Lombo Pocket Watch - Four Year Old Season (2007-2008)

Four Year Old Season (2007-2008)

Pocket Watch started out his four year old season on a winning note, taking out a prelude of the Golden Nugget, a group one race for four year olds, at Gloucester Park in Perth and in doing so qualified for the final. The following week Pocket Watch backed up in the McInerney Ford Classic, a lead up to the Golden Nugget, worth $100,000 and carrying Group One status for the first time. He won in a time of 1.57.9. Pocket Watch started favourite for the Group One Golden Nugget at Gloucester Park in Perth on 14 December 2007. Despite being badly paced in the early stages, moved aroun the fied and cleared out by 11 m by the winning post.

In late December 2007, speculation was rife that Lombo Pocket Watch may be headed to the WA Pacing Cup, held on 11 January 2008, due to his excellent form and the inability of horses from the Eastern States of Australia to attend the Group One $400,000 classic due to equine influenza. After his emphatic victory in the Golden Nugget Mick Lombardo announced his premier stallion would be set for the cup, ending any doubt. In a Free For All in the week leading up to the WA Pacing Cup, Pocket Watch finished fifth. Fitpatrick explained that the horse was short of full fitness. In the main event a week later, Pocket Watch started from barrier eight, in the 2,536 m classic and was restrained early. Fitzpatrick was unable to obtain a clear run at a crucial stage as he was trapped on the inside by Garry Hall Junior's drive Franco Amon. Pocket Watch went to the line a hard-held forth as the race was taken out by Vanlo Yorker, who only a few months ago was running around as a $5000 claimer.

On 1 May 2008, began his campaign to become only the second horse to win all three age groups of the Vicbred Super Series. Pocket Watch started his campaign with an easy win in a heat of the Vicbred Super Series at Ballarat but was defeated by Melpark Major. Pocket Watch finished fourth in the high class Victorian Four and Five Year Old Championship to Smoken Up, and second to the same horse in the inaugural Len Smith Mile, a Group 1 free-for-all held over a mile on the new 1400 m track at Menangle Park.

On 8 August 2008, Lombo Pocket Watch was one of two horses invited to contest the premier four year old race of Australia, held at Harold Park in New South Wales, 2008 Courage Under Fire Chariots of Fire along with Vicbred Super Series Champion Melpark Major. In the lead up to the contest, he won two country free-for-all's at Menangle and Newcastle, the latter in 1:55.5, complete with a 26.0 second final quarter.

In a final lead up race, Lombo Pocket Watch was defeated at Harold Park by Make Me Smile. In the final Pocket Watch was baeaten in a photo finish by New Zealand import Ebony Gem, officially the margin was 0.5 m, in a mile rate of 1:57.4 for the 2,160 m race.