Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“It’s a shame she wasn’t selected to run in the WA Oaks,” said trainer Dylan Egerton after driving Nase Vira to a brilliant all-the-way victory in the $21,000 Nathan, Nat and Shaun For Breakfast Pace for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She had been racing well and was overlooked, and I was disappointed she didn’t get a run in the Oaks,” said Egerton-Green. “Tonight, she copped a bit of early pressure (from Lion Queen), and I didn’t expect her to have won so easily. She went to the line with the plugs in.”
Nase Vira, the $1.50 favourite, dashed straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier and she set a fast pace before increasing the tempo and sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.3sec. and 28.5sec. to win by just under six lengths from $34 chance Heartofahlia, who trailed the leader all the way.
Nase Vira rated 1.55 and improved her record to 18 starts for five wins, four placings and $68,164. She is by Alta Christiano and is the second foal out of New Zealand mare Sovereign Faith, who earned $132,719 from 15 wins and 24 placings from 75 starts.
Sovereign Faith won four races in New Zealan and seven times in New South Wales before arriving in WA where she won another four races, including the listed classic, the Coulson final for mares at Gloucester Park in December 2015.
Egerton-Green also trains and drives Nase Vira’s elder half-sister Champagne Everyone, who has earned $76,872 from seven wins and 12 placings from39 starts.