Camera Action proved that a quick turnaround is no obstacle, coming off a defeat six days earlier to win the $100,000 Racing WA Provincial Championship Series Final (1400m) at Belmont.
After being beaten as a $1.90 favourite at Northam in her heat of the series on Sunday, punters sent Camera Action out a $7.50 TABtouch elect in Saturday’s feature.
Other than the lethargic Speed Bubble ($34), who missed the start hopelessly, Camera Action was the last to leave the stalls and was bustled up by Brayden Gaerth to sit in the three-wide train but still near the back.
With 600m to go and nine lengths from leader Psycho Sista ($6.50), Gaerth hooked the mare to the outside to start a searching run.
Cornering nine wide as the field fanned, the four-year-old unleashed a paralysing run down the outskirts of the track and raced to the front with 150m left.
Snazzler ($34), who turned alongside Camera Action but couldn’t match her dash, ran to second place but could get no closer than a length to the dominant daughter of Shooting To Win.
Despite the short-priced defeat last weekend, co-trainer Sean Casey was not dismayed after being turned over by Manhattan Strip.
“It was a great effort from the horse. She ran last Sunday at Northam and ran a super race,” he said.
“The other day when Brad (Parnham) rode her, she had the field covered. She got to the front and was home, but Willie (Pike) had one of those purple patch days where he got out of the ground the last 100m and got the drop on us.
“Brad and I had in mind that she doesn’t need to hit the front too early, but she had the race shot to pieces and then Willie just came from nowhere. By no fault of anybody, we got beaten.”
The win brought up a metropolitan double for Gaerth on consecutive weekends after the earlier success of Sky Duke ($7.50).
“Very impressed with Brayden’s ride here today. We both assessed how we thought the race would be run and it just went to the letter,” Casey said.
“He was able to ride it out hard and change the whip into the left. It was a really good watch.
“She’s a nice big, strong mare and beautifully put together. She’s got the scope and stride (to get 1600m).
Gaerth, still a 2kg claiming apprentice, was riding the mare for the first time and registered his first triple-figure purse race win.
“Looking at the race initially, it was going to be a bit hairy,” Gaerth said.
“But, like I said to Sean, it’s no good pulling back or working all the way forward, I think we’ve just got to ride for luck and try to be midfield.
“All credit to the horse. I had to pop early and go. It was a massive, massive effort from her.
“She wanted to hang in a little bit and once I pulled (the whip) through and gave her a couple, she straightened up and ran through the line really nicely.
“Off the weights, claiming 2kg, off 55kg, she meets them a lot better. She’s better than most of them, so the draw was obviously the big query. But with that weight, we were able to use her and off the quick spin, she was too good.”
The mature-aged apprentice was denied a treble in the final race as Speed Dream ($7) beat Correct Choice ($5.50) by a half head.
“It’s been really good the last couple of months,” Gaerth said.
“The support I’ve had from trainers… they’ve really supported me, and it comes down to the cattle you’re getting on, and I’m getting on some really, really fast ones.”
