By Duane Ranger
He’s had more leg problems than Ironside, and has made more comebacks than Lazarus, but you would never have guessed that following Beaver’s easy run-away victory at Albion Park on Saturday night.
The 10-year-old pacer, who never stops trying and loves to race, nailed his first win in three starts this season in the sixth event – the $13,000 AQWA Construction Open Pace.
The son of Art Major has now won 22 races from 116 starts ($173,151) in an ‘off-on’ career spanning back to his debut third at Goulburn in February 2012.
“Even though he’ a bit lazy and very laid back at home, he’s definitely the family favourite. The kids love him. He always gives of his best on race-day, and is just a lovely horse to have around the stable. He’s the best of our four in work," trainer Melissa Gillies said.
“We’ve retired him a couple of times, but he gets restless and just wants to keep racing."
The Wanora horsewoman, who has a share in the bay gelding, said Beaver had suffered from a lot of leg issues since they got him off Neil Day (NSW) five years ago.
“Everything he does is a bonus. We have no expectations of him now. He suffered from front leg problems and was spelled and then we had to put him out again when his hind legs went," she said.
“That’s when we thought his racing career was over, but he got keen again when we worked our babies, and we could tell he didn’t enjoy doing nothing in his paddock, so we gave him another prep.
“To go 1:52 in just his third run back (since March last year), and to do it parked, was phenomenal."
Beaver sat in the ‘death seat’ throughout and then at the 400m Trent Dawson let him down and they ran away in the straight to win 5.4 metres over the grey, Mandy Kriden and Brendan Barnes.
He paced the 1660m mobile in 1:56.2 with a slashing 1:52.6 mile rate. His sectionals were 27.8, 29.6, 27.3 and 28.1.
“He’s very much a day-to-day proposition and we are going to enjoy him while we can. We will keep lining him up at Albion Park until he tells us he’s had enough,” Gillies said.
“At home he only ever des what he has to, but when he’s in front on race night, like he was last night, he tends to find another gear."
Meanwhile, the ‘Team Teal’ campaign, which is raising money for Women’s Cancer Research, has now hit the $5400 after win 27 by Narissa McMullen aboard favourite Comply or Die in the second race last night.
Lola Weidermann brought up the $5,000 for the Women’s Cancer Foundation on Friday at the same venue with race one winner Redriverdebba, and then McMullen (Narissa) added to the tally in race three with Miss Invasion.
The campaign ends in early March.
Extensive results from Saturday’s meeting at ‘The Park’ can be viewed here:
https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fields/race-fields/?mc=AP160219