Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Memories of Artistic Copper’s victory in the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in 2013 were revived when her fifth foal Copper Head Lady finished with a powerful late burst to win the $125,000 APG Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Artistic Copper, owned and bred by Mike Howie, was prepared for her 2013 win by Andrew De Campo, whose son Aiden was in the sulky behind Copper Head Lady when she came from seventh at the 400m to take the lead in the final 15m and win by a half-length from her stablemate Bettagetonpip.
This gave Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell a wonderful quinella result. Copper Head Lady, a $7.20 chance, was the solitary runner on the back line, with Bettagetonpip, the $4.20 second fancy, starting from the No. 3 barrier.
The polemarker Highview Heidi was the $3.90 favourite, who was beaten out by $4.80 chance Ruby Lou, who began brilliantly from barrier five and left Bettogetonpip in the breeze, with Crunchee ($7.50) enjoying the one-out, one-back position, and Copper Head Lady racing three back on the pegs in fifth place.
Kyle Symington sent Bettagetonpip to the front 50m from the post before she was swamped by the fast-finishing Copper Head Lady, who rated 1.57.4 over 1730m.
“I picked Copper Head Lady (bred by Howie) right from the start,” said Aiden De Campo. “And I thought we stole her at the sales. Nothing fazes her, and she has the most laid-back attitude.
“Even tonight she made hard work of it when she didn’t have to. She was just happy to be out there. From day one she has been my pick, on looks and her breeding. She is lazy, and I love lazy horses. You can do so much with a lazy horse.
“We were confident with our fillies, and we thought that if Bettagetonpip led she wouldn’t get beaten. And I thought that if Copper Head Lady got the breaks at the right time, she would definitely be hard to hold out, and that’s exactly what happened.
Copper Head Lady is owned by Albert and Julie Walmsley, and she has won at both her starts and has earned $80,387.