17/08/2026
Moody mare Lucky Copy was on her best behaviour at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she impressed with a flying finish to win the 2130m Go One Better With Westral Westbred Pace for mares.
Trained and driven by Aiden de Campo, Lucky Copy was the $3.90 second favourite who began from the outside of the back line before quickly moving forward to take up an ideal position in sixth place, one-out and two-back.
A patient de Campo waited as long as possible before easing Lucky Copy three wide 380m from home and sustaining a strong burst to hit the front 70m from the post before winning by 2m from $71 outsider Ciganda, who finished solidly from seventh at the bell.
Jaxs Ideal, the $3.20 favourite from barrier seven, dashed to the front after 220m and set a solid pace before wilting to finish fifth.
“Lucky Copy has mixed her form throughout her career, and I have almost called it quits a few times,” said de Campo. “She is quite a moody mare who sometimes applies herself and sometimes she doesn’t.
“When she is ten per cent off, she goes like 50 per cent off, and when she is 100 per cent she goes like 90 per cent. I‘ll probably aim her at the four-year-old Westbred race for mares (a $100,000 group two feature on September 4).
“She’s probably not up to the top-line four-year-old mares but she is good enough to be in the field. Hopefully, I’ll have a three-pronged attack with Lucky Copy, Up And Alive and Its Maa Time.”
de Campo completed a driving treble and a training double when former South Australian performer Magic Captain scored an easy win in the 2130m Garrard’s Pace.
Six-year-Magic Captain, making his third appearance in WA after racing without cover and being placed in races at Bunbury and Pinjarra, was a $4.10 chance from the inside of the back line.
de Campo quickly got Magic Captain into the one-wide line and the gelding was eighth at the bell before sustaining a strong burst to get to the front in the final 70m and scoring a two-length victory over the $2.15 favourite Raklou, who raced in the breeze outside the pacemaker Lord Publisher, and eventually took the lead with 450m to travel.
“I got a phone call out of the blue from Magic Captain’s South Australian owner Shane Smith, who asked if I would train the horse,” said de Campo. “He told me that Magic Captain was going good enough in Adelaide to race in Perth where there was better stakemoney.
“I had a look at him, and he showed he was quite tough, so I agreed to take him, and he arrived here by truck about eight weeks ago.
“He is a big horse and I over-drove him (in the breeze) at his first two starts here and I decided he would go better with a sit.”
Watch the replay here: racingwa.com.au/rwa/meetings/harness/2026-08-14/GLOUCESTER%20PARK/GP140826/race/1/GPM14082610
