Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Lightly raced five-year-old Lion Queen, the only mare in the Barbagallo Ferrari Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, relished a drop in class when she set the pace and won the 2130m event.
She was a $4.70 chance from the No1 barrier when she was headed by a length by the fast-starting Rockandrollartist, who was unable to cross to the lead.
After a smart 36.6sec. lead time Lion Queen relaxed with an extremely comfortable opening 400m of 32.4sec. before she ran the following quarters in 29.7sec., 27.8sec. and 28.7sec. Her prospects diminished when Robbie Williams sent $4.40 chance Opal Hunter to the front with about 420m to travel.
However, Opal Hunter died on his run and Lion Queen fought back to regain the ascendancy in the home straight and to beat Opal Hunter by almost a length, rating 1.57.2.
This was the Mike Reed-trained Lion Queen’s third appearance after an eleven-month absence, and her performance enhanced her prospects of gaining a start in the $150,000 Westral Mares Classic next Friday week.
Lion Queen was driven for the first time by Toby Lynn, whose novice concession enabled the mare to gain the perfect No. 1 barrier.
Lion Queen is by American sire Control The Moment and she is the eighth foal out of Walton Hanover mare Lilianna Beauty, who raced 134 times for ten wins, 41 placings and $135,274. She is a younger half-sister to Tenniele Erin, who won the Group 1 Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in April 2017 and was retired after having 14 starts for five wins, seven placings and $88,180.
Lion Queen was purchased for $47,500 by Jim Giumelli’s Swandoo Harness Racing syndicate at the 2022 APG Perth yearling sale, and she now has earned $160,437 from ten wins and seven placings from 31 starts.
Interestingly, Opal Hunter is also by Control The Moment, whose other runners at the meeting performed strongly, with Lord Titanium ($11.80) winning the opening event, and Control The Room ($31) finishing second to Ultimate Miki in race three.
Six-year-old Lord Titanium gave Aiden De Campo the first leg of a driving treble when he beat the fast-finishing Cee Dee Three and the breeze horse Travelban before he scored later in the program with Runkle Crunch and Grand Couteau.
Lord Titanium ended a losing sequence of 15 and boosted his earning to $165,464 from ten and 31 placings from 92 starts.