Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Serpentine trainer Dylan Egerton-Green achieved a notable victory when he produced Paul Edward in top shape for his impressive first-up win in the $30,000 Pure Steel Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the five-year-old was having his first start for 23 weeks.
But the win was tinged with a bit of disappointment because Paul Edward, driven by Maddison Brown, deprived Egerton-Green of winning the race with stablemate Hale Saint Louie, the hot $1.22 favourite.
Egerton-Green got Hale Saint Louie away to a smart start from the No. 1 barrier, and the four-year-old set a moderate early pace, with opening quarters of 31.1sec. and 30.7sec., with Paul Edward, the $9.20 second favourite from the inside of the back line, enjoying an ideal sit behind the pacemaker.
Brown eased Paul Edward off the pegs just before the home turn, and the horse sprinted fast to get to the front 50m from the post before winning by a length, rating 1.57.4 over the 2130m, with a final quarter of 27.9sec. Soho Firestone ($31) ran on from seventh at the bell to finish third, three lengths behind Hale Saint Louie.
“Paul Edward is super quick, so I was quietly confident that if we got the split he would win,” said Brown. “He got the world perfect run tonight and we didn’t have to go around a lot of horses; we came one off the rail turning for home.”
Brown was having only her second drive behind Paul Edward, with her previous drive being when the horse finished a neck second to Peter Petrify in the Higgins Memorial in August last year.
Paul Edward, bred and owned by Steve Johnson, is by American sire Always B Miki and is the ninth foal out of Like A Dame (36 starts for three wins, 12 placings and $10,312). Paul Edward is a half-brother to former star pacer David Hercules, who earned $1,263,159 from 39 wins and 35 placings from 108 starts.