It was a night for bolters at Wentworth Park on Saturday but one of several long-priced winners, Triumphant One, was expected by his connections to go as well as he did.
Having his first start for new trainer Brad Barber, a painter who trains greyhounds as a hobby, Triumphant One led throughout in the opening event, paying more than $27 on the NSW TAB.
Triumphant One had won three consecutive races at Wentworth Park for previous trainer Owen Langley over 14 months ago, so his successful return was a training triumph for Brad.
Brad landed his first city winner with Mirror Man Mitch on January 18 so Triumphant One gave him his second metropolitan success.
"A mate of mine bought Triumphant One six weeks ago and asked me to train him," Brad explained at Wentworth Park.
“But during that period I had my honeymoon to New York and Las Vegas booked so had to call on another mate, Nick Saloum, to come over and train Triumphant One while I was away.
“I’m not a punter but I did have a bet on the dog tonight because Triumphant One has been absolutely flying in trials."
There was no such confidence from the kennels of Miss Fiction, who snared the $15,000 first prize at double figure odds in the Sportingbet Stayers’ Final, or trainer Peter Tobin about Hurricane Beccy, who led throughout at $25 in the Adopt A Greyhound Stakes.
Before Miss Fiction’s race, owners Ted Ciszewski and Allan Wennen told me the best they were hoping for was a third placing behind the favourites Cawbourne Looney and Eleazar.
But when the fancied duo found big trouble at the first turn Miss Fiction, usually tailed off early, found herself in fifth spot going through the pen and fourth on the back straight before storming home to win.
Miss Fiction’s trainer Ivan Hanna was not even at Wentworth Park, having purchased tickets to the Bruce Springsteen concert at a Hunter Valley winery.
Ted Ciszewski, who handled Miss Fiction in Ivan’s absence said later: "Our greyhound doesn’t like having greyhounds crowding her on the outside and had the race run to suit tonight."
Even more gob-smacked about his greyhound’s longshot win was Peter Tobin, whose Hurricane Beccy clocked a sizzling 29.88 leaving her kennelmate Envy back in sixth position.
"The stewards asked me to explain how Hurricane Beccy went so well and I told them I’ve got no idea, in fact I backed Envy, not the winner," Peter said.
“The only thing I can put it down to is Hurricane Beccy raced at 31.2kg, down from as high as 31.7kg, but that shouldn’t make that much difference.
“If I trial them together Envy always beats Hurricane Beccy which is why I backed the wrong one!"
King Sapphire’s all-the-way win in race three, his second in his past three Wentworth Park starts, is a lesson in perseverance.
"At his first run at Wenty he led by five lengths and got run down,’’ trainer Noelene Holloway said after Saturday’s race.
"But he has obviously got a lot stronger and he thrives on racing week to week without any trialling in between."
Although Between WICKETS’ fast time of 29.87 surprised trainer Alan Campbell the rising four-year-old’s win in race eight was not totally unexpected.
"Despite his age Between WICKETS is finally racing totally free and his win at Bulli three nights before this Wentworth Park race topped him off perfectly," Alan said.
See you next week!
