Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Smart mare Our Lady Jen gave trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green a few anxious moments in the final lap before charging home to snatch a last-stride victory in the $30,000 Perth Now Restricted Summer Feature for fillies and mares at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Our Lady Jen was a $11.10 chance from the inside of the back line, and she raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs while noted frontrunner Blaze Coops ($4) was setting the pace.
“I probably missed the opportunity to get off the fence with about 700m to go,” said a relieved Egerton-Green after Our Lady Jen had stormed home from fourth on the home turn to get up and beat the $2.05 favourite Freyja by a head.
“She had a tendency to hang down which prevented me from getting her into the clear approaching the turn into the back straight,” said Egerton-Green. However, Egerton-Green was able to move off the inside with about 500m to travel and the five-year-old finished strongly.
“She made things a bit harder than they needed to be,” said Egerton-Green. “To her credit she was able to outmuscle the others at the end. Hanging down is a bit of a problem, and she will probably have a let-up pretty soon.”
The Victorian-bred Our Lady Jen gives promise of better things to come. She has had 53 starts for eleven wins, 16 placings and $119,253. She is by Captaintreacherous and is the fourth foal out of Betters Delight mare Our Lady Luxury, who was retired after being unplaced at four starts in WA in 2014 as a two and three-year-old.
Freyja was gallant in defeat on Friday night. She raced three wide for the first 400m and then in the breeze before getting to the front with 300m to travel.