Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Hobby trainer Paula Petricevich was ecstatic at Gloucester Park on Friday night when her bonny mare Sweet Vivienne scored an emphatic victory in the $30,000 Harry Capararo Four and Five-Year-Old Westbred Mares Classic to complete her greatest day as a breeder and owner.
Earlier in the day she notched her first win as a breeder and owner of a galloper when Akai Akuma was successful on debut, winning a $20,000 maiden event in Geraldton.
“Akai Akuma, which means Red Devil, is the first galloper I have bred and owned, and winning with Sweet Vivienne has capped a wonderful day,” she said.
Petricevich, a 45-year-old veterinary nurse, bred and owns Sweet Vivienne, who was the $6.10 second fancy in Friday night’s 2130m event in which she ended a 13-month drought and broke a losing sequence of 22.
Sweet Vivienne started from the prized No. 1 barrier and leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko’s plans to set the pace were dashed when $12 chance Miss Sassy began speedily from barrier three and burst to the front after 60 metres.
“However, things worked out really good for us,” said Suvaljko. “We had the Dollys on and were trying to lead. At her previous start she was in an open bridle and was hanging and lost about a length on every corner.
“I saw that Chris Voak had given Miss Sassy a strong preliminary and wasn’t surprised when she began so fast. Then (by setting a fast pace) he was obviously aiming to beat Acharne Girl (the $1.30 favourite) and wasn’t worried about us. I had the perfect run behind Miss Sassy and got out at the right time.”
Sweet Vivienne got to the front with about 50m to travel and won by just under a length from Miss Sassy, rating a smart 1.55.7 over the 2130m journey.
“It’s been a while between wins, but Sweet Vivienne has had a lot of bad barriers,” said Petricevich, who has won 35 races with pacers she has trained.
Sweet Vivienne is by American sire Sweet Lou and she is quite conspicuous with a large white blaze, similar to that of another talented Sweet Lou pacer, the brilliant three-year-old filly Water Lou.
Sweet Vivienne has earned $85,835 from six wins and nine placings from 37 starts.
Acharne Girl, the solitary runner on the back line, settled down in eighth place in the one-wide line before starting a three-wide run approaching the bell, and with the final 400m sections being run in 28.4sec. and 29.3sec. she struggled to make ground on the leaders and finished a well beaten fifth.