Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo will be looking to lead with Miss Hepburn when she starts from the No. 3 barrier in the Cowden Classic Service Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She will improve on her debut effort (when second to Bazaar Package),” said De Campo. “I was happy with that; she came three deep without cover and was still going on the line. I’d like to find the front with her on Friday, and if she gets there, she will take some beating.”
Miss Hepburn was the solitary runner on the back line on debut at Gloucester Park last Friday week when she enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and two-back, before finishing strongly.
Bazaar Package began from barrier two, set the pace and won in good style. But she faces a sterner task this week from out wide at barrier nine.
Mardella trainer Michael Young advised punters not to overlook the claims of his filly Princess Katie, who will be resuming after a three-month absence and will be driven by Gary Hall Jnr from barrier six.
“She is working well and seems to have come back better,” said Young. “She won her Sales heat (beating Xceptional Arma) and finished fourth in the final. She probably would have run second (to Water Lou) if she hadn’t broken up half way up the straight. She is ready to run a forward race, first-up, and I expect her to be one of the State’s best fillies this season.”
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green has chosen to drive Grand Couteau (barrier one) in preference to stablemate Nase Vira, who will be driven by Maddison Brown from barrier five.
“I give Grand Couteau a good chance,” said Egerton-Green. “She was good on debut (when fifth behind Bazaar Package), and she has improved on that. I think she will run a bit of a race.”
The only non-WA-bred runner in Friday night’s race is the New Zealand-bred filly In A Wink, who has impressed at her first two outings for driver Deni Roberts and trainers Greg and Skye Bond, finishing second to stablemate Thenu Came Along on debut at Bunbury and then trailing the pacemaker and finishing solidly to win from On The Back Foot at Pinjarra on Monday afternoon. In A Wink will start out wide at barrier eight.