Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green will approach the $215,000 Group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies next Friday week with plenty of confidence after splendid performances from his stablemates Grand Couteau and Nase Vira in the 2130m Amy And Dack Engaged Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Grand Couteau, a $17 chance driven by Deni Roberts, raced without cover for most of the first lap before enjoying an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position and then dashing to the front 200m from the post to win by 2m from $34 chance Relatively Arma, with Princess Katie ($31) third and Nase Vira ($10) fourth.
In a major shock Water Lou, the $1.55 favourite and unbeaten at her seven starts, failed to flatter and finished a well-beaten seventh.
“I am very happy with both Grand Couteau and Nase Vira,” said Egerton-Green. “They are very hard to split, and both have their attributes. They have very good high speed, while Nase Vira has a bit more toughness.
“Nase Vira pulled up pretty big and hopefully she will be spot on for the Westbred.”
Relatively Arma led early before Aiden De Campo sent the $3.70 second favourite to the front 350m after the start, while Water Lou was not bustled out from out wide at barrier nine and settled down in sixth position.
Nase Vira settled down in ninth position before Egerton-Green sent her forward, three wide, 600m after the start to move to the breeze. She ran to the front 280m from home, and then Grand Couteau took the front with 200m to travel. The final quarters were run in 29sec. and 29.4sec. and Grand Couteau rated 1.59.
Water Lou did not appear dangerous at any stage, and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko informed the stewards that the filly did not travel comfortably.
Grand Couteau, a winner at two of her five starts, is by former star New Zealand pacer Ultimate Machete and is the only foal out of the Auckland Reactor mare De La Tourbie, who raced 28 times for five wins, 11 placings and $48,820. Ultimate Machete, a son of Bettors Delight, impressed at Gloucester Park in November and December 2017 when he won the Four-Year-Old Classic and the Golden Nugget.