Ken Casellas | Race Replay
Talented trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has had the advantage of starting from the prized No.1 barrier in three of the eight Diamond Classics for three-year-old fillies with mixed fortunes.
And at Gloucester Park on Friday night, he will again enjoy the No. 1 barrier in the $50,000 Westral Diamond Classic over 2130m with promising WA-bred filly Sovereign Jewel.
Egerton-Green drove the Greg and Skye Bond-trained New Zealand-bred filly Newsy, the $1.30 favourite, in the 2021 Diamond Classic when the Bettors Delight pacer began from barrier one, set the pace and held on to win by a half-head from Always An Angel.
He drove the $2.75 favourite Our Lady Jen from barrier one in the 2023 Diamond when the filly overraced in the lead and faded to finish last behind Brulee, and in last year’s classic Egerton-Green trained and drove the $31 outsider Gelsomino Amal from the No. 1 barrier when the filly finished second to the pacemaker and $1.20 favourite Ruby Lovera after trailing her throughout.
Sovereign Jewel began from the No. 2 barrier in a qualifying heat of the Diamond on Tuesday of last week when she led early before surrendering the lead after 350m to the $1.26 favourite Im Category Five.
Crunchnsip, who had raced without cover throughout, took the lead on the home turn and finished second, beaten a nose by Sovereign Jewel.
Sovereign Jewel rated 1.56.4, the same rate recorded by the classy Miss Leopatra when Jocelyn Young drove her to a runaway 17m victory over Insurgency after setting the pace from the No. 1 barrier in the second of the two qualifying heats.
Miss Leopatra, trained by Cameron Ross, is the only New Zealand-bred filly in Friday night’s event, and she has excellent prospects of giving Young her second success in the Diamond Classic, following her Blockjorg’s strong finishing effort to beat Double Expresso by a half-length in 2020.
The previous time when there was only one New Zealand-bred runner in the Diamond was in 2023 when Deni Roberts drove $17 chance Brulee to a half-length victory over Gliding Star.
“I’ll be aiming to utilise the good draw, for sure, by having a crack,” said Egerton-Green. “Sovereign Jewel has a good draw, so we should make the most of it and make every post a winner.”
Crunchnsip’s splendid effort when second to Sovereign Jewel last week delighted Roberts, who said: “Drawing the inside of the back line is a perfect draw for her, and she should be a good place chance.”