Kristy Elson Photo by Scott Hamilton Media
Thirty-five-year-old Kristy Elson has high hopes of making a flying start to her career as a trainer by landing a winner with her first starter Cott Beach in the $18,000 GT Insurance Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Cott Beach is a brilliant filly who has amassed $169,938 in prizemoney, with her 13 starts producing eight wins, three seconds, one third and one fourth.
Elson has taken over the preparation of Cott Beach this week from part-owner Peter King, who started the small filly at Gloucester Park last Saturday night when she was surprisingly beaten into third place behind Mistersandman and Lucky Sensation after she had started from the outside barrier in a field of eight and revealed much of her renowned sizzling early speed.
Cott Beach, having her first start for 22 days and driven for the first time by Shannon Suvaljko, was forced four wide in the early stages when the lead time was covered in a sizzling 35sec. She eventually crossed to the lead after 400m, and set a moderate pace but the early speed told on her and she wilted over the final 150m.
Kristy Elson is a daughter of Blythewood trainer Gary Elson, whose licence has been suspended pending the outcome of a stewards’ inquiry. Gary Elson prepared Cott Beach for her first 12 starts, which included victories earlier this year in the Champagne Classic, the Westsired feature event for two-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Westbred Classic. She also finished second to outstanding colt Jack Mac in the Golden Slipper in July.
Nathan Turvey, who handled Cott Beach in her first 12 starts for eight wins and three seconds, will resume in the sulky behind the filly on Friday night, with Blythewood trainer Michael Brennan engaging Suvaljko to drive his brilliant filly Miss Sangrial.
Miss Sangrial, who finished second to Cott Beach in the Champagne Classic, has had 15 starts for seven wins, four seconds and two thirds. She is awkwardly drawn at barrier six this week, with Cott Beach at barrier five. They are the only fillies in the race and are sure to receive stiff opposition from the colts and geldings, including Speed Man, Mistahmistah and Lucky Sensation.
Before her surprise defeat at 5/2 on last Saturday night, Cott Beach had scored easy victories at her two previous outings (her first two runs as a three-year-old). After leading and winning from Bettor Finish at Bunbury on November 5, Cott Beach set a fast pace and romped home by ten lengths from Fortunate Adda, rating 1.57.1 over 2130m at Gloucester Park on November 17.
Adding considerable interest to Friday night’s race will be the appearance of the inexperienced New Zealand-bred gelding Mistahmistah, who will be making his Australian debut and is sure to be fancied from the favourable No. 2 barrier.
Mistahmistah arrived in Perth eight weeks ago and is trained and driven by Kyle Harper. He warmed up for this week’s assignment with a most impressive win in a 2150m trial at Byford on Sunday morning when he was restrained at the start from the outside barrier.
He settled down in last position in the field of six and the first two sections of the final mile were covered in the slow times of 32.8sec. and 31.2sec. before final quarters in 29.9sec. and 29.4sec. Mistahmistah was still last with 300m to travel before he went four wide on the home turn and was completely unextended in winning very easily at a modest 2.03.1 rate.
He has raced only once, for a narrow victory at a 2.00.4 rate over 1950m at Addington on July 7. Trained by Cran Dalgety and favourite at 10/1 on, Mistahmistah began well from the No. 4 barrier and burst to the front after 80m before setting a slow pace, with opening quarters of the final mile in 32.2sec. and 32.6sec. He then increased the tempo and ran the final 800m in 57.2sec., with the last 400m taking 27.3sec.
He held on and won by a nose from Christian Who, who finished fast along the inside. The most memorable feature of that race was that it gave star New Zealand reinsman Dexter Dunn his 2000th career victory and took his tally for the season to 221, a New Zealand record.
New Zealand-bred colt Speed Man, to be driven by ace reinsman Gary Hall Jnr for champion trainer Gary Hall Snr, will start from the outside in the field of eight in his quest to notch four wins in a row at his fifth appearance in a race.
After being checked and breaking into a gallop before finishing a well-beaten second to Reacher at his debut, at Wagin in mid-October, Speed Man scored decisive victories at Narrogin, Bunbury and Pinjarra in November.
He was three back on the pegs at the bell before charging home out wide to win by 12 lengths from Rocknroll Beachboy at a 1.57.6 rate over 2185m at his most recent appearance.
The Katja Warwick-trained Mistersandman was fourth (three back on the pegs at the bell) before Chris Voak brought him home with a well-timed run to take the lead 150m from the post and to a convincing victory over Lucky Sensation and Cott Beach at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
