Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Glenledi Chief notched his fifth win from his past ten starts and earned a start in the $50,000 Pinjarra Cup next Monday week when he had a tough run without cover before beating the pacemaker Hampton Banner by a neck in the Group 3 $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the $3 favourite from the awkward draw at barrier No. 7, and it was the aggression of champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr that proved the decisive factor in his victory.
Noted frontrunner Hampton Banner ($3.70) led from the coveted No. 1 barrier after surviving an early challenge from $101 outsider Jack Farthing, while Glenledi Chief settled down in eleventh position. Hall seized the initiative by dashing Glenledi Chief forward, three wide, after 500m to move to the breeze.
Glenledi Chief finally got the upper hand in the final 50m to beat the gallant Hampton Banner. The winner rated 1.54.9 over the 2130m and gave champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond a hat-trick of wins in the Lord Mayor’s Cup, following the successes of Mighty Conqueror in December 2020 and Minstrel last year.
“I went a bit earlier than I wanted to,” said Hall. “The pace hadn’t completely come off but I didn’t want Classic Choice going around to the breeze because if he did then I wouldn’t be able to get there.
“It’s pretty good that Glenledi Chief has that string to his bow — being able to race in the breeze in Free-For-Alls and be able to beat a horse like Hampton Banner after sitting outside of him.
“Glenledi Chief was better tonight, not switching off once getting to the front. He looked around when he got his head in front, but he wasn’t boring up the track.”
Glenledi Chief has earned $263,957 from 19 wins and 17 placings from 58 starts. He won three times in New Zealand and his West Australian record stands at 36 starts for 16 wins and 11 placings.