Nase Vira emerged as a leading candidate for the $125,000 Westbred Classic for four-year-old mares next Friday week when she returned to her best form with an effortless victory in the $25,000 7News Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
She was the $4.80 favourite from the awkward draw at barrier six in an open betting race and was driven with supreme confidence by her trainer Dylan Egerton-Green.
Sugar Delight ($7.50) bounced straight to the front, with Lady Camel ($8) in the breeze and Egerton-Green content to settle Nase Vira in 11TH position after a fast lead time of 36.5sec. He waited until 820m from home before sending the mare forward, out three wide.
Nase Vira sprinted strongly to hit the front with 220m to travel, and she won, unextended, by 10 metres from $12 chance Sweet Vivienne, who ran on gamely from sixth at the bell. Dame Valour ($6) rattled home from the rear to finish an eye-catching third.
This was an impressive return to racing after Nase Vira had faded to finish a well-beaten eleventh behind Copy Cat Queen six weeks earlier.
“I had to back off her after her last run,” explained Egerton-Green. “I cooked her a little bit, so I decided to freshen her up. After a good first-up effort (fifth behind Heavenly Gipsy) I over-drove her and she didn’t pull up too well.
“So, I freshened her up and got a bit of life back in her legs, and that has proved a winning formula. Winning by ten metres didn’t surprise me. She is a nice mare, and the aim is to run in the Westbred in a fortnight.”
Nase Vira is by former star pacer Alta Christiano and is the second foal out of the New Zealand-bred mare Sovereign Faith, who raced 75 times for 15 wins, 24 placings and $132,719. Nase Vira has won seven times at Gloucester Park and boasts a record of 24 starts for eight wins, four placings and stakes of $107,813.
Sovereign Faith’s first foal Champagne Everyone has earned $107,500 from eight wins and 17 placings from 50 starts.
