Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Luke Edwards is developing into one of the State’s most promising young trainers, and after preparing August Moon for an easy victory in the $100,000 Westside Auto Wholesale Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night he made a point of thanking everyone who has helped him.
“I did not have a family background in horses, and 15 years ago I didn’t know how to brush a horse or rug a horse,” he said.
“I’d had nothing to do with standardbreds, and everything you see me producing now is the result of what I’ve been taught, particularly by Kevin Keys and Debbie Padberg.
“My boss had a horse with Kevin, and I went to his stables to have a look and I just fell in love with horses. So, I went there every weekend and before work and after work. And after that Debbie put me on as an apprentice driver.
“So, I’ve been around a lot of knowledgeable people and I’m very honoured, humbled and proud of what we’ve achieved.”
August Moon was the $1.20 favourite on Friday night, and Gary Hall dashed her straight to the front from barrier three. She was joined in front 1200m from home by $13 chance Zephyra, who had dashed forward from last with a three-wide burst.
Zephyra weakened in the final lap and August Moon simply coasted home with final quarters of 28.6sec. and 29.1sec. to win by two and a half lengths from $26 chance Our Sandy Shore, who finished solidly from sixth at the bell. Purest Copper ($51), who raced without cover for the first lap and then enjoyed an ideal passage, one-out and one-back, was third.
The winner, who rated 1.58.1 over the 2130m, is unbeaten at her five starts in her current campaign, and now has a splendid career record of 16 starts for nine wins, five placings and $208,668 in prizemoney.
August Moon’s victory gave the 33-year-old Edwards his 85TH training success. His only other
Group 2 winner was Leap Of Faith, who won the Easter Cup at Gloucester Park in April 2021.
Edwards said that August Moon’s next appearance would be in the $50,000 Group 3 Daintys Daughter Classic next Friday week, followed by the $150,000 Group 1 WA Oaks a fortnight later.
“She did it in second gear,” said Edwards. “Every time she goes out, she gets more professional.”
Hall said that August Moon was the best she had felt in a race. “Luke has done a good job with her, and tonight she was awesome,” he said.