Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
An outpouring of emotions exploded after Menemsha and Magnus Victor thundered home down the outside of the track and crossed the finishing line locked together in the 2130m Catalano Truck And Equipment Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Aiden De Campo-trained pair have been raced in partnership by Darren Kinninmont, of Busselton, who died earlier in the month and will be sadly missed by the De Campo family and his many friends and acquaintances.
“It’s surreal and I’m still getting over it,” said De Campo. “Darren’s partner Michelle is here tonight and so are his daughter and grandkids. He has raced horses with me for seven or eight years, and he has been a brilliant owner who never questioned me.
“He took a share in the first horse I bought (Floewriter) and had good success with him, and since then he has taken ten or twenty percent of nearly every horse I have bought.”
Menemsha, who was having his first start for four months and his first run as a four-year-old, began from the inside of the back line and was a $9.60 chance with Trent Wheeler in the sulky. Joey Suvaljko was driving Magnus Victor ($5) from out wide at barrier No. 8.
Thelittle Master ($4.40) took the lead after 250m, with Magnus Victory settling down in tenth position, and Menemsha racing four back on the pegs in seventh place, and with the $2.25 favourite Waverider working in the breeze.
When Gary Hall Jnr sent Dalvey Robyn ($4.80) forward approaching the bell, Suvaljko followed that pacer’s three-wide run before switching four wide nearing the home turn. Wheeler eased Menemsha off the inside in the back straight and gelding sprinted fast after going five wide on the home bend.
Magnus Victor got his nose in front in the final ten metres before Menemsha snatched victory by a nose, rating 1.55.8, with final quarters of 27.5sec. and 29.2sec.
“I have always wanted Menemsha to be driven like that (as a sit-sprinter),” said De Campo. “However, a lot of the times he has been a winning chance and has been the hunted a few times. And I’ve over driven him a few times as well.
“It was a super run tonight, while Magnus Victor was almost a better run and just got nabbed.”
Wheeler praised Menemsha for his brilliant first-up performance, saying: “We got a bit of luck down the back when we got off the pegs and was able to get on the stablemate’s back and follow him around the corner. Menemsha has a lightning turn of foot.”
Menemsha is sure to develop into a good candidate for the rich classics for four-year-olds later in the year, including the Golden Nugget. He has raced 26 times for six wins, eight seconds, five thirds and $284,632 in prizemoney.