Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding four-year-old Justcallmemiki has not been extended in winning at his first four starts at Gloucester Park, prompting his driver Deni Roberts to declare that she simply does not know how good he is.
Justcallmemiki, prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was the $1.20 favourite when he raced wide early from barrier seven and then worked in the breeze before coasting to a most impressive victory over $12 chance and pacemaker Longreach Bay in the $25,000 Your One Stop Shop Is At Garrard’s Horse And Hound Autumn Series final over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I thought I wouldn’t get to the front and obviously Justcallmemiki was going to do the hard work,” said Roberts. “I haven’t found the bottom of him yet and it’s hard to say how good he is.
“Tonight was going to be his next test, and he handled it quite comfortably and didn’t mind the breeze at all. The times he has just run and how easily he did it is pretty exciting.”
Justcallmemiki, who has earned $102,826 from eight wins and two placings from 16 starts, is being set for the rich events for four-year-olds later this year, including the Golden Nugget. There is a remote possibility that he could be taken by a slot holder to contest the $1.25 million Nullarbor on April 25.
His prospects for the Golden Nugget improved when Roberts revealed that his classy stablemate and 2024 WA Derby winner Christopher Dance had been sold to American interests to do his future racing in the United States.
Justcallmemiki took the lead 200m from home and won by a length from Longreach Bay, rating 1.55 after final 400m sections of 28.6sec. and 27.8sec.