Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Outstanding trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo is confident that his promising filly Copy Cat Queen has the ability to end champion filly Water Lou’s unbeaten record when the two-year-olds clash in the 2130m Amy And Dack Engaged Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be their final race before they meet again in the $215,000 Westbred Classic two weeks later. Copy Cat Queen has won only once from six starts, while Water Lou has not tasted defeat at her seven starts.
De Campo is not convinced at Water Lou’s perceived invincibility, and he is planning to make use of Copy Cat Queen’s barrier advantage in a bid to end Water Lou’s reign as the State’s best two-year-old filly.
Copy Cat Queen will start from the No. 3 barrier on Friday night, with Water Lou, under the conditions of the $21,000 event, automatically drawn on the outside at barrier nine on the front line.
“Copy Cat Queen has a heap of ability and hopefully she will be able to work forward and find the front and give the others something to chase,” said De Campo. “If we lead and Water Lou sits outside of us, Copy Cat Queen has a chance of winning. And I give her a good chance of winning, certainly on ability, but maybe not on manners.”
Copy Cat Queen has raced greenly, galloped at the start and broken in running. But she was on her best behaviour in a 1823m event at Narrogin on Tuesday of last week when she finished a close second to Nase Vira.
She started from the back line and raced in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before starting a three-wide move 700m from home and finishing determinedly.
“They went slowly (with opening quarters of 32.9sec. and 31.3sec.) and Dylan (Egerton-Green) outdrove me to win with Nase Vira (with final 400m sections of 28.2sec. and 28.5sec.),” said De Campo.
Water Lou began brilliantly from the No. 9 barrier and was untroubled to set the pace and win the Group 2 $100,00 Diamond Classic last Friday week, beating the De Campo-trained Miss Hepburn by five metres at a 1.57.8 rate over 2130m.
Shannon Suvaljko, who drives Water Lou for trainer Kevin Keys, said: “If Copy Cat Queen does everything right, she will be the one to beat. Regarding tactics, I’ll speak to Kevin and the connections to see what they want to do.”
De Campo also has San Remo Beach engaged in Friday night’s race. She will be driven by Stuart McDonald from out wide at barrier eight.
“San Remo Beach has been disappointing at her past two runs, but her work has been super leading into this week’s race,” he said.
Nase Vira has drawn awkwardly at barrier seven, but she is a versatile filly who has won at two of her past three starts and is capable of a bold showing.