Gabby the Empress of Gloucester Park
Star mare Sensational Gabby successfully defended her Hahn Superdry 3.5 Empress Stakes title at Gloucester Park tonight when she impressively led all the way.
Despite easing to $2.30 in betting, Sensational Gabby again proved a class above her rival mares.
Reinsman Chris Lewis drove the six-year-old aggressively from barrier four to cross the speedy Leda McNally, who started from gate two.
Lewis gave Sensational Gabby a breather in the middle stages of the race while still holding the lead.
She found plenty on straightening to boot clear of her rivals, beating the strongly-backed Leda McNally ($3.20) by 6.4m.
The Parade ($7.40) loomed as a threat to Sensational Gabby but galloped momentarily on the turn. She recovered to finish third.
Sensational Gabby gave Lewis and trainer Ross Olivieri their eighth and fourth wins respectively in the $50,000 Empress Stakes (2536m).
Olivieri said the quality mare improved significantly since her first run for five weeks last Friday, when she finished second to Indomitable.
She has been a marvel for connections, with a winning strike rate of more than 50 per cent and close to $700,000 in stake earnings.
