Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Victorian-bred filly Quintessa was injured during a storm last year and was unable to contest any events for two-year-olds. But she has recovered fully and has revealed above-average ability in scoring easy wins at her first three starts as a three-year-old in the month of February.
She has been so impressive that she looks capable of developing into a strong candidate for the rich WA Oaks late in the year.
Trained by Justin Prentice and driven by Gary Hall Jnr, Quintessa won by eight lengths on debut at Bunbury before winning by a length and a half at Gloucester Park and by a margin of ten metres at headquarters on Friday night when she was the $1.10 favourite in the $21,000 APG Harness Racing Is Our Focus Pace and was not extended in beating four-year-olds Chief Copy ($46.40) and Miss Uneek ($28.60).
She led from barrier one and was never out of second gear, rating 1.59.1 over 2130m.
“We were looking at running in the Diamond Classic last year before we had a storm and she kicked out and got a knock on one of her front legs,” said Prentice.
“There was a bit of filling in the leg, but there was no serious damage. We then gave her four or five months off and just took our time.”
Prentice said that his stable didn’t get exactly what it wanted at the 2023 yearling sale in WA, so he decided to go to Melbourne to get a few more numbers. He was pleased to be able to purchase Quintessa for $36,000, and the filly has already earned $22,368 for Prentice and his wife Jacqueline.
Quintessa is by Always B Miki and is the second foal out of unraced Somebeachsomewhere mare Capoeira. Interestingly, Quintessa’s four-year-old half-sister Bella Danza, trained by Jason Grimson and driven by Jack Callaghan, won a 1609m event for mares at Menangle on Tuesday of last week.