Kiwi Legend at Gloucester Park.
Subtle changes to his gear have made Kiwi Legend a happier horse and astute Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed is already mapping out an ambitious program for the New Zealand-bred five-year-old.
Reed is confident that Kiwi Legend will maintain his splendid form and win the $23,000 TABtouch Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night despite an awkward draw at barrier six on the front line.
He said that Kiwi Legend, having his third run after a spell, would have another three or four starts before being spelled and then being brought back into work later in the year with the specific aim of contesting the Interdominion Championship series and WA Pacing Cup.
“That’s where we’re heading for,” said Reed. “I think he’s a very good horse and is an Inters hope. People think that he’s more of a one-paced horse, but his major asset is his speed.
“Barrier six on Friday night is a bit tricky and I’m not sure whether to go forward or back at the start. I’ll leave the tactics up to Shannon (Suvaljko). I wouldn’t mind if Kiwi Legend goes back. There’s likely to be a fairly quick lead time --- and when the pace slackens off Kiwi Legend will be able to pop around.”
Kiwi Legend is lightly raced, with ten wins and 11 placings from just 26 starts. He was untroubled to lead from the No. 1 barrier in the 2130m Lord Mayor’s Cup last Friday night and after a slow lead time of 37.9sec. and modest opening quarters of 30.4sec. and 30sec. he sped over the final sections in 28.6sec. and 27.8sec. to beat Bettor Offer by two lengths at a 1.56.9 rate.
First-up a fortnight earlier, Kiwi Legend flew home from last at the bell to finish second to Bronze Seeker over 2536m.
Reed said that fellow trainer Clint Kimes had assisted him in making changes to Kiwi Legend’s gear. “We made the changes before his first-up run, when he went huge, and I think he will be getting better and better,” Reed said.
“He used to get on one knee a little bit and now we’ve got him off his knee. We put a different bit on him and put a winker on one side of him, while keeping the Murphy blind on the other side. These changes and a few other little things are making him happier and he’s now pacing better than he has ever paced. He has pulled up extremely well after last week’s win and he’ll do better this week.”
Kiwi Legend, an Art Major gelding, did not race as a two-year-old before scoring easy wins at his only two starts in New Zealand, as a three-year-old in February 2015. Reed picked him out and he was purchased by Albert and Julie Walmsley.
At his West Australian debut in March 2015 Kiwi Legend was successful in a WA Derby prelude in which boom pacer Beaudiene Boaz finished eighth. “I think that run knocked him about a little bit,” Reed said. Kiwi Legend then was unplaced behind Beaudiene Boaz in the Western Gateway Pace and WA Derby. After a spell, he finished second to Beaudiene Boaz in the group 1 Golden Nugget in December 2015.
Looming as the major danger to Kiwi Legend on Friday night is the Greg and Skye Bond-trained Bettor Offer, who will start from barrier two on the back line.
“From this draw, he can turn the tables on Kiwi Legend,” declared reinsman Ryan Warwick. “Last week Browny (Colin Brown) rated Kiwi Legend really well. After a slow lead time, he rated every quarter a second quicker, without letting us into the race.
“This week it’s a drop in grade for Bettor Offer and Kiwi Legend won’t get it as easy as he did last week. So, I don’t think it is game over for Kiwi Legend.
“Before last week’s second placing Bettor Offer performed really well at his two previous starts, after resuming from a spell. He finished third behind both the frontrunners Franco Rayner and Nathans Courage, with the winners each rating 1.53.4 over 1730m. He made ground on both the leaders.”
Bronze Seeker, who finished powerfully when he won from Kiwi Legend over 2536m three starts ago, has drawn the coveted No. 1 barrier and Michael Grantham will make a bold bid to assume control in front after the mobile barrier releases the field of 12.
Major Rush (barrier No. 2) and Mon Lillies (three) each possesses sparkling gate speed, but Grantham is confident that Bronze Seeker will be able to hold them out in an early battle for the lead.
Bronze Seeker, trained at Byford by Peter Anderson, has drawn the No. 1 barrier only six times from his first 120 starts in mobile events in WA for two seconds, two thirds, a fourth and a twelfth placing. The most recent occasion Bronze Seeker started from barrier one was seven starts ago when he set the pace with a solid lead time of 36.1sec. and sections of 29.5sec., 29.3sec., 29.1sec. and 28.6sec. He withstood a strong early challenge from My Samantha Jane and fought on grandly to finish second, beaten by one metre by the 2/1 on favourite Rub of the Green.
Bronze Seeker’s stablemate Lisharry is in grand form, but he faces an extremely difficult task from the outside (No. 9) mon the front line. He will be handled by Nathan Turvey, with Chris Lewis opting for Commander Chapel, who is trained by Debra Lewis and is favourably drawn on the inside of the back line at his first appearance after a short spell.
