Scott Hamilton | PACEPIX
Friday night at Gloucester Park unfolded as a captivating display of strategy and precise timing, with trainer Craig Hynam and driver Callan Suvaljko at the heart of the action.
The pair combined for a scintillating double, claiming victories with Louis Lebeau and Ardens Horizon.
While both wins drew enthusiastic applause, it was Ardens Horizon’s newfound trajectory toward the WA Pacing Cup that captured the imagination of the local harness racing fans.
The night’s curtain-raiser, the 7Plus Pace, featured Louis Lebeau, a six-year-old by American Ideal out of Unlikely Lady, in close to career-best form.
After a quick getaway and a competitive early shuffle, Suvaljko judiciously settled the gelding just off the pace in the one-out-one-back before orchestrating a perfectly timed run in the home straight. Louis Lebeau unleashed his trademark acceleration down the outside, slicing past rivals to secure a narrow but decisive victory.
Reflecting on the performance, Suvaljko remarked:
“Yeah, he’s done a good job and he’s been racing well. He went good on Monday and backed it up again here.”
The win further cemented Louis Lebeau’s reputation as a consistently formidable competitor. With 7 wins from 63 starts and over half of his races finishing in the top three, his career statistics underscore an enviable level of reliability.
“It probably helped them coming home in 29 and 29… but he’s been doing good and in the same kinds of fields could win more here”
If the first race set the tone, the narrative crescendoed in the MKR on 7 Pace, where Ardens Horizon delivered a performance that was both measured and emphatic.
Settling behind a moderate tempo, Suvaljko displayed patience and tactical acumen, biding his time while the early leaders expended energy, before unleashing Ardens Horizon’s finishing burst to claim a deserved victory.
The gelding’s performance was a clear signal that he had matured and thrived during a carefully managed period away from racing – retuning to the track in August with Hynam taking over as trainer.
“His last run was his only disappointing run this time back and he pulled up with a bit of a bug and stuff so Craig’s fixed him up, and yeah, on his work Tuesday I was quite confident he’d run a big race.”
The performance also signaled a broader ambition for Ardens Horizon: a campaign culminating in the WA Pacing Cup.
Suvaljko no stranger to WA Pacing Cup success, having driven Wildwest to victory in 2022 for Gary Hall Snr.
Callan Suvaljko after winning the 2022 TABtouch WA Pacing Cup with Wildwest for trainer Gary Hall Snr at Gloucester Park. IMAGE: Pacepix
Reflecting on his prior experience with the gelding, having trained him for most of his time in WA, emphasised the horse’s latent potential:
“When I had the horse, I actually thought he’d make the Pacing Cup at the end of that year…”
The gelding displayed a combination of temperament, resilience, and finishing speed that suggested he is perfectly suited to the demands of staying races at the highest level, and he is reaching peak campaign maturity according to The West Australian’s Hayden King:
“It’s probably just about as good as he’s gone so far this time in tonight” King exclaimed in a post race interview.
On a night where Louis Lebeau’s consummate consistency and tactical speed set an early benchmark, and Ardens Horizon’s measured surge and ability to respond under pressure showcased a horse coming into his own at a pivotal moment in his career – Hynam’s training expertise and Suvaljko’s calculated driving combined to turn what could have been routine wins into compelling narratives of strategy, preparation, and execution.
With more to come…