Tiffany Rose Set to Bloom

Little New Zealand-bred filly Tiffany Rose is poised to make a successful debut at Gloucester Park when she starts from barrier five in the Better Your Bet With TABtouch Pace over 2130m on Friday night.

To be driven by Michael Grantham for Henley Brook trainer Mike Reed, Tiffany Rose was selected by owners Jim and Wilma Giumelli, who were greatly impressed by her performances in several rich Group 1 and Group 2 feature events for two-year-old fillies in New Zealand early this year.

“Jim and Wilma pick their horses out after watching a lot of race and trial videos,” said Reed. “They said that they liked this filly and asked me if I’d like to go to New Zealand and have a look at her. So, I went over and drove her in a workout at Addington and discovered that she is quite quick.

“She has got good gate speed and I thought that she would be suited by WA racing. Her videos were good and she raced against Group 1 horses.”

Tiffany Rose certainly looked the part with four seconds and three thirds from eight starts, almost exclusively in group 1 and 2 events, in New Zealand when she matched strides with star fillies from the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen training establishment in Sweet On Me (six wins and $246,960 from seven starts) and Amazing Dream (six wins and five placings for stakes of $236,342 from `12 starts).

Tiffany Rose, who is by American stallion Somebeachsomewhere, has raced twice for her new owners for stylish wins over 1684m at Pinjarra in the past few weeks when she rated 1.55.4 and 1.55.1. At her most recent outing, Tiffany Rose started from barrier six, dashed to the lead after 200m and went on to win by seven lengths from Elleker Hanover, with final quarters of 28.2sec. and 27.8sec.

While Tiffany Rose possesses excellent gate speed and is a good frontrunner, Reed has worked on her versatility at training, saying: “We were a little worried what she would be like from behind. So, in trackwork I have always sat her --- and then she kicks like a mule.”

Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden de Campo is confident that his talented locally-bred filly Some Copper Beach (by the same sire as Tiffany Rose’s sire) will perform strongly and prove hard to beat.

Some Copper Beach, a winner at five of her ten starts as a two-year-old, including the Gold Bracelet in July, made a splendid return to racing as a three-year-old at Gloucester Park last Friday night when she began speedily from barrier four, set the pace and sprinted over the final 400m section in 28.4sec. to win by two lengths at a 1.58.3 rate over 2130m from smart colts Secret Operation and Jaspervellabeach.

“She was pretty forward and had had a fair bit of work under her belt, so I was pretty confident that if she was able to get to the top she was going to win,” de Campo said. “It’s always hard for a filly to measure up to the colts and geldings. She did that as a two-year-old and last week she measured up to them again. I was pretty happy.

“Some Copper Beach is being set for the WA Oaks, which looks like being a tough race to win, with fillies like Tiffany Rose and Dave Hunter’s My Sweet Deal among the leading candidates.”

Tiffany Rose and Some Copper Beach will clash with the promising filly Intheskyrocket, whom is favourably drawn at barrier two for leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond and star reinsman Ryan Warwick.

Intheskyrocket won twice as a two-year-old but failed when a distant first-up seventh and last behind Hotfoot It at Pinjarra on October 28 when she suffered an atrial fibrillation. She then impressed in a Byford trial on Sunday morning when she raced wide early, took the lead after 200m and was not extended in winning easily by almost seven lengths at a modest 2.0.7 rate.