Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Banjup trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has Zephyra primed and ready to win the $215,000 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Zephyra goes into the Group 1 classic with the best credentials of the 12 runners — and she is in top form, having scored effortless victories at her past three starts, all over 2130m at Gloucester Park.
She was not extended in leading from barrier two and winning a prelude on Tuesday of last week when she dashed over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 28.1sec. when she beat Quattrose by 8m, rating 1.58.3. Her winning margins at her two previous starts were 14m and 9.6m.
Zephrya was bred by Northam horseman Jesse Moore, who races the filly in partnership with his wife Maree and daughter Hayley Moore, will be looking for a quinella result on Friday night. He trains Our Lady Jen for owner-breeder David Anderson, and that filly has struck top form with smart victories at Gloucester Park at her past two outings.
Our Lady Jen, driven by Kyle Harper, began speedily from barrier six and dashed to the front after 250m before winning in good style from the fast-finishing Cabsav over 1730m on August 23. Then on Tuesday of last week Our Lady Jen gave a brilliant frontrunning performance (from barrier two) to win by five lengths from Wanea, rating 1.56.9 over 2130m.
Wanea will start from the outside barrier (No. 3) on the back line on Friday night, with trainer-reinsman Chris Voak saying: “She is going really well but I’m not sure where we are going to get from barrier twelve. I would’ve loved it if she had drawn to lead. But now I’d say that were just a novelty chance.”
The Kim Prentice-trained Sweet Lou filly Sweet Vivienne is favourably drawn at barrier two after leading and winning at Pinjarra (2185m) and Gloucester Park (2130m) at her past two starts.
“Her two wins have been soft,” said reinsman Mitch Miller. “But I don’t think that we have seen the bottom of her yet. She won last week with the plugs in, and she could have gone a lot better.”
Miller has opted to drive Sweet Vivienne in preference to the Barry Howlett-trained Flametree, a filly Miller has handled in all her nine starts for five wins and two placings. Chris Lewis has been engaged to drive Flametree, who is favourably drawn on the inside of the back line.
Cabsav, trained by Mike Reed and to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko, enjoyed a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position before battling on to finish third behind Sweet Vivienne last week.
She is a versatile filly and a smart frontrunner who is capable of improvement from her perfect draw. However, her recent performances have fallen below the standard of her smart, strong-finishing victory over August Moon in the $100,000 Sales Classic final in February.
August Moon, to be driven by Gary Hall Jnr for trainer Luke Edwards, is awkwardly drawn at barrier six on Friday night. She is working in fine style for her first run since she gave a splendid frontrunning display to beat Zephyra over 2130m on July 22.
“It’s a bad draw but her win was super,” said an enthusiastic Hall.