Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Sicilian-born Vince Vinciullo migrated to Western Australia in 1962, and he considers himself as a dinkum Aussie.
But the 76-year-old still proudly flies the Italian flag and rejoices when one of his pacers wins a race with the driver sporting the bright Italian colours of green with a white star and red sleeves.
His latest success came at Gloucester Park on Friday night when trainer Aiden De Campo donned the green, white and red silks and drove Vinciullo’s four-year-old mare Copy Cat Queen to a superb victory in the $30,000 Allwood Stud Farm Westbred Pace for four and five-year-olds.
Copy Cat Queen, purchased by Vinciullo for $10,000 at the 2022 Perth APG yearling sale, boosted her earnings to $100,399 from nine wins and six placings from 29 starts when she was a $7.80 chance who sprinted home brilliantly to win by a length and a half from $7.50 chance Caberneigh, rating a smart 1.55.1 over the 2130m journey.
Copy Cat Queen was not bustled out from the No. 3 barrier and De Campo was happy to settle her down in eighth position, with the polemarker and $3.60 favourite Our Sandy Shore setting the pace and $4.40 chance Louie Dior racing in the breeze after being fastest to begin but being unable to cross to the front.
Copy Cat Queen was seventh with 650m to travel before she sprinted strongly to burst to the front 120m from the post.
“She was super when she won first-up at Pinjarra, and then there were excuses when she ran sixth behind No Noney last week when was hindered with a hopple hooked under a knee boot,” said De Campo.
“Copy Cat Queen has always been a bit of a funny mare, but now she seems to be in the zone, and hopefully keeps going. Her high speed should take her a long way.”
Copy Cat Queen is by My Hard Copy and is the 11TH foal out of Jet Laag mare Luvya Maddy Lombo, who raced 16 times in Victoria in 2006 and 2007 for nine placings and stakes of $8444. In contrast, Luvya Maddy Lombo’s younger half-brother Suave Stuey Lombo was a brilliant performer who raced 110 times for 33 wins, 23 placings and stakes of $587,032.
Vinciullo was educated at CBC Highgate, and he proudly recalls having played football with Ron Alexander as one of his teammates in junior ranks at East Perth.
A builder by trade, Vinciullo has enjoyed plenty of success as a breeder, owner and harness racing trainer. He bred, broke in and trained his best pacer, Raceaway Too, who had 70 starts in the 1980s for 21 wins, 15 placings and $164,985 in prizemoney.
Raceaway Too won a Stratton Cup and was also successful in an APC Consolation event at Adelaide’s Globe Derby Park in 1986. Among Vinciullo’s good pacers were Devils Arrow (48 starts in the 1990s for 12 wins, 11 placings and $61,071) and Tosca Lombo, who won five races in 1999.