Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Proud trainer Aiden De Campo heaped praise on WA-bred five-year-old mare Copy Cat Queen after driving her to a superb victory in the $50,000 Group 3 WASBA Breeders Stakes over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“That was her career best run,” he declared. “I have never driven her that way. She has always been a great sit-sprinter, and tonight it was good to see her burn the candle at both ends and go on and do the job.
“I wanted to get to the breeze early and she had to go through a bit of adversity to get there, and then she came back to me nicely after she got cover (in the one-out and one-back position).”
The polemarker Heavenly Gipsy ($5.50) set the pace and ruined her prosects by pulling hard. Fakenit ($4.80) went forward in the first circuit to move to the breeze, and she went to the front 600m from home before being overtaken by $4 chance Copy Cat Queen, who went on to win from the $3.80 favourite Aardiebytheseaside, who ran home determinedly, three wide from sixth at the bell to finish a half-neck from the winner, who rated 1.55.4 after final quarters of 27.9sec. and 29.4sec.
Copy Cat Queen has earned $300,696 from 16 wins and nine placings from 44 starts and will be one of the main fancies in the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 6 and the $150,000 Mares Classic a fortnight later.
Copy Cat Queen completed a double for De Campo, who was successful earlier in the night with $4.30 chance Menemsha, who ended a losing sequence of 13 when he gave a spirited performance to beat the $3.70 favourite Justcallmemiki and Hugotastic ($5.50) in the $31,000 Go First Class With Ramsay’s Horse Transport Pace over 2130m.
Menemsha began from barrier four and raced wide early before moving to the breeze outside the pacemaker Machnificent ($8) and then gaining the one-out, one-back sit 400m later when Justcallmemiki moved to the breeze.
After a solid lead time of 36.5sec. the pace did not slacken, with the 400m sections being run in 29.9sec., 29.6sec., 27.9sec. and 28.9sec., resulting in Menemsha rating a smart 1.55.5.
“Menemsha has been very unlucky,” said De Campo. “Over the past eight to 12 months I have been driving him sit and kick and waiting for a bit of luck. But he hasn’t had much luck. So, last week I decided to drive him more positively, but he ended up getting back in the field and getting home to finish fourth.
“And it was good to get a nice run this week and getting back into the winner’s circle. I always thought he would end up making Free-For-All company. But at the moment he is probably a rung below, and he needs to take the next step.”
Despite those thoughts, Menemsha has been a good money spinner, having earned $378,107 from nine wins and 18 placings from 49 starts.