Eight Group heats raced at the Hatrick Raceway last Friday decided the final fields for the Group 1 and Group 2 races that will be contested in the River City this Friday evening as the Wanganui GRC continues to host their popular Christmas at the Races meetings.
Pictured: The early Spion Rose favourite Bago Bye Bye made it through to Friday’s Group 1 decider
It promises to be a full-on evening of chasing action with the $46,000 The Spion Rose Cup (Group 1) being the headline 520m event. The short course 305m speed merchants engage their paws in the $16,000 Dash For Cash (Group 2) final. The Kiwi-bred stayers won’t be neglected either as they will contest their $12,000 NZRS Distance final over the 755m staying test.
Here’s a look back at the two sets of 520m Spion Rose and 305m Dash For Cash heats.
The recent Dave and Jean Fahey mentored $125,000 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup winner Bago Bye Bye was forced to boldly overcome a degree of first turn jostling, where momentarily his qualifying claims appeared to be hanging in the balance. A number of other contenders did lose their advancement claims then.
Seizing the initiative at the point was Idol Dude and he slipped clear racing down the back straight for his trainer Marcie Flipp. Rapidly improving down the back was Bago Bye Bye and he railed underneath the pacemaker when rounding the final turn and booted clear for his 30.27s heat win. Idol Dude was gallant in claiming his second placing 2.5 lengths behind, while he held a 4.75 length margin over a brave Lisa Cole trained Bigtime Lily who was also impeded in the first turn incident.
Young trainer Dan Roberts will be boxing away his first Group 1 finalist on Friday after his charge Barge Bale produced a superb last to first heat effort when he prevailed in the second heat in what turned out to be the heat best 30.22s winning 520m time.
It was Bigtime Wendle who led the field into the first turn for Cole, while her kennelmate Blazin’ Aubrey was in close attendance. They weren’t able to withstand the strong finish that Barge Bale aimed at them with Blazin’ Aubrey being claimed by three quarters of a length by him.
A subsequent vet inspection on Blazin’ Aubrey saw her being an injury enforced stand down. Waitohi rattled home late for Angela Turnwald just a half a length astern. Her third placing was the quickest from the heats, therefore promoting her into the box draw for the final.
It was a mixed lead up to this series for Canterbury conditioner Craig Roberts with a couple of his potential leading contenders Dyna Elwood and Dirk Bale missing this series owing to injury. Avenger Bale and Dyna Dave were favoured heat prospects however traffic issues in the first two heats meant they missed out on final field positions.
Dyna Monty made no mistake for Roberts in the third Spion Rose heat when he jumped straight into the race lead and he was never seriously challenged afterwards, scampering away to his 5.75 length heat win, clocking 30.26s in doing so.
Diddelee, who is a kennel and littermate to Waitohi, finished strongly from an early midfield position to snatch the heat second placing. Pressing home stoutly just a neck further behind was Quistis Bale for Matt Roberts and her effort earned her the second position on the reserves bench for the final.
The final Spion Rose heat turned into a real paw slugfest between a couple of quality Group race performing greyhounds. Nature’s Gent punched forward from trap five to lead the field around the first turn for Turnwald. Pushing up onto his outer was the Steve Clark prepared Pinny Mack and this pair went clear to decide this heat between them.
Pinny Mack mastered Nature’s Gent when rounding the final turn and his momentum carried him through to take out the heat in 30.34s. Natured Gent refused to flinch and last year’s Spion Rose third place getter will return for this edition after he finished a length behind in second. Charging out of the midfield pack to nail the third placing and with it the first possie on the reserves bench was the Matt Roberts prepared Gray Bale who was just three quarters of a length further behind.
Spion Rose heat winners included (from left): Barge Bale; Dyna Monty; Pinny Mack
Dash For Cash Heats
It was anticipated that the first two sprinters who finished in the recently completed $35,000 The Fitz Sports Bar Galaxy Sprint would be the main players in the Dash For Cash heats. And so it proved.
First up we saw the Galaxy Sprint runner up Sheza Rippa complete her Hatrick track debut 305m dash in style when she returned 17.40s for her trainers Dave and Jean Fahey. It was a stylish sprint from her and she led home the Lisa Cole prepared Bigtime Blackie by a 1.5 length margin. Sprinting handy to the pace throughout was the Sam Lozell prepared Fantastic Amy and she booked herself the first position on the reserves bench for the final.
The powerful Galaxy Sprint winner Sir Duggie was all the rage to take out the second Dash For Cash heat for Cole. He gave his army of supporters no cause for concern whatsoever when he dash clear to deliver his smart 17.34s heat win, the quickest from the four heats contested.
Marcie Flipp will have the unique distinction of having litter and kennelmates contesting both Friday Group race finals as Idol Nifty kicked on solidly to claim his second heat placing when he finished up four lengths back in second. His litter brother Idol Dude will contest the Spion Rose final.
Last year’s Dash For Cash winner Hypocritical gained entry into the final from the first possie on the reserves bench for that edition. On this occasion he’ll be the second reserve for Angela Turnwald after he pressed on soundly for his heat third another 1.5 lengths behind.
It was Flipp to the fore in the third heat as she presented Idol Hot to deliver her bold pace making 17.62s heat win by a comfortable three length margin. Joining her in the decider will be another sprinter from the Fahey’s kennel with Too The Nail maintaining a solid sprint throughout for his second placing. .
Kathlee has been charging through the grades for Cole and she maintained that hot sprint form by delivering her sound 17.59s on the pace heat win. Northern trainer Emma Potts was absolutely ecstatic with her charge Thrilling Katie who provides her mentor with her first Group race finalist when she extended nicely to claim her heat second placing another 1.75 lengths astern.
Dash For Cash heat winners included (from left): Sheza Rippa; Sir Duggie; Idol Hot
By Peter Fenemor
