Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Star three-year-old filly Ruby Lovera, the hot $1.20 favourite, survived a scare at the start before coasting to an effortless victory in the $50,000 Westral Diamond Classic over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Justin Prentice-trained Ruby Lovera was favourably drawn at the No. 2 barrier, and ace reinsman Gary Hall Jnr had to react quickly when the filly put in a couple of rough strides as the mobile barrier sent the field on its way.
Ruby Lovera managed to remain in her pacing gait and set the pace on her way to winning, unextended, by three lengths from $31 chance Gelsomino Amal, rating 1.56.8 after final quarters of 29.2sec. and 28.2sec. Hall did not have to release the earplugs.
“I’m not blaming anything,” explained Hall. “I thought I had judged the start pretty well, but the mobile did not get out of our way, and she got right on top of it and put in a rough one. Thankfully, she didn’t break into a gallop, and she went on to win easily.”
Ruby Lovera, a filly by Sweet Lou, is out of outstanding broodmare Lovera, and she gave Prentice and Hall their second victory in the Diamond Classic for three-year-old fillies, following their success with Majorpride in 2019. Ruby Lovera also won the Diamond Classic for two-year-old fillies last year.
Raced by a syndicate of 16, Ruby Lovera has earned $115,738 from five wins and four placings from 12 starts.
Special congratulations are due to Katie Lally, who looked after Prentice’s team of about 15 pacers for the past fortnight while Prentice was enjoying a holiday in Exmouth with his family.
“It’s been stressful, and I am relieved that it has all turned out well,” she said after Friday night’s Group 3 event. “Ruby Lovera has been an angel.”
Ruby Lovera will now be set to contest several rich feature events for fillies this year, including the $100,000 Westbred Classic on September 5, the $50,000 Daintys Daughter Classic on September 19 and the WA Oaks on October 3. She is also eligible to run in the $35,000 Daintys Daughter Country Classic at Pinjarra on July 14 and the $30,000 Country Oaks at Bunbury on August 16.
Hall said that Ruby Lovera was now a different horse than she was as a two-year-old, saying: “Not only is she taller but she has filled right out as well. She looked a bit weak as a two-year-old when obviously she had some growing to do. She is more versatile now and has toughness as well.”