Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Mad Monday made it a fruitful Friday when he scored an easy win in the $21,000 Perth’s Kate For Breakfast On Smooth FM Pace for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This completed a hat-trick of wins for the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Mad Monday, who benefitted from a gear change. “When Stuey (Stuart McDonald) drove him at his previous start he was hanging in a bit too much, so we decided to fit a nearside Murphy Blind in a bid to get him around the home corner,” said driver Deni Roberts.
“It helped but he still wasn’t perfect on the corner tonight when he was probably a bit tired because he hadn’t run that sort of time before. He only rated 1.58.4, but the wind was very strong. He has improved with every run.”
Mad Monday, a Victorian-bred gelding, was a warm $2.10 favourite from barrier four, with Roberts happy to give him a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position while When In Vegas ($6) was setting the pace after keeping My Hammer Down ($3.20) at bay after that gelding was smartest into stride.
My Hammer Down eventually took a clear lead 550m from home before Roberts sent Mad Monday past him about 170m later, on his way to a two-length victory over $13 chance Major Disco, who fought on from fifth at the bell.
Mad Monday was unplaced at his four starts in Victoria earlier this year before coming to WA where his six starts have produced three wins and two seconds to take his record to ten starts for three wins, two placings and $27,820. He is by former star pacer Vincent and is the fourth foal out of Richly Deserved, who raced 31 times in Victoria for three wins and three placings for stakes of $14,836.