Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Promising South Australian-bred pacer Gully Gum ran an excellent trial for next Friday night’s Summer Series feature event when he scored a convincing win in the $21,000 The West Sport Show Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Gully Gum is prepared by astute Bunbury trainer Bob Mellsop, who has also qualified Hi Suga Rush for a start in the final.
Gully Gum was the $1.90 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in Friday night’s 2130m event. He led for the first 250m before Aiden de Campo dashed Showpony ($3.40) to the front and then dawdled through the opening quarter of the final mile in 32.6sec.
Deni Roberts bided her time with Gully Gum and she waited until the final 220m before easing the gelding off the pegs. Gully Gum then finished strongly, got to the front at the 100m and beat Showpony by a length, rating 1.58.1 after a final 400m of 27.5sec.
“I was a bit worried when Showpony raced to the front, but after he ran such a slow first quarter I wasn’t so concerned because it was probably too slow for Showpony, who is more of a rolling type,” said Roberts.
“Gully Gum is quite fast, and he got a perfect run. He is very fast when you can use him like that.”
Mellsop said that Roberts would have the choice of drives between Gully Gum and Hi Suga Rush in next Friday night’s race.
Gully Gum is a five-year-old by American sire Huntsville and is the second and last foal out of the Modern Art mare Dorothy Hester, who was retired after having 30 starts for two wins (at Ararat and Mount Gambier in 2015), eight placings and $10,576.
Dorothy Hester’s dam Ruffle My Feathers was a handy performer, winning races in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, and retiring with a record of 91 starts for 32 wins, 30 placings and $189,063.
Gully Gum has earned $70,814 from eleven wins and ten placings from 27 starts. He won at his only two starts in South Australia (as a three-year-old in 2023) before being sold to a syndicate of several Mellsop stable clients and resuming his career in WA.