Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
With Soho Honey Rider, the $3.10 favourite, expected to lead in the Retravision Click’N’Collect Pace, a sprint over 1730m for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night, Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green decided that aggression was his only hope of winning with Nase Vira.
So, he planned to throw caution to the wind and use Nase Vira’s good early pace from the awkward barrier at No. 6 in a bid to work hard in the breeze before outstaying Soho Honey Rider.
His tactics worked out perfectly. Nase Vira, the $4.50 second favourite, dashed to the breeze soon after the start and her mid-race pressure resulted in Soho Honey Rider sprinting over the third quarter of the final mile in 28.2sec.
Soho Honey Rider appeared to be safely holding Nase Vira at bay on the home corner. But Nase Vira finished with great determination to forge to the front 40m from the post and win by a half-length from the pacemaker, rating 1.55.2 after a final 400m of 29sec.
“She put her best foot forward and got the chocolates,” said Egerton-Green. “She is tough and loves the breeze, even though that’s not always where we want to be. I didn’t have many other options tonight over the mile.”
Nase Vira had been unlucky at her previous outing, a fortnight earlier, when she raced in the one-out, one-back position and was looming as a strong chance approaching the home bend when she hit the wheel of Soho Honey Rider’s sulky, broke into a gallop and dropped back to finish last behind the pacemaker Atlantic Gem.
Nase Vira, a filly by Alta Christiano, has earned $80,430 from six wins and four seconds from 20 starts.