Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Five-year-old Lord Titanium, described by his part-owner and Bunbury trainer Steve De Campo as an honest but somewhat lazy little horse, took his earnings past the $100,000 mark when he gave a bold frontrunning exhibition to score an easy win in the $21,000 Sky Racing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was a $7.60 chance from the No. 6 barrier and Stuart McDonald paved the way for the win by getting the gelding away to a flying start.
He quickly dashed to the front with a smart lead time of 36.2sec. followed by honest opening quarters of 30.4sec. and 30.2sec. before he sprinted over the final 400m sections in 28sec. and 28.5sec. on his way to beating $5 chance Mister Macedon by 5m, with the $2.10 favourite Thelittle Master a neck away in third place. Lord Titanium rated a smart 1.55.8.
The 66-year-old De Campo, who has a team of four (Lord Titanium, Miki Windermere, Kopper Kote and a McWicked colt) in work, is also the track curator at Donaldson Park, the home of the Bunbury Harness Racing Club.
He has no regrets that he took a liking to Lord Titanium at the 2021 Perth APG yearling sale and purchased him for $22,000 before selling shares to a group of stable clients. Lord Titanium now has earned $106,269 from seven wins and 20 placings from 53 starts.
Lord Titanium gave De Campo his biggest success in harness racing when he won the Group 2 Champagne Classic for two-year-olds as a $51.20 outsider in March 2022.
He is by American sire Control The Moment and is the first foal out of Bettors Delight mare Betshes Precious, who raced 73 times for nine wins, 16 placings and $66,366 in stakes.
Control The Moment (by Well Said) was an outstanding juvenile pacer in America where he raced 18 times for 12 wins, three placings and $1,227,832 in prizemoney.
“Lord Titanium has been going really well, and I was confident I’d get a forward spot, even though I wasn’t quite sure he was going to lead,” said McDonald. “The lead time (36.2sec.) concerned me a bit but I then got away with a couple of reasonable quarters (30.4sec. and 30.2sec.).”