Copy Cat Queen is a real bargain
Four-year-old mare Copy Cat Queen, purchased by Vince Vinciullo for $10,000 at the 2022 Perth APG yearling sale, boosted her earnings to $203,356 when she obliterated her rivals in the $100,000 Celebrating Harness Owner Julie Cooper Westbred Classic for four-year-old mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Her record now stands at 13 wins and seven placings from 34 starts, and she is looming large as a major player in the rich feature events for mares, the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 7 and the $150,000 Mares Classic a fortnight later.
She was a $3.70 chance from the No. 2 barrier on the back line, with the Mike Reed-trained pair of Lion Queen and Water Lou sharing favouritism at $2.80.
Lion Queen began from the prized No. 1 barrier and was surprisingly beaten out by $126 outsider Atlantic Gem (barrier three) and Water Lou from out wide at barrier seven.
Water Lou quickly forged to the front, leaving Lion Queen three back on the pegs. Aiden De Campo was happy to settle Copy Cat Queen in seventh position, before Nase Vira ($21) surged forward from the rear to move to the breeze 1400m from home, thus relegating Copy Cat Queen to eighth, one-out and three back.
De Campo eased Copy Cat Queen three wide with 600m to travel, and the mare sprinted brilliantly to burst to the front 380m from home. She careered away to win by seven lengths from Lion Queen, who ran home strongly to finish second, just ahead of Water Lou. Copy Cat Queen rated 1.58.1 over the 2536m, with the final quarters being run in 28.4sec., 28.5sec. and 28sec.
“Copy Cat Queen has come into her own in this preparation (eight starts for six wins, one third and one sixth) and we had been aiming for this race before worrying about the big races coming up towards the end of the season,” said De Campo.
“After the slow 1min. 10sec. lead time I was a bit worried. But about a hundred metres after I pulled her out, I wasn’t. It surprised me how quickly she got past the field in the back straight.
“She hasn’t put a foot wrong in this preparation. I gave her a good spell after she fibrillated a couple of times in her previous preparation. And it is now good to get the rewards.”
By Ken Casellas