Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Lady Prima Donna broke through for her first win in WA when Deni Roberts drove her to an all-the-way victory in the 2130m Westerntrilogy.com.au Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Lady Prima Donna, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, was the $6 second fancy from the coveted No. 1 barrier, with Hes Never Been Beta the dominant $1.55 favourite from barrier six.
“The plan was to lead,” said Roberts, who said she was somewhat concerned in the final lap when challengers were emerging and the smart sit-sprinter Rockaball was poised to strike after enjoying a perfect run behind her.
“I was stuck between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “Lady Prima Donna can’t sprint that well, and I didn’t want the ones coming wide to get close to her. But I had Rockaball on my back as well.
“Once we straightened for the run home, I let her go, and it got a bit close at the finish (when Rockaball got clear in the late stages and flew home to finish a head behind the leader).”
Hes Never Been Beta enjoyed a good trip, one-out and two-back, but after being switched three wide 250m from home, he failed to flatter and finished a well-beaten sixth.
Lady Prima Donna is by American sire Betterthancheddar and is the third foal out of the unraced Falcon Seelster mare Miss Glory, whose half-sister Fleet’s Pocket produced 14 winners, including Mighty Flying Thomas, who was retired with a fine record of 226 starts for 24 wins, 56 placings and stakes of $354,622.
Lady Prima Donna, a winner at three of her 25 New Zealand starts, has raced five times in WA for one win and three placings. She is related to Our Graedy, who raced 193 times for 32 wins, 64 placings and $307,713 in prizemoney. Our Graedy was trained by Gary Hall Snr when he raced in WA in 1998 and 1999 for nine wins, including the Higgins Memorial in July 1998.