Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Classy filly Zephyra ended a losing sequence of six and showed that she is on target for a highly successful campaign when she revealed admirable strength with a fighting victory in the 2130m Retravision Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She started from the outside of the back line as the $4.40 third favourite and was driven in positive fashion be her trainer Dylan Egerton-Green.
Zephyra settled down in eleventh position, with the $3.80 second fancy Sister Cherie, aiming for her fifth win from five starts in Western Australia, bursting straight to the front from out wide at barrier eight.
“I had to weigh it up,” said Egerton-Green as he explained his decision to send Zephyra forward with a three-wide burst, following Bella Ragazza, in the first lap.
Zephyra got to the breeze with 1200m to travel, and Egerton-Green was content to keep her in that position until she took a narrow lead on the home turn. Sister Cherie fought back to regain the lead in the straight before Zephyra gained the ascendency in the last couple of strides.
“Sister Cherie switches on and off, and I just had to make sure that I was in front at the right time,” said Egerton-Green. “It was a ding-dong go all the way up the straight.”
Unlucky, the $3.40 favourite, trailed the pacemaker all the way before finishing strongly, out wide, to finish a close third in a three-way photo finish. The final quarters were run in 28.8sec. and 28.6sec. and the winner rated 1.57.8.
Zephyra is by American sire Sweet Lou and is out of former outstanding mare Tricky Styx, who raced 79 times for 22 wins, 16 placings and $460,548 in prizemoney. Zephyra has earned $243,991 from eight wins and five placings from 16 starts.