Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
WA-bred five-year-old Maungatahi is continuing to improve, and he completed a hat-trick of wins when he set the pace and won convincingly from Soundwave and Lucapelo in the 1730m The Minstrel Million Dollar Machine Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Maungatahi was the $3.80 second favourite, after coming in from barrier four to No. 3 with the late scratching of former Victorian pacer Gilligans Island, who had burst to the front at the start and set the pace at his five previous starts.
Polemarker Lucapelo was the $2.15 favourite and was beaten for speed by Maungatahi, who charged straight to the front and went on to set the pace and win by just under a length from $10 chance Sound Wave, with Lucapelo finishing third after trailing the pacemaker and being hopelessly blocked for a clear run throughout the final lap.
Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green admitted that he was not confident of leading but said the scratching of Gilligan Island had helped.
“I expected Lucapelo to get out quicker than he did,” he said. “But I was happy to set the pace.”
Maungatahi dashed over the final 800m in 56.6sec. and rated 1.55.9. He is by American sire Betterthancheddar and is the second foal out of American Ideal mare Poppy Maguire, who won at two of her six New Zealand starts and then was unplaced at her first two runs in WA before being retired.
Maungatahi has earned $88,097 from nine wins and 14 placings from 34 starts.