Outstanding teenage driver Abbey Vidovich played the waiting game to perfection to score an excellent victory in the $23,000 Vale Hubba Rich Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The six-year-old gelding’s win as an $8.90 chance brought up Vidovich’s 100TH winner for the 2025 season, with the diminutive 19-year-old saying: “Never in a million years did I consider that a possibility.
“I was just happy to get my C (concession) licence and get a few wins on the board. I’m happy that the trainers have stuck with me, especially the bigger trainers like Bob (Mellsop), who has helped me a lot.
“I have lost my C5 concession but still have a three-point concession until I get 250 wins. My main focus is on my driving, and I also help out (trainer) Sarah Suvaljko for a couple of hours in the morning.”
Mellsop, a Bunbury trainer, was full of praise for Vidovich, saying: “She is a great little driver, and I have lost count of how many winners she has driven for me. She drove a treble for me at Bunbury one night and her first metro winner was with my horse Blazing Reactor.
“I bought Heavenly Wage from New South Wales more three years ago and syndicated him with several stable clients. Heavenly Wage’s strength is his sprinting ability over short trips, and he was the horse of the year at Pinjarra last year.”
Heavenly Wage won once (over 1609m at Newcastle as a three-year-old) from seven starts in NSW, and his WA record stands at 14 wins and 21 placings from 77 starts, taking his career record to 84 starts for 15 wins, 25 placings and $142,797.
He has also won over 1609m at Bunbury, and he has been outstanding in winning seven times in 1177m sprint events at Pinjarra, a feat that no other pacer can match.
Heavenly Wage is by American sire Rock n Roll Heaven and is the only foal out of Tinted Cloud mare Gee Tee Wage, who had 49 starts (all at Newcastle in 2014 and 2015) for ten wins, 11 placings and stakes of $51,835.
On Friday night, Vidovich gave Heavenly Wage a perfect trip in the one-out and one-back position, following the breeze horse Eldaytona, with $26 chance Louie Lebeau setting a solid pace. Vidovich bided her time before bringing Heavenly Wage home with a smart sprint and getting to the front 220m from the post and winning by a length and a half from Louie Lebeau, with Thelittle Master ($7.50) running on from seventh at the bell to finish third. The final quarters were run in 28.1sec. and 27.9sec.
