Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
WA-bred seven-year-old Thomson Bay took full advantage of a drop in class and the prized No. 1 barrier when he set the pace and won the $21,000 WA Hall Of Fame Submissions Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Stuart McDonald enjoyed an armchair drive to guide the $3.30 favourite to a neck victory over the $3.70 second fancy Eldaytona, who ran home solidly after trailing the leader all the way. After opening quarters of 29.1sec. and 29sec. Thomson Bay dashed over the final 400m sections in 27.6sec. and 28.2sec. and rated 1.53.1 over the 1730m.
The win ended a losing sequence of twelve, which included just one placing, and it improved his record to 46 starts for 14 wins, seven placings and stakes of $118,663.
Thomson Bay is proving a great bargain for Coolup trainer Hayden Reeves, who bought the Mr Feelgood gelding for $1000 from breeder Peter King after the pacer had raced only once for an eleventh placing behind Caveman as a two-year-old at Pinjarra. Thomson Bay has now had 45 starts for Ashleigh Reeves for 14 wins and seven placings for earnings of $130,623.
Thomson Bay is the only foal out of the Rich And Spoilt mare Geordie Bay, who raced eleven times for two wins (at Bunbury in September 2012) and stakes of $7399.