Awaitinginstructions Photo by Jessica Joy Photography
The third meeting of the season at Collie delivered a thrilling day of harness racing, with the $8000 Joe & Margaret Suvaljko Memorial taking centre stage.
Feature race specialist Awaitinginstructions proved too sharp for his rivals over the 2670m standing start, showcasing his trademark speed and tactical brilliance.
Starting from a 10m handicap, the pint-sized eight-year-old began like a jet and settled early behind the leader.
Driver Kyle Harper made a well-timed move to position the gelding behind stablemate Gee Smith, and with just over two laps remaining, Awaitinginstructions surged home to win by 3.1 metres.
The result marked a race quinella for trainer Matt Scott, who enjoyed a standout day with three runners producing one win and two second placings.
Earlier in the day, former Collie local Cody Wallrodt kicked off proceedings with a win in the opener, guiding two-year-old filly Straniero Del Mare to her maiden victory at just her fifth start.
Bred by KTC Bloodstock and purchased for $26,000 at the 2024 Perth APG Yearling Sales, the filly is one of only five by stallion Tall Dark Stranger from that sale and showed plenty of promise in her breakthrough performance.
Race two saw Into The Future deliver a commanding win for trainer Peter Anderson and driver Trent Wheeler.
Starting from barrier eight, Wheeler settled at the rear before launching a three-wide move with just over a lap to go, cruising to victory by nearly 10 metres.
The double Westbred son of Fly Like An Eagle now boasts six wins from 44 starts and shares bloodlines with $100,000+ earners Bettor Move Along and Follow Rocknroll, being the fourth living foal out of Rocknroll Royalty.
Trainer Hayden Reeves also enjoyed a successful outing, teaming up with emerging reinswoman Abbey Vidovich for a winning double.
In race three, Gota Good Warhol edged out Hes Thunder in a thrilling finish, claiming victory by a half head.
Later in race five, Del Bocovista Bay overcame a wide run and some rough racing to win by 1.8 metres, pushing his career earnings past $100,000, a push for local breeding and locally stood stallion Bonavista Bay.
In race four, Michael Young bounced back with Hurricanehope, who led from start to finish under the guidance of Shannon Suvaljko.
Since joining Young’s stable in mid-September, Hurricanehope has had seven starts for four wins, proving to be a valuable addition to the team.
Suvaljko capped off the day with a driving double, his second win coming aboard More Than Honoured in the final race.
Trained by Craig Hynam, the pair crossed early from barrier five, avoided the scrimmage behind them, and held on for a narrow win on the line.
With just one meeting left in the season, attention now turns to Collie Cup Day on Sunday, November 16. The club is gearing up for a big finale, promising another exciting day of racing to close out a memorable season.
