The lightly-raced and much travelled five-year-old Minos made a wonderful West Australian debut when he scored an impressive victory in the 2130m Nightly Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The ease of his win surprised trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper, who predicts the New Zealand-bred Bettors Delight gelding will develop into a top-flight performer.
“He was well underdone for tonight’s race, and I didn’t expect him to win,” said Harper. “He injured a leg almost a year ago and this was his first run for eleven months.
“I believe it was a tendon injury, and his owner Michael Boots sent him to me probably because I’ve got a water walker which is ideal for his rehabilitation.
“Minos wasn’t very well when he arrived here, and when I trialled him six weeks ago (when fifth at Byford) he didn’t please me at all. So, I went back to the drawing board. He had a few issues, and I put him in the water walker for a couple of weeks.
“He worked for about half an hour every day, and it is a very good aerobic exercise. The water walker is 20 metres in diameter and provides a very good aerobic exercise. Horses love it, and they splash around and have a lot of fun. The water is up over the chest, and the horses have to push through.”
Harper gave Minos a workout in a Byford trial six days before Friday night’s race, and the gelding led early before sitting behind the pacemaker Sweet Lucifer and finishing solidly to win from that pacer, rating a modest 1.59.8 with final quarters of 31sec. and 28.2sec.
On Friday night Minos, a $5 chance from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, got away smartly and enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and two-back, before he was flushed out about 950m from home when Lil Happy Fella began a move from the rear.
“I didn’t want to be held up, so I popped off three wide to give Minos a bit of air,” said Harper. “His was a good effort considering that he had been hoppled only once in the past six weeks.”
Minos is one of five horses owned by Boots who are being prepared by Harper. The others are Unlucky, Spyglass, Chivalry and Nerano.
Minos is the first foal out of Ariadne, who had ten starts in New Zealand for five wins, two placings and $29,156.
He raced twice in New Zealand as a two-year-old for a win on debut in a five-horse field before travelling to Australia where he raced ten times in New South Wales for four wins and six placings, four times in Queensland for two placings and three times in Victoria for one placing.
Minos finished third in the NSW Derby at Menangle in March 2024, and two starts after that he won the group 2 $100,000 Gold Chalice before going to Brisbane where he finished third in the Queensland Derby at Albion Park.
Minos has now earned $150,009 from six wins and nine placings from 20 starts.
