Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green admitted that his initial plan was to race outstanding filly Nase Vira with a sit in the $21,000 Minstrel Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
But he made a split-second decision soon after the start to dash forward with Nase Vira, the $1.60 favourite from out wide at barrier eight.
“The plan was to sit up,” he said. “We were three wide early and then I slotted in with Nase Vira in the one-wide line. But we stayed there for about three strides before I decided to put the hammer down because of the way the race was going.
“I thought it was the best time to get into it. Kyle Symington kicked up (with Sheza Sassy Lassy) and we had to burn a bit more than I had expected. But to the credit to the horse, she got the job done.”
Sheza Sassy Lassy ($14) took the lead 700m after the start before Nase Vira got to the front 1050m from home and went on to win by 2m from $18 chance Relatively Arma, with that filly’s stablemate Xceptional Arma coming from last in the middle stages to finish an excellent third.
Nase Vira, who rated 1.57.6 over the 2130m journey, has raced 21 times for seven wins, four seconds and $92,488. She is by Alta Christiano and is out of Live Or Die mare Sovereign Faith, who had 75 starts for 15 wins, 24 placings and $132,719 in prizemoney. Sovereign Faith won four times in New Zealand and seven times in New South Wales before her final 24 starts were in WA for four wins for trainer Ray Williams and reinsman Nathan Turvey.