Surprise as favourite outpointed

On the morning of Friday night’s Tabtouch 3YO Fillies Pace (2100m), Capel trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo was confident he could spring a surprise from gate 10 with Blue Chip Adda. While pre-race focus swirled around North Boyanup favourite Alta Louisa and red-hot Double Expresso, De Campo believed if the pace was just right, his filly would be quick enough to come from behind and salute. Somewhat prophetically, the master delivered a perfect drive to the above conditions, scoring by a short half head from Busselton-based Star Of Diamonds, while Double Expresso narrowly ran third. De Campo was content to stay on a preferable inside trail during the early stages, as others around him attempted to adjust to the tempo. The first bold move of the race came from Justin Prentice-trained Suing You, driven by Michael Grantham, who moved up to Star Of Diamonds on the outside. This was matched by Double Expresso, who peeled three-wide and once in stride, predictably utilised her fleet-footed nature to great effect. De Campo began to turn the screws as the field got the bell, by deftly leaving the inside into the centre of the track. By doing this, Blue Chip Adda was able to build up momentum, which would prove invaluable when the race was on the line. After sitting one out and two back behind Alta Louisa for a lengthy period, De Campo peeled three-wide with 400m to go, which really made things interesting. As Double Expresso and Star Of Diamonds lovingly hugged the pegs, Blue Chip Adda cast a majestic figure as her scorching pace down the outside and pipped both runners on the line by the barest of margins. Her mile rate of 1.55.0 was a career best and Friday night’s triumph was her second from starting on the second row. South West participants dominated the Simmonds Steel Pace (2130m), with Boyanup gelding Ulimate Offer saluting by 2.1m for trainer Dennis Roche, while Alta Rhett (driven by Bunbury’s Kaiden Hayter) and Mandy Joan (trained by Aiden De Campo, driven by Dylan Egerton-Green) finished third. Hayter completed the night by guiding his faithful seven-year-old Hoiho to equal third in the Direct Trades Supply (2536m). In a hotly-contested finish, eventual victor Gangbuster, second-placed Pierre Whitby, Miracle Moose and Hoiho were separated by 1.5m.