Victorian trainer Gerry O’Keeffe says the closer to the rail Ring The Bell draws the better he is. Ouch – the star Aussie stayer will jump away from trap two in Friday’s $25,000 Christchurch Casino NZ Stayers Cup decider.
Pic: Ring The Bell delivering his bold NZ Stayers Cup heat win (pic Dave Robbie)
There are four Group 1 winning stayers engaged in this Group 1 staying test – the four of them have drawn the inside four traps.
Ring The Bell ($1.45 TAB Final field) was empathic in the manner he won his 732m heat when making his Addington track debut outing last week. The recent Plasterboard Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar victor cruised through his heat assignment in an effortless 43.55s.
The scary aspect for his rivals for Friday is the anticipated improvement that Ring The Bell will bring into the final after having his first race day look at the Christchurch headquarters for his new conditioner Ray Adcock.
“He’s a very relaxed, easy going greyhound. All seems very well with him, he’s a casual calculating dog, who turns into a professional once he’s placed into the traps. It took him a while to get past the early pacemaker (Know Jinx), then he was away. He came out of his heat in good condition,” advised Adcock.
His former Victorian conditioner Gerry O’Keeffe won’t be making the trip back across the Tasman on this occasion. He said via email following Disco’s (kennel name) heat win, “Sadly, commitments at home prevent me from coming over. I would love to come to Christchurch and learn a bit from young Ray Adcock….one of the best.
“I can only see the old boy (Ring The Bell) improving next Friday…a draw near the rail would be perfect (he’s got that),” he suggested, then concluding with, “Home is less than 1% better than Papakura and Manukau….NZ was memorable.”
Adcock has qualified another rather handy contender. He mentored Can’t Catch Tim ($14) to victory in last year’s NZ Stayers Cup edition. What was pleasing to see was his improved heat effort when he was sighted finishing stoutly to nail his 3.25 length heat second behind Waimac. That effort suggested that this winner of five of his previous eight 732m races at this venue is peaking nicely for Friday’s assignment.
“We were delighted to see him finishing on when going past Shandell. We’re also happy with him in the way he has come back since his injury. He will be retired after the race on Friday, irrespective of whatever he does in it,” stated Adcock.
Shandell ($11) is also a previous NZ Stayers Cup winner, having won the 2015 event for her trainer Arch Lawrence. She is fronting up for her third final in this race, just like the iron lady of New Zealand greyhound racing did recently when she contested her third Silver Collar final.
She set up the pace in her heat last Thursday, however, she yielded to firstly to Waimac and then late to the only challenger to her for her third consecutive NZ Stayer of the Year title Can’t Catch Tim when being out-finished by him by a head margin. She has drawn to again set the early pace from the ace trap here.
“She is as good as ever, although admittedly we have definitely seen the best of her. She has run better times down there than what she ran in her heat. In saying that I feel you will see improvement by her on Friday. Her draw can see her sticking to the rail and she is jumping the best she ever has in her old age.
“I have to say I was surprised she got run down in her heat. I’m happy with her, her draw and she can finish in the money,” said Lawrence, who also added that flying Shandell to Christchurch has worked out agreeable, rather than taking the long, arduous road trip.
Christchurch Casino NZ Stayers Cup finalists (from left): Ring The Bell (pic Dave Robbie); Can’t Catch Tim; Shandell
That was a massive staying performance that the Angela Turnwald trained Tranquil Blossom ($5.50) put in just to qualify for this final. She was hindered and jostled when copping a series of checks, then she was denied a clear racing passage at a critical stage in her heat. She simply came from nowhere to nail her 4.8 length heat fourth behind Waimac.
That was a potent effort the recent Wanganui Distance 755m winner produced. She’s a likely improver after that track debut outing. “Relieved to get her through after others who we feel shouldn’t have been in there nearly brought about her undoing. All we can do is to try to take bad luck out of the equation.
“She has come through her heat great and hopefully she can recoup her flight costs by running at least third – at least her owners are hopeful of her doing so, especially with her having Koru Club status,” commented the trainers’ partner Paul Freeman, who added the on the ground handling duties will be undertaken by his father Barry. “Yes, he owes us a Group race title after he left Boston Heart with us prior to his Nancy Cobain Memorial win (660m). I guess it’s only fair he returns the favour for us.”
Waimac ($21) really stepped up to the mark as a stayer when delivered his bold 44.28s heat win. Sure, his time was slower than what Ring The Bell returned when winning the other heat, however, he is a young stayer who indicated that the longer journeys are going to be his forte. He never looked like flinching during the run home.
“I guess he surprised us, but he also encouraged us. I didn’t expect him to run past a Silver Collar winner which he did. That was very pleasing to see. We took him (into kennels) because of his staying breeding. He’ll need to improve quite a few lengths for Friday and be in the first three or so early on. His draw doesn’t really help him. He wasn’t even puffing after his heat – he’s a hundred percent and all ready to go,” confirmed Johnathon McInerney.
Know Jinx ($21) has stepped up to the mark as a stayer over the extreme distances. Her bold third placing in the recent Plasterboard Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar proved that as did her bold heat effort here when she wound up nine lengths behind Ring The Bell in third place.
“She hasn’t got the draw we wanted but has the right dogs around her which should see her out jumping them. It’s all about being handy to the pace with a lap of the track to run. She needs to be up there as there are some strong stayers in the field. We saw in her Silver Collar sectionals that she has the pace to go with the best of them.
“I think I was a bit easy on her after the Silver Collar and you would think she will have derived benefit from her heat. She’s good – very good, the only thing that has gone wrong since her heat has been her draw,” suggested Cleeve.
Christchurch Casino NZ Stayers Cup finalists (from left): Tranquil Blossom; Waimac, seen here winning his heat (pic Dave Robbie); Know Jinx
The remaining two runners qualified from the powerful Dave and Jean Fahey kennels, who enters this race having trained a staggering 99 Group race winners. Translator ($7) is showing all the signs of being a stayer for the future. She illustrated that point in a strong manner that she completed her heat assignment by chasing home Ring The Bell after having occupied the rear division during the early stages. “She went real good, although her draw on Friday doesn’t suit her. She needs to get down to the rail at some stage,” said Dave Fahey.
Kennelmate Opawa Plum ($26) settled in the midfield pack and she remained there throughout during her heat. She has to take up a more forward early position after hopping away from trap five. “She can be right up there early if she makes a good beginning, although she will need luck and some trouble behind her. Both of them are all good,” added Fahey.
The Dave and Jean Fahey-trained Christchurch Casino NZ Stayers Cup finalists Translator (left) and Opawa Plum
The couple also has the first reserve Mandy Junior ($41) who was sighted racing handy to the pace in her heat for a long way, however, she drifted over the concluding stages during her first attempt over the 732m trip. Steve and Bonnie Evans provides the second reserve Opawa Cheviot ($31). She also settled just behind the pace from where she whacked away for her midfield finishing position.
By Peter Fenemor
