Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Five-year-old High Price went into the $21,000 Perth’s Newest Station Smooth FM Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night with just one win from his previous 28 starts.
But he had been most consistent, with eleven placings and four fourths, along with a win at Northam in June this year, from those 28 appearances, and he thoroughly deserved an overdue win when Stuart McDonald drove him to a stylish victory. High Price has been prepared by Northam trainer Garry Sayers for his latest 16 starts for two wins and nine placings.
High Price was fourth favourite at $5.90 from the No. 5 barrier, and McDonald was rewarded with his aggressive approach, sending the gelding forward with a three-wide burst for the first 550m before moving to the breeze.
High Price’s three-wide run was followed by $5 chance The Beaudster, who ran past High Price to take up the breeze position after a lap had been completed.
The Beaudster, driven by Emily Suvaljko, got his head in front of the pacemaker Tantabiddi ($19) but failed to defy High Price, who surged to the front 50m from the post and won by a half-length from The Beaudster, rating 1.57.6 over 2130m.
Frisky Styx ($3.80) had little luck in running and did well to run on from last at the bell to finish third, with the $3.60 favourite Vegas Strip enjoying no luck from out wide at barrier eight and finishing seventh.
“I thought that after a slow lead time (38sec.) and being able to get the one-out, one-back position, things would go well for us because the backmarkers would be battling,” said McDonald.
High Price is by former star pacer Alta Christiano and is the first foal out of Grinfromeartoear mare Harriet Price, who had 17 starts for two wins, two placings and $11,189 in stakes. Harriet Price won two minor events in New Zealand as a four-year-old before being sent to WA where she was placed once from eight starts, a nose second to Fay Darling at Bunbury in December 2016.
High Price has now earned $113,729 from nine wins and 19 placings from 55 starts.