Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Two-year-old filly Ruby Lou is improving her manners with every start, and she will be set for the $100,000 Diamond Classic on August 9 after impressing her trainer Mike Reed and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko with a striking victory in the 1730m Westside Auto Wholesale Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ruby Lou was at the surprisingly good odds as a $10.20 chance in the field of six in which Ruby Lovera dominated the betting as a hot $1.65 favourite from the No. 2 barrier.
However, Suvaljko stole a march on his rivals by firing out Ruby Lou from the No. 5 barrier with a sparkling burst of speed to surge straight to the front.
After comfortable opening quarters of 30.6sec. and 30.8sec. Ruby Lou gave her rivals little chance by sprinting over the final 400m sections in 28.8sec. and 28.5sec. to win by a half-length from the fast-finishing Jaxs Ideal, rating 1.57.5.
Ruby Lou had put the writing on the wall on Tuesday night when she ran home with a strong burst from sixth at the bell to finish a neck second to speedy colt Noble Thorandor.
“It was a 2130m race on Tuesday against the colts, and there was a lot of speed there, so we went back,” said Suvaljko. “Ruby Lou is probably better going back over 2130m, and that run was beneficial for her over 1730m tonight.
“Once she led tonight, she was going to be hard to beat. She is going better every time she goes around. She is geared up perfectly now, and on Tuesday night she was really good as she drove inside and outside of horses and ran on well.”
Reed said that Ruby Lou was hard to handle in her early days. “She was a nut case who pulled hard and wouldn’t relax,” he said. “She is settling down and has speed which is the main thing.”
Ruby Lou, purchased for $80,000 at the 2023 Perth APG yearling sale, has raced nine times for three wins and a second placing for stakes of $25,827.