Theo Takes Flight
Progressive pacer Theo Aviator has enhanced his claim to being one of the state’s best three-year-olds, taking out the Pearl Classic (2130m) at Gloucester Park last night.
Starting from barrier four, Theo Aviator was heavily supported into $2.35 favouritism and didn’t let his followers down in the tough 3m win.
Theo Aviator was away only fairly from the barrier, but trainer-reinsman Aldo Cortopassi was able to slowly work his way to the lead and control the race.
The Colin Brown-trained pair Patrickthepiranha and Its Rock And Roll were both driven positively outside the leader and in the one-out-one-back positions respectively.
Theo Aviator was headed by Its Rock And Roll on the home turn, but he fought on tenaciously to take out the Group 2 feature.
Major Artist, second to Franco Edward in the Pearl Heat, finished third.
Gee Jay Kay broke after the start, but was still able to work home well into fifth placing.
Cortopassi said he was disappointed Theo Aviator was unable to gain a start in the WA Derby last month, but described the Pearl victory as a nice consolation prize.
“It’s always good to prove a point,” he told RWWA Harness.
“He’s come out tonight and proved that point that he’s as good as most of the three-year-olds here.
“I took this horse through the older races to teach him to toughen up and become a better race horse.”
Theo Aviator will progress to the upcoming three-year-old Westsired and Westbred races, while Cortopassi also has one eye on the Golden Nugget later in the year.
Meanwhile, King Of Swing continued the outstanding start to his winter campaign, taking out the On Track With Edna Brady Pace (2536m).
King Of Swing was able to slowly work his way to the front in the early stages and then sizzled home in a final quarter of 26.8 to score by 23m to Saying Grace.
Reinsman Gary Hall Jnr said King Of Swing would be more than competitive in Free-For-All company against the likes of his more celebrated stablemate Chicago Bull.
It was one of four winners on the night for Hall Jnr, who also teamed up to score on Mathew James, Mister Bushido and Caviar Star.
In the two-year-old event of the evening, it was Sweet Maddison that led home a Mike Reed-trained quinella.
Sweet Maddison was able to lead all the way from barrier one, while Power And Grace finished second.
It was a reversal of the result from Tuesday’s juvenile event.
Tim Walker