly to get to the front 300m later before going on to win by a length from Luvaflair ($8), rating 1.59. Patched, the $3.10 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of nine, failed to flatter. He raced wide in the final circuit and just battled on into fifth place.
Majestic Ga Ga, who was purchased for $16,000 earlier this year by a syndicate of Young’s clients, won six times in Victoria, and her one win and two thirds from five WA appearances have improved her record to seven wins and ten placings for stakes of $44,104 from 34 starts.
She is by Canadian sire Majestic Son and is out of the New Zealand-bred mare Arannalea, a winner of four races in New Zealand and one from two starts in Victoria in April 2017.
Young is confident that Majestic Ga Ga will prove as successful as several smart trotters he has prepared, headed by Beefour Bacardi (14 wins) and Evas Image (eight wins).
Majestic Ga Ga’s full-sister Majestic Marion has had 38 starts, all in WA, for five wins, seven placings and $42,756.