Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Graeme Michell, Ray Behan and Justin Schwarz, clients of Gnangara trainer Luke Edwards, went to the 2021 Perth APG standardbred yearling sale hellbent on buying the Sweet Lou filly who was a full-sister to star filly Double Expresso and a half-sister to the brilliant Shockwave.
They outlaid $80,000 to buy the filly and then adjourned to the bar to celebrate their purchase.
“Shockwave’s half-sister was the one the boys wanted,” said Edwards. “After they bought her, they had a few drinks and decided to bid for the second last filly offered at the sale. And they managed to buy the filly for $38,000.
“That filly, by Captaintreacherous and out of My Samantha Jane, is August Moon, whose win tonight at Gloucester Park took her earnings to $109,732 from five wins and five placings from twelve starts.
“The Sweet Lou filly is named Get The Booth, who has had three starts for one placing (at Pinjarra last month) for earnings of $1322. However, she has the potential to be as good as August Moon. She is bigger than her and is still learning where to put her feet.”
Edwards produced August Moon in great shape for her first appearance for four months when she was the $2.10 second fancy from barrier four in the $20,250 Garrard’s Rio Cobra Pace for three-year-old fillies on Friday night.
The seven fillies in the race settled down in Indian file formation, with the $1.95 favourite Fly To Fame setting a slow early pace with a lead time of 39.3sec. and opening quarter of 31.3sec., with August Moon in fourth position.
Gary Hall Jnr eased August Moon off the pegs 1300m from home to move to the breeze to avoid the probability of the race being run at a slow pace to the advantage of the leader. Then Chris Lewis, in an obvious bid to make life difficult for August Moon, increased the tempo with quarters of 28.9sec. and 28.7sec.
August Moon got the upper hand and forged past Fly To Fame with 220m to travel. She went on to win comfortably by just under a length from the fast-finishing $18 chance Purest Copper, rating 1.58.8 with a final 400m section of 29sec.
Sporting Grace ($9.50) was a half-length farther back in third place, with Fly To Fame fading to finish fifth.
August Moon, Purest Copper, Fly To Fame and Sporting Grace will clash again when they contest the $30,000 Daintys Daughter Country Classic at Pinjarra on Monday, with Flametree and Jackie Daniels also in the field of twelve.
Purest Copper is favourably drawn at barrier two, and looks the min danger to August Moon, who will start from the No. 6 barrier.
“August Moon loves work and loves racing,” said Edwards. “She has a great will to win and a big motor to go with it. She also has a very high cruising speed. She is very forward in condition and should run a great race at Pinjarra. After that we will pick out some nice races for fillies, leading into the WA Oaks in October.”