30 May 2019 | Tim Walker
Some Copper Beach may not have had the strongest form heading into last week’s heats of the Diamond Classic (2130m).
The Somebeachsomewhere filly finished second on debut, before stringing together three wins on the trot at Pinjarra and Bunbury.
When she left Gloucester Park after the heat, she did so with her fourth straight win, an enhanced reputation and a live chance of tasting Group 1 success in this Friday night’s final.
Some Copper Beach sat outside race leader Rockin The Trend in her heat, crossing over comfortably from barrier eight.
The pair then cleared right out from the rest of the field and it was ultimately the Andrew De Campo-trained filly that got the better of her rival.
Some Copper Beach rated 1.58.9 in the heat, which was the second quickest of the four.
They also ran home in the second quickest final half of 57.4, which was only bettered by Double Expresso’s 56.9 in the final heat.
Double Expresso’s win rated the slowest of the night, suggesting Some Copper Beach’s win was full of merit.
Some Copper Beach has drawn barrier 11 for the final and is in-between fancied runners Soho Whisper and Run For Mercy on the second row.
Reinsman Aiden De Campo said he has learnt plenty about the filly in her recent starts and was full of praise for her heat win.
“First-up was her only defeat,” De Campo told GPTV.
“We worked on a few things from that run to her second run and since then she hasn’t been beaten.
“Sitting in the breeze is obviously hard for a two-year-old, first trip over 2100.
“She was just a bit on the relaxed side that night and I just put it down to the fact she hadn’t raced for three-and-a-half weeks.
“She needed that race run to really sharpen her up a bit and since then she’s worked well.”
Despite drawing alongside some of the other fancied runners, De Campo said he wasn’t overly pleased with barrier 11.
“It’s not a great draw, but it’s not a bad draw either,” he said.
“Having Double Expresso drawn wide, it makes it a bit more open for horses like us.
“It’s a wide open race and the barrier draw has made it really interesting.”
Andrew and Aiden De Campo will also team up with The Kraken in the APC By Schneider Electric 3YO Pace (2536m).
The Art Major gelding has recorded two wins and two placings in four starts this campaign, with both wins coming at Pinjarra.
The only start in his career at Gloucester Park resulted in a second to the progressive Justin Prentice-trained Mathew James on May 3.
Yet again, it appears as though it will be a pair of Prentice-trained runners The Kraken will have most difficulty beating this week, in the form of Back In Twenty and Know When To Run.
The Kraken has drawn barrier eight for the longer trip, with the two Prentice runners to his inside.
De Campo said the gelding can be competitive, but would improve upon whatever he does this week.
“He doesn’t do a heap at home to jump out off the page at you,” he said.
“His last two have been really, really good.
“It’s an even quality field that’s going to make it hard for us to win it.
“We’ll need a bit of genuine speed on, but he’s racing well and he’s not far off.”
De Campo’s only other drive on the program is the Jason Woodworth-trained Attack On Command and indicated barrier 10 was a great draw.
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