It’s a straight out two kennel paw wrestle for Thursday’s running of the time honoured $7,500 Kolorful Kanvas Robinson Rosebowl at the Addington Raceway on Thursday evening. Four greyhounds from the Dave and Jean Fahey kennels will clash with four Craig Roberts prepared chasers.
Pictured: Amazing Chase winner Shantui will contest Thursday’s Kolorful Kanvas Robinson Rosebowl feature
You know that the Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup carnival is just around the corner when the Robinson Rosebowl comes up for decision, with this 520m event being the traditional feature lead-in race to the grueling three-week series.
Returning from his recent bold 527m Waterloo Cup third, is He’s All Power ($4.50 – TAB Final Field, option 988) for the Fahey’s. He received limited early racing luck in that Group 1 final. The current Auckland Cup title holder is a proven 520m chaser around this circuit and he can make his presence felt from the three trap.
He can’t afford to even be a tad slow from the traps as his strong kennelmate Shantui ($3.50), has drawn on his immediate inner. Shantui has been known to run out a wee bit. He was denied a clear racing passage when heading into the first turn in last Thursday’s open class 520m race. We all know how strong this dog is as seen in his strong Amazing Chase victory over 527m.
Opawa Brad ($10) is another Waterloo Cup finalist who is returning to his home track for the Fahey’s. He was jammed up in early traffic and he never saw clear racing air along the rail in that Group 1 decider. His prior 30.43s 520m Waterloo Cup heat win contained plenty of merit when he was sighted finishing strongly along the rail. That’s the concern for him here as he is required to hop away from the seven trap on Thursday.
Completing the Fahey-trained contenders here is Opawa Timo ($9) who has stepped up to the mark when he was sighted finishing stoutly for his second, a margin behind the freewheeling winner Harry Fields, last week after suffering from a fair degree of early jostling. That race was his first taste of open class racing and this Thursday he jumps from the same four trap he had then.
Kolorful Kanvas Robinson Rosebowl feature race contenders (from left): Opawa Brad, Letron James, Mina Allen
Letron James ($10) is likely to be presented with an early rails racing passage from the ace trap for Roberts. He was the second reserve for the Waterloo Cup after his bold Cambridge 457m heat third-placed effort. He then went down to Invercargill where he delivered a competitive on the pace 457m third.
His kennelmate Mina Allen ($24) is yet another Waterloo Cup finalist contesting this feature where she endured a luckless run into the Manukau first turn which saw her occupying the rear division afterwards. She had qualified for the Manukau final by finishing second to the ultimate Waterloo Cup winner Bigtime Paddy in the Hatrick heat. She returned to this venue last Thursday where she again was the victim of an impeded early racing passage. Being allocated trap five certainly hasn’t aided her claims.
Dirk Bale ($3) is an exciting young chaser who has been charging through the grades for Roberts. He is facing his stiffest career test in this event after delivering a recent trio of wins. He was electric when delivering his sharp 30.06s NZ debut 520m win at C2 level. He received a bonus C2 outing next up at Ascot Park where again he was electric when winning in 25.94s over 457m. He then contested a C3 Addington 520m race which he won in 30.90s. He will be wearing the green racing vest here.
Quistis Bale ($11) will hop away from trap eight, the same trap where she jumped from in her last Manukau 527m outing on 24 September. She was badly impeded during the early rush then, losing all claims. Her prior three races from that trap resulting in winning gallops in all of them.
Roberts provides the sole reserve who is a pretty handy type in his own right. Back in August his charge Ride Ain’t Over ($6) strongly won the 520m Wanganui Cup at Group 1 level. Lousy racing luck since then has seen him dropping back down into the C4 chasing ranks, where he again suffered from significant traffic issues in that grade over 520m here last Thursday. It would be foolhardy to disregard his podium claims if he gets the one scratching he requires to line up here.
By Peter Fenemor
