Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
A change of training is proving beneficial for Sovrana, who notched her first win as a five-year-old when she finished strongly to beat Goodealhmaddie and Paroquet in the $23,000 Vale Alan Bell Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She has sharpened up over the past month since she has been ridden in her work, and this seems to have changed her mind,” said Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo.
“Sovrana has always raced against the best horses, and she went really well tonight when she dropped back in grade a bit.”
Sovrana was the $4.90 second favourite from her awkward barrier at No. 6, with Miss Sassy the $3.80 favourite from barrier two.
Miss Sassy led for the first 300m before Soho Rhapsody ($9.50) dashed to the front after a fast lead time of 35.6sec. De Campo was content to settle Sovrana at the rear, saying: “Things worked out perfectly. I knew that Blaze Coops would keep the pace on, and there was a few inside of us going forward.
“Sometimes you can read a race like that, and everyone thinks there’s going to be a lot of speed, and there’s no speed. So, I’m happy with the way things worked out the way I expected (with the hard-pulling Blaze Coops in the breeze ensuring that Soho Rhapsody maintained a fast pace).”
Sovrana, a mare by American sire Betting Line, is the seventh foal out of Chemical Romance, who was retired after three unplaced efforts as a two-year-old in 2009. Chemical Romance is by Canadian sire Northern Luck and is out of former star mare Ferrari Trunkey, who raced 39 times for 22 wins, seven placings and $267,527. The progeny of Chemical Romance now has won a total of 63 races.