Racing WA Harness

Veteran trainer Kevin Keys has Bettors Pride at his peak, and he is confident the five-year-old will prove hard to beat in both the upcoming group 3 $50,000 features, the Winter Cup next Friday night and the August Cup six weeks later.

“I’m looking forward to Bettors Pride contesting both those Cups,” said Keys after Shannon Suvaljko had driven the gelding to an impressive victory in the $25,000 Westside Auto Cars Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

“It was a good effort tonight after he did a bit of work early and then was held up a bit and received a bit of interference.”

Bettors Pride was the $2.10 favourite from barrier five and he raced three wide early before gaining an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position while the polemarker Lucca ($4.60) was setting the pace with Maximum Rock ($15) in the breeze.

“We had to bide our time, and when he got the run, he took a while to wind up,” said Suvaljko. “But then he hit the line really strongly. He has always been fast and now he has got a lot stronger in this preparation, and he has definitely gone to another level.

“In the big races he will be hard to beat if he leads or if he races three back on the rails.”

Bettors Pride unwound a spirited finishing burst to get to the front in the final few strides and beat $8 chance Petes Honour, who trailed the pacemaker all the way and issued a strong challenge on the home turn.

Bettors Pride has now earned $151,366 from nine wins and nine placings from 29 starts. One of his rivals in next Friday night’s Winter Cup is sure to be Youre So Fine, who scored a smart win in the $31,000 Westside Auto 24/7 Online Free-For-All on Friday night.

Youre So Fine, driven by Stuart McDonald for trainer Gary Hall snr, was a $5.20 chance from barrier four, and after racing three wide early he enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position while the $3 favourite Chivalry was overracing badly in the lead.

Youre So Fine began a three-wide move 700m from home and was driven patiently by McDonald before he got the upper hand approaching the home turn and went on to win by a neck from $8 chance Justcallmemiki, who finished strongly from eighth at the bell. Water Lou, resuming after a spell, raced three back on the pegs before charging home out five wide to finish third.

“Youre So Fine is an old horse and this is the right time of the year to be racing in Free-For-Alls,” said McDonald. “His injuries are not affecting him, but they are preventing him from being at his absolute best.

“He has damaged a tendon a few times but is going good enough to be competitive in these winter races.”

View Replay: racingwa.com.au/rwa/meetings/harness/2026-07-03/GLOUCESTER%20PARK/GP030726/race/4/GPM03072613

Ken Casellas

IT'S RACE DAY!!

First Race : 11:48am
Last Race: 4:29pm

Special Mention: Race 5 - Devereux Family 3yo Pace
Feature Race: Race 7 - Wally Barrett O.A.M Memorial Pace

FREE ENTRY
Gates and tote open at 11.00am

Restaurant Open - Book your table by calling 9531 1941
Happy Hour 4.30pm - close

Thank you to our 2026 sponsors, who make this race day possible. A special mention to Stable Affairs, Stanbee Stockfeeds, Solid State Welding Repairs, Tyrepower Pinjarra, Regency, Country Builders & SignUp WA.

There will be our Lucky Losing Ticket Draw after Race 5. Win a $10.00 Tabtouch Voucher. Meat tray raffle throughout the day.

Our Members
Before Race 1 - Members draw for your chance to win a FREE Lunch
After Race 3 - Members free drink draw
After Race 8 - Members draw jackpot draw.

This week's jackpot is $50 in betting vouchers. If it isn't claimed after Race 8 there will be a bonus draw after the last race.

For all patrons, we also have Chase the Ace after the last race and Happy Hour from 4.30pm to close.

See you at the Trots.

Seven-year-old High Price ended a 15-month drought and ended a losing sequence of 21 when he unwound a flying finish to come from ninth position 250m from home to score a comfortable win in the 2130m Christmas In July Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

High Price, trained at Northam by Garry Sayers and driven by Aiden de Campo, appreciated a drop in class and was excellent value at $15.90.

After High Price was restrained at the start and racing at the rear de Campo explained how he changed his tactics, saying: “I was planning to go forward and to find a hole.

“But during the warm-up I thought that there would be a good bit of speed on, so I ended up restraining the horse. They ran hard the whole way, and that suited him.”

Beyond The Sea, the $1.65 favourite, dashed to the front after 100m and withstood a challenge in the first circuit from Hunger Strike ($5.50) before there was little respite for the leaders with $18 chance Paroquet working hard, out three wide outside Beyond The Sea and Hunger Strike.

Chaco Eagle ($8) raced in eighth place before trailing the three-wide run of Paroquet approaching the bell and getting to the front 270m from home. But he was unable to hold out the fast-finishing High Price.

High Price, a gelding by former star pacer Alta Christiano, has been a handy performer who has raced 87 times for 12 wins and 25 placings for earnings of $197,679.

He is raced by Mike and Lyn Pike, who enjoyed further success when their three-year-old filly Lianaka, trained by Sayers and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, won a 2190m event at Northam’s Burwood Park on Saturday night.

Lianaka, a $52,500 yearling by Art Major, set the pace and held on to beat Torrevean Envy Me by a half-head.

View Replay: racingwa.com.au/rwa/meetings/harness/2026-07-03/GLOUCESTER%20PARK/GP030726/race/2/GPM03072612

Ken Casellas

Former successful jockey and talented trainer-reinsman Kristian Hawkins has rekindled his love of harness racing, and he celebrated his first win at Gloucester Park for six and a half years when he prepared veteran pacer Jamie Kim for his victory in the $21,000 Westside Auto For Your Tyres Pace over 2130m on Friday night.

“I’m in the process of getting more pacers to train,” he said after Jocelyn Young set the pace with Jamie Kim, an $8 chance who led from the No. 2 barrier and was able to dawdle through the lead time in 38.6sec. and slow opening quarters of 32.2sec. and 30.8sec.

Young then increased the tempo, and Jamie Kim covered the final 400m sections in 29.4sec. and 29.1sec. and scored by a half-length from $4 chance True Grit, who fought on from sixth at the bell.

This gave the 46-year-old Hawkins his first win at Gloucester Park since he trained and drove Runaway Three for a half-head victory over Soho Thunderstruck on December 23, 2019.

Hawkins is the seventh trainer to have prepared Jamie Kim during his career of 141 starts for eleven wins, 24 placings and stakes of $108,267. Hawkins has now trained 148 winners.

He relinquished his licence as a trainer-reinsman in March 2020 when he was appointed as a cadet harness racing steward, and after a year in that job he travelled to Port Hedland where he worked for five and a half years at an iron ore facility.

“At the moment I’m working Jamie Kim and two gallopers, Desert Edge and Manhattan Strip, and am looking forward to Jamie Kim performing well when he contests a standing-start event at Pinjarra on Monday,” he said.

“Then in a couple of weeks I’ll hit the road with the two gallopers who will be set for the Broome, Roebourne and Port Hedland Cups. While I am away Possum (Jocelyn) will train Jamie Kim.”

Jamie Kim, a seven-year-old by Art Major, is the first foal out of Just Jamie, a mare Hawkins purchased and raced in partnership with several mates, one of whom is Mal Whyte, who owns Jamie Kim with his brother Bill.

View Replay: racingwa.com.au/rwa/meetings/harness/2026-07-03/GLOUCESTER%20PARK/GP030726/race/9/GPM03072611

Ken Casellas

Stuart McDonald retains fond memories of one of his first winners when he drove Robyns C C to a fighting victory at Gloucester Park on October 1, 2013, and now he is looking forward to that mare’s second foal Beyond The Sea ending a losing sequence of 16 when she begins from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m Christmas In July Pace at WA pacing’s headquarters on Friday night.

Seven-year-old Beyond The Sea will be making her third appearance for her new trainer Micheal Ferguson, and she impressed first-up after an eight-month absence when she ran home strongly from the rear to finish second to Raklou over 1684m at Pinjarra three Mondays ago.

Then she had no luck last Friday night when she began speedily from barrier four but was unable to cross to the front, leaving McDonald with little option but to restrain her back to the rear. She battled on from 12th at the bell to finish eighth behind Thelittle Master.

That was McDonald’s first drive behind Beyond The Sea. He also drove Robyns C C only once --- in the mare’s win over Rowchester in the final of a concession drivers challenge in 2013.
Beyond The Sea retains the ability which she revealed when she won the group 2 Norms Daughter Classic in November 2023, beating the pacemaker Wonderful To Fly, Born To Boogie and Steno.

There could be an interesting battle for the early lead in Friday night’s event, with McDonald expected to use Beyond The Sea’s excellent gate speed, and Kevin Keys, a part-owner and trainer of the polemarker Kurious Boy saying that he had hopes that the gelding, a noted tardy beginner, would be able to make a fast getaway and then set the pace.

“This week I expect him to lead and go very well,” said Keys. Kurious Boy has been unplaced at his past 15 starts since he finished strongly to win from Reset The Bar and Manhattan Moon over 2130m at Gloucester Park on February 20 this year.

Among the main dangers to Beyond The Sea are Hunger Strike and Insta Gator, with Hunger Strike, to be driven by Kylah Madden for trainer Nathan Turvey, warming up for her assignment on Friday night with a solid effort to finish a close third behind When In Vegas and Wicked Hustler on Tuesday night after racing without cover all the way.

Insta Gator, trained and driven by Jocelyn Young, will be making his first appearance since racing in the breeze and finishing sixth behind Soho Moonraker on New Years Eve last year. He has a losing sequence of 12 and will start out wide at barrier eight. He has recorded two easy trial wins in small fields at Pinjarra last month and is capable of a bold first-up showing.

View field: racingwa.com.au/rwa/meetings/harness/2026-07-03/GLOUCESTER%20PARK/GP030726/race/2/GPM03072612

Ken Casellas